Peter Voulkos

Peter Voulkos - early life Born in 1924 to Greek immigrant parents in the town of Bozeman, Montana. He was drafted and serving as an airplane gunner in the Pacific in World War II. Voulkos got his start in ceramics in the late 1940s, when he was studying at Bozeman State.

Peter Voulkos – traditional master Voulkos was described “as a prodigious natural potter and a producer of elegantly thrown functional earthenware,” according to Roberta Smith for the New York Times. He also produced dinnerware to sell through high-quality stores Voulkos gained a reputation as a master of ceramics techniques, winning twenty-nine prizes and awards from 1949 through 1955.

Peter Voulkos – changing ideas Voulkos spent a summer teaching at Black Mountain College near Asheville, North Carolina in At Black Mountain College and later in New York, Voulkos met Robert Rauschenberg, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and other Abstract Expressionist painters.

Robert Rauschenberg, Canyon

Franz Kline, Mahoning

Willem de Kooning, Woman V

Peter Voulkos – starting a movement In 1954, Voulkos was invited to teach at the Los Angeles County Art Institute. Voulkos began to build progressively larger works that cast aside utility and abandoned ceramic conventions. Decoration became aggressive, as he slashed at and pierced the clay, which he then energetically painted with glaze. Voulkos exhibited these new works in Los Angeles announcing to the world a new way of approaching ceramics.

Peter Voulkos Voulkos' sculptures are known for their visual weight, free-formed construction, aggressive and energetic design. Voulkos would vigorously tear, pound, and gouge the surfaces of his works.

Peter Voulkos – later years In 1979, a young ceramist named Peter Callas constructed the first Japanese wood fire kiln in the United States and Voulkos experimented with it, creating works that exploited the spontaneity of the process. The artist retired from teaching in 1985, and began working full-time on his own projects. His creativity and productivity seemed to accelerate in his later years, as he focused on clay and later, bronze.

Bronze outdoor sculpture

Peter Voulkos – the legacy Roberta Smith described the magnitude of his impact when she wrote, “few artists have changed a medium as markedly or as single- handedly as Mr. Voulkos.” Voulkos helped to make ceramics a fine art instead of a decorative craft. His work as an innovator and teacher inspired generations of ceramists to push boundaries and find freedom in their medium. Voulkos died in 2002.

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Techniques: Peter Voulkos Bottle Techniques: ***Intentionally leave areas rough, unrefined, “broken” Build in sections Allow all cracks to show Do not smooth joints Carve in holes Partially peel back layers

Focal E&P Focal Elements: Texture, form Focal Principles: Balance, Variety, Emphasis

Requirements 8-10” tall, 4-6” wide at widest point. Built from multiple sections with additions of smaller pieces. Must clearly be intentionally unrefined Must have 1 spout

Sketching Draw 2 possible “bottles” based on Voulkos’ style. Draw one per page Show cracks, connections, holes, textures etc. Remember: Focal Elements: Texture, form Focal Principles: Balance, Variety, Emphasis