Robert Deane

In this day and age, where the food we eat is wrapped in plastic and cardboard, and our needs are all met off-the-rack, there is a lack of connection with the sources of our food, shelter and clothing. As a potter working with clay of the earth , I want to be directly connected to the Earth. I wanted for my pottery to be hands-on. To “bring new meaning to the phrase local pottery,” (according to the Philadelphia Inquirer) my creek clay pieces are dug out of creek beds in Delaware County, PA. They are my effort to bring the source back into our hands.

When clay is bought, potters are using standardized bodies. The clay I dig is a unique voice of iron, feldspar, silica, aluminum, calcium, fine metals, and organic matter. It comes naturally from the processes of the Earth, rather than clinically mixed in a laboratory.

As a child, I loved to go down to creek and play in the mud. Now, I get to do the same thing in my artwork. The clay is used as both the clay body and the glaze. Some of the glazes also use ash. By looking to natural sources for my materials, I am returning to my childhood to find my voice in creek clay.