David Barnes

Available at the Alberta Craft Gallery - Edmonton & Calgary

Whether I am labelled a Potter, Sculptor or Artist, it is irrelevant to the work that I create. Over the past years, I have been and still am all these things. Ceramics, for me, has always been about the whole process, from concept and design to production. This is what defines the craftsman.

I have never been one to feel tied to limited designs or one process. For me, it is a life of constant exploration and the development of new ideas, pushing the material and my abilities to their limits in the pursuit of the new and unexplored. The ultimate consideration being the aesthetic and statement made by the end result.

 My work has always ranged and fluctuated from utilitarian ware to sculptural forms; each piece has always been given the same consideration. I feel that my work should show the essence of the materials and the processes involved. For me, there should always be an element of natural occurrence, something I have only a limited amount of control over, elements that are a result of the glaze combination, the mix of the clay or the result of the firing process. Sometimes the result is disappointing and sometimes exceptional.