James Aarons - Katie Gingrass Gallery

James Aarons - ceramic sculpture

James Aarons:
I began working with clay in 1974, when, as a teenager, I dedicated myself to capturing a sense of form and balance in traditional ceramics. My work has since evolved from wheel-thrown vessels and pots to contemporary tableware and art pieces, which I create in my private studio, Natoma Ceramic Design.
My artistic career began as a dancer. I earned a B.F.A. in Dance from North Carolina School for the Arts in 1984. That same year I embarked on a 15-year professional performing career dancing and choreographing original works as a member of Nikolais Dance Theatre, Erick Hawkins Dance Company, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, among others. My career as a professional dancer has contributed a sense of movement and dynamism to my work as a ceramic artist.

My current work is an abstract expression of the urban/human condition. Pathway and structure are elements that play a significant role in my development of ideas and are portrayed in non-representational, linear ways. Whether executed as a three-dimensional form or as markings on a flat surface, my concern is for the line itself and how it relates to the surrounding space. I am devoted to the task of making objects from clay and feel that the clay itself is an important component of my work. It's fitting that, since our constructed environments are made from clay, my work should be also.

My work is available at select galleries across the country, and I have exhibited nationally and have created commissions including a tableware design for San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Museum Store.