The Bath Pot series began after I broke my ankle skateboarding. I would make a pinch pot while I took a bath. This occupied my time while the humid environment extended the working life of the clay. These are an exercise in patience where I challenge myself to work on the pot for as long as I can. The results are some of the most delicate pots I’ve ever made. My goal is to get them in atmospheric firings in order to let the firing do the work of effecting the surface. Most of this series has been wood fired at College for Creative Studies.
I started making geometric paintings in 2010. As soon as I learned to make canvas stretchers I began making shapes. I started with triangles, then hexagons, diamonds, chevrons, and all different variations that fit on the orthogonal grid. I made so many stretchers that I am still working through them today.
Each experiment expands on the lessons learned the preceding paintings. I’ve developed my own process for creating pin stripes that allows me to work in layers, and results in tight lines of saturated color. Rhythm, repetition, and the grid lay the foundation for the play of colors, and shapes.
a group exhibition at Galerie Camile
“James Benjamin Franklin, Clark Goeman, and Franklin Jonas use line, form, light, and color to express the mathematical vocabulary of art in their own unique and striking ways, with impeccable precision and craft.”
January 12 - February 24, 2018
4130 Cass Ave
Detroit, MI
My objective was to create a system of archetypal forms that can fit together into endless combinations using the ceramic process. In order for the parts to fit together I needed to implement a scale system. The solution was to create a series using basic geometric shapes that correlate by side length. This Euclidean geometry is the foundation for all our mathematical knowledge, and is at the core of all systems operating today. The work is not the authorship of these undeniable truths, but rather an observation of them; there is nothing new under the sun. The concepts that lay with in the structure of these forms transcend time enabling the work to seem both ancient and futuristic.
Taking molds from both found objects and 3D printed forms I created a series of composite pieces that test different geometries, seeking both symmetrical, and asymmetrical balance dealing with irregularity.
Working with found objects and new materials creates different ways for me to consider form. Assemblage allows me to juxtapose a thing or an idea. In many of these works framing is being used to present a three-dimensional object as two-dimensional image. These objects are meant to question their status as an artwork.
“Origins of Life” is the body of ceramic work that seduced me into my ongoing love affair with clay. The tactile nature of the pinch process transforms sensual touch into visual language. The viewer can read the movement of my caress through the form, and empathize with the spatial curiosity of the hand. Entirely transformative, the process is about realizing, and expanding upon connections that already existed within the primal solid.
In 2018 I purchased my home in Hamtramck. Built in 1964 during the construction of I-75, this 3 bedroom ranch is a sears kit home that looks out of place compared the the homes from the early 1900’s that surround it.
I’ve renovated the interior, removing a half bath in the center to create an open floor plan. Through the process I learned the basic electrical, plumbing, and construction skills the job required. I redesigned the kitchen including a 5 color tile pattern for the floor that landed me a job selling tile until I broke my ankle.
