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Denise Detrich Biographical Statement

Denise Detrich is the Director of the Lee Gallery in the Department of Art at Clemson University. Before joining Clemson University Ms. Detrich served as a Master Instructor at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities and prior to that as exhibitions coordinator at Clemson University from 1996-2000. She received her MFA in Ceramics at the New York College of Ceramics at Alfred University and has maintained an active exhibitions record having been invited to participate in many national exhibitions. Ms. Detrich has given workshops in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee and has been included in publications such as Wheel Thrown Pottery by Don Davis, Best of Pottery, published by Rockport Publishers and Studio Potter magazine.

Denise Woodward - Detrich Artist Statement

My work is made in response to the proliferation of lifeless objects that saturate our daily lives. Mass-produced throwaways created for convenience and implied cost savings along with the prevalence of digital technologies that currently define our corporal and physiological experiences erode the possibilities of quality, integrity and truly valuable experiences.

My work provides a counterpoint to the unconsidered moments brought on by Capitalist ideals and mediated experiences. My investigation is positioned on the visceral experience of physical touch, on the relationship between seeing and feeling and on the layered knowledge gained through the accumulated experiences of utility. My work is built on the idea that hand made objects possess a critical reference point to who we are. Unlike other forms they enrich our lives through daily physical interactions and provide a level of comfort and interaction that helps to define who we are as individuals.

My work is designed in reference to the human form and the environment. Through the articulation of the form quoted from both contexts I use of slips, glazes and graphic elements that reconstruct visual references to the human body, the designed environment and the natural world. My functional forms speak to the analogies between skin and the landscape, between surfaces such as fabric and the natural environment and between function and implied movement. The interplay of these elements speaks to the connectivity between the body, environment, form and function. My forms draw on the interaction between an object, its function, the user, and the experience of use. My pallet and surfaces make connections to river streams and hot maple syrup and to hay bale hillsides, sushi, forest flora and fauna. The final product culminates in providing an experience that is like the everyday; unique and complex.

In my more recent work I utilize porcelain to suggest an element of the pure and for its brighter pallet with glazes. I utilize stoneware to suggest an element of the earth and the unrefined qualities found in clay. I am interested in exploring the intersection of opposing aesthetics that these two clay bodies provide. The surface treatment and use of carving also suggests an intersection of contrasts building a larger experiential narrative. These elements are utilized around the form to create unpredictable visual experiences. The flat graphic patterns make reference to fashion and fabric design while the more fluid and layered use of slips references micro narratives found in nature. The intersection layers, variations of depth in slips and use of graphic elements are brought together in compositions that mimic the layered experiences of daily life.

Contact Michael McDunn Gallery. If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you for your interest in Denise Detrich.

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Michael McDunn Gallery
741 Rutherford Road
Greenville, SC 29609
Phone 864 242-0311

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11am-4pm Saturdays

Directions from Downtown Greenville, take North Main until it ends at Rutherford Road. Studio is located at the intersection of North Main Street and Rutherford Road.

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