Nathan Prouty: Piles & Countertops

Jan 8th - Feb 14th, 2010

Nathan Prouty received his BFA in ceramic sculpture from the New York State College of Ceramics in Alfred NY, and is currently a Resident Artist of The Clay Studio. For such a young artist, Prouty has a very personal voice, one representative of one more mature. His ability to reference known objects in combination with one another, to mix the organic with the inorganic, and to combine various materials with his incredible color sensibility allows him to create odd, whimsical, and unique sculptures all his own. Prouty’s skill as a craftsman is evident in every piece he makes regardless of his material choice. Beautifully finished and highly refined, his work references the early fetish finish movement of Southern California in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in an updated and contemporary way.

Nathan writes about his work, "Connections between the curious and the familiar offer endless opportunities for exploration. The display of a few dissimilar objects sets the stage: conflict, dialogue, action, and emotion. Contrast leads to comparison; meaning occurs through difference."

 

"This body of work signifies a marked shift in my studio practice. Questions asked of space, architecture, and the stage now become questions of the story, narrative, and character."

"My role is to define Z and Y for the viewer. Guided by visual clues, viewers must invent their own equations to solve for X. There is no goal or objective other than to dangle the carrot and see where it leads the horse."