| Matthew Tell first began working with clay on 1976, his Senior
year in high school. He was immediately drawn to the wonderful
quality of clay-its plasticity, making it only limited by the
imagination. Many years later, Matt spends his day in his studio
in Marlboro, working with clay: throwing, trimming, glazing and
firing. He studied ceramics with Malcolm Wright and Michael Boylen
at Marlboro College and in 1983 with seven other potters, he
started the Brattleboro Clayworks, a pottery collective. Matthew
moved his studio to its present location in Marlboro in 1988,
where he can look out his window and see the Green Mountains of
Vermont that he admits have influenced his work. "This is
reflected in the earth tone glaze overlays and suggestive
landscapes I use to decorate my pots," says Matthew. A recent
trip to Alaska has further opened more possibilities as to colors,
forms, textures and glazes.
In 1993, Matthew realized his goal of designing and
building a wood kiln. The qualities unique to the wood fired
process results from the complex dynamics involving the makers'
endeavor., the material properties and the life of the fire. Other
firing techniques involve just the heat from the fuel; wood firing
uses the fire itself, the ash deposits and the gasses produced
from the fire. "I like improvising, letting the process
determine the outcome. Wood firing fulfills this need because each
firing is different and full of unintended surprises," says
Matthew.
Recently Matthew added on to his studio, nearly doubling
the space. There is now added gallery space, and for Matt, plenty
of room to create. Matt's newest work includes a process he calls
"shattering" which adds a rhythmic texture to his
pieces. |
