Sommi and Calahan Take Ceramic Art to the Next Level
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Freshmen Amanda Sommi and junior Zac Calahan took top honors for their ceramic pieces at the 37th annual Stamford Art Association High School Art Show this month.
The work was judged by a panel of professional art critics who reviewed more than 100 pieces in four categories: drawing, photo/ digital prints, and 3D/ sculpture.
Zac took second place in the 3D/sculpture category for his ceramic-lidded piece “Pepper Jar” “I was surprised that I won,” Zac said. “There were very, very good pieces in the competition”
The jar goes from dark green to an almost tan color is filled with different designs that helped separate it from the rest of the pieces at the competition. This winning entry came from a simple assignment assigned to him by teacher Ms. Michelle Currier.
“Zac is a very talented and creative artist. I'm not surprised his "Pepper Jar" won, the craftsmanship on this piece really made it stand out,” Ms Currier said. “He is truly a pleasure to work with in class.”
The goal was to make a ceramic pot with a working lid. Sounds simple enough, but it actually becomes difficult to create on a spinning wheel. “I liked the perfect top that fits on the bowl,” Zac said about his winning artwork.
Amanda took first place for her ceramic tiles called “My Matisse” in the 3D/ sculpture category.
“It was pretty exciting to win as a freshman. It was completely unexpected, as I knew I was entered in the art show just a couple days before,” Amanda said.
Amanda’s winning ceramic piece consisted of four tiles glazed and painted depicting French painter Henri Mattisse’s painting “The View of Collioure.”
“My favorite thing about my tiles is the way the glass looks. It gives the tiles more depth, and also contrasts the clay. The colors of the glass that I used melted together, so it gives it an interesting mix of colors,” Amanda said.
Even though Amanda was surprised, her ceramics teacher Dorine Bosler said it wasn’t unexpected due to the level of talent and artistry reflected in the final product.
“Amanda is a very spirited and talented ceramic artist,” Ms Bosler said. “The object of this project was to find inspiration from a master artist. Her interpretation and craftsmanship made her piece very unique and beautiful.”
The work of Zac and Amanda shows that artistic inspiration can be expanded far beyond paint and canvas to mold arresting art from a mound of moist clay.
