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Gary C. Hatcher
Medias Used or Areas of Interest:
Ceramics
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Gary was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1954 and studied ceramics at the University of North Texas where he received a B.F.A., and at Texas A & M at Commerce where he received an M.F.A. in sculpture. He apprenticed in Devon, England with Michael Leach and David Leach from 1976-79. After returning from England he founded Pine Mills Pottery in Mineola, Texas where his work is fired in a bourry box wood kiln to cone 12. He has served as guest editor for Studio Potter Magazine, and his work has been featured in Ceramics Art and Perception, Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics Technical and American Craft. His work is exhibited widely. He is currently art chair and associate professor of art at the University of Texas at Tyler.
My work is glazed and fired in a bourry box wood-fired kiln. I am interested in the subtle interaction of light wood ashing with the glazed surface and the accentuation of form by the effects of firing. I am drawn to pots where the firing enhances clay and glazed surfaces and does not dominate them. I am looking for color in my wood-fired works, color that is enhanced by reduction in a wood-fired kiln at cone 12. Wood-firing produces an atmosphere alternating between oxidation and reduction where every stoke of the kiln breathes life into the surfaces. For me it is the best way to fire.
I am interested in the perceptual journey provided by working with clay. With every firing, new information is provided by the kiln, clay and glaze. It is a fascinating journey of discovery without end. As I begin my 30th year working with clay, I understand that for me working with clay is a philosophical journey. I have become more aware of the importance of what is thought and said about my work. Technical affectations fade away while the essential core of heart and mind hold the work together.
Current works are a continuation of focus on form that is balanced with careful surface enhancement through glaze that is dipped and trailed on the pots. I am also using a hakame brush technique to apply a kaolin flashing slip.
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