|
|
|
|
| Artist Spotlight: Mark Hebing Pottery |
In 1986, after receiving his degrees, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Art Education from Colorado State University, Mark taught art for two years in a small Colorado town. While there he found himself spending time with the school board president and her husband who, coincidentally, were professional potters. "All through grade school, high school and college I loved working with clag. Though I expected a more conventional career for myself, I kept being drawn back to pottery."
In 1988 Mark moved to Seattle. There he found a job at a large "production" pottery. He quickly excelled at "throwing" pottery on a potter's wheel. Then, in 1992, Mark and wife Meg moved to the Santiam canyon of Oregon to start a family and to open his own pottery business.
Today Mark produces a large line of porcelain and stoneware functional pottery including table-ware, oven-ware, vases, lamps, planter pots, fountains and more. "My glazes are all original formulas, and I'm always testing new recipes to improve functionality and to broaden my color palette. When I look at a finished piece, I like to see the transformative process from raw clay to finished product; from the throwing rings which are characteristic of the hand thrown piece, to the glaze application, to the melting glaze at the final firing."
Artistically, Mark is most influenced by the landscapes of the French impressionists. The luminous and atmospheric qualities of paintings by Monet and others are abstract, yet very real. They portray a sensory experience beyond the purely visual. "I see the beauty of western Oregon Cascade forests. This is the sensory experience I want to bring to my pottery. Modern life is so fast-paced and hectic, that we can't often appreciate the natural beauty around us. If my pottery can draw someone in and provide a few moments of pure peace, I'll have succeeded as an artist."
|
|