MAY 31 - JUNE 21, 2008
Opening Reception:
SATURDAY, MAY 31, 2008
6 - 8PM

WORKSHOP:
'PATTERNS ON POTS'
SATURDAY JUNE 21, 2008
10AM - 4PM

Choy GallerY & HENRY'S PROJECT
KYLA TOOMEY: THE OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION

Featuring the playful utilitarian pottery of Clay Art Center 2006-08 resident artist Kyla Toomey, this solo exhibition marks the culmination of her residency. This body of work explores the power that functional objects can possess functionally, domestically and personally.  

Kyla will also lead a one-day demonstration workshop on Saturday, June 21 entitled "Patterns on Pots." She will demonstrate her process from start to finish, exploring the intersection of pattern and form on functional objects. For more information, or to register, visit www.clayartcenter.org.

The exhibit will be a delight for the senses. Her richly patterned surfaces beg one to touch, while the bright jelly-bean pinks, blues, yellows and greens bring our visual senses and our taste buds to life. There will be treats in the form of platters, teapots, mugs, coasters and stacking ice cream bowls. The combination of color, form and texture will urge viewers to take these pots home and put them to use.  

In her artist statement, Kyla Toomey states, "I am a lover of objects, be it as a creator, an observer or a user. I define myself primarily as an object maker then as a ceramicist, an artist and a designer. My most favorite object is the mug as it is intrinsically ceramic - made of any other medium it does not feel quite right. The mug has the power to express ideas, create connections and become a part of daily life; it is fundamental to my process and my life.

"My understanding of ceramics is based around the active process of creating. As a creator I have limitless possibilities to work with, and yet I have chosen to work with an intentionally restricted set of ideas and tools which in turn opens another realm of limitless possibilities. Pattern is the repetition and rotation of one or more shapes or lines to create positives within negative space. I use pattern to move through or around form, to break up the space and mark it as my own. The surface and decoration on the exterior informs the interior,   defining the space, noting that they are directly connected, and yet read as inherently different.

"It is my intent to create objects for the power they can possess functionally, domestically and personally. I reflect upon the history of domesticity and pattern, a connection between the objects I have made and those that came before. The work is decorated as a part of the process; the patterns are an outgrowth of this process, and with this there is a deep connection to handwork, which is so basic and necessary to craft. I have come to understand that these processes resonate with the small town New England aesthetic spaces into which I was born, with woven baskets, patchwork quilts and other intrinsically handmade domestic objects."