Veteran Arthur Kettner turns to pottery after his service in the Navy.
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[Arthur] My artwork is based around structure. I like taking multiple elements in my artwork and repeat those forms or design elements and apply them in different ways.
Some of my artwork, like my bacteria series, I'm using organic forms and I'm tumble stacking them together in this chaotic way. And they're chopped up and reassembled into ways that suggest a mechanical-ness to them, but yet have an organic feel. Clay wants to go natural. So working against clay's own predisposition has been a really interesting challenge.
After my service at the United States Navy, participating in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and becoming a veteran, I moved back to Ohio and I completed my bachelor's degree at Bowling Green State University in ceramics, glass, and computer art. I taught for two years at Sinclair Community College, and it really set me up for wanting to go to grad school that I understood that there was more to ceramics that I wanted to know.
I was accepted to Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. So my wife and I moved to Philadelphia so I could become a grad student. During that time, my first child was born and I knew when I graduated that I needed to get a job.
After finishing my Master's of Fine Arts degree, I started to work for industry. For an artist to work in industry is an interesting proposition. So I received a typical job, like color matching, at a glass enamel place. And so somebody would say, I want you to make this color. So I would use the chemicals and then we'd make a color.
During that time, working in the industry, I learned how to be more formulaic, how I could use scientific method to understand the materials I was working with. A lot of these places, I did work under chemical engineers and I was a sponge. They would start talking and I would just sit there and listen. So I really grew as a technical artist, if that makes sense, in the way that I could understand my materials better and how to apply them in more effective ways.
During the past 14 years of working in industry, it's always been a challenge to make art. Family obligations, work obligations, and there's so many hours in a day, but somehow I always found time to make things.
Being the inaugural artist in residence at the Rosewood Arts Center is very special to me. I feel very fortunate that this opportunity had presented itself. To be able to come into this wonderful community asset and work with other artists of all levels is just a wonderful opportunity.
A clear glaze on porcelain is not gonna necessarily look the same as clear glaze on a stoneware body.
I think that the Rosewood Arts Center is such a gem in this town. There's so many opportunities here for children and for adults to really explore themselves in their art.
Because back in the day before sodium silicate, anytime somebody had to make a cup or a bowl or anything like that, they had to throw it on a wheel.
It's given me, an artist, a great opportunity to come in and make work. I have a little studio space and really make the work I'm making today. This is pushing my skill limit to the very edge of what my ability is.
I've been doing ceramics for around 20 years now, and I love the medium, but I wanna explore some more things. I've got more ideas that don't lend themselves to ceramics.
So going forward, it's go be interesting because I have this great chance, after this residency program, to really evolve as an artist and really take things up to more of a sculptural level. I wanna be more of a sculptor instead of just considered a clay artist.