Dragon Temple Pots project is a collaboration between Andy Bright and Andrew Smith. Bright, a multi-disciplinary artist who also works in tattoo, conceived of this project as a way to further explore drawing upon the body, as ceramic vessels express certain human characteristics in their shape.
Pulling inspiration from the Korean funerary jar, these vessels are meant to hold something sacred. Each one is decorated with the mythical figure of the Dragon, fired in a kiln that licks each surface into its own design.
Among the shadow canyons, laboring in the desert heats and chills of Arizona, these pots are fired in a soda-ash rich atmosphere both volatile and unpredictable, creating a surface reflective of the animal they depict. Just as a tattoo embeds all its meaning into the skin, so too are these pots embedded with the magic of the Dragon.
Bio
Andy Bright is a Los Angeles, California based artist who works in Sculpture, Music, Performance Art and Film. As a filmmaker his roles include Director, Production Designer, Costume Designer and Composer. For over 15 years, he has collaborated with Isabella Rossellini on the Green Porno series and its subsequent films and theatrical performances. Notably, Andy's work and performances have been exhibited at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA; The Wolfsonian, Miami; Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; and The Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington DC. He also works in window and store design. Andy received his BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA in Ceramics from the Ohio State University.
Andrew ‘Augusta’ Smith is a multimedia artist and designer living and working in Phoenix, Arizona out of the HANDSEYESMIND Studio. Native to Edgefield County, South Carolina, Augusta has a rich background in traditional methods of ceramic design and production that allows him to work in many areas of the trade. A graduate of ASU in Biomedical Engineering and Ceramic Art, Augusta’s cross disciplinary approach brings together deeply involved research and intuitive forms to create lasting experiences and timeless designs. Focused on organically derived surfaces on functional wares, Augusta fires primarily in atmospheric kilns, in which the atmosphere of the kiln contributes directly to the surface. In addition to this personal body of work, Augusta makes tablewares for some of the top restaurants in Arizona, and is known for his collaborative bodies of work with artists of different disciplines.