David Crane
“My goal is to create finely crafted, functional pottery that is well designed and dynamic. The aim of these designs is to create contrasting color and surface elements that work in harmony with the form. For me, successful finished pots will be objects that are enjoyable to use and handle while being pleasing to look at and of lasting interest. Ultimately works of this quality will enrich the users life.”
“My ceramic work is part of the functional pottery tradition. The ideas in the work are drawn from ceramic and art precedents from a wide and diverse range of cultural aesthetics, regions, and periods. The historic cultural traditions of China, Japan, Europe, and Native American along with 19th and 20th century American art are all strong influences. Along with these artistic references is the inescapable influence of the human form and that of landscape and environment. Pottery at its heart refers to the human scale through utilitarian form. However, the influences of landscape are often reflected in forms, colors and surfaces selected for use in the ceramics. My work reflects the experience of two very different environments, the Appalachian Mountains and the desert and mountains of the American Southwest.”
David Crane is currently a professor in the Department of Art and Art History at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. He has received several awards for his work including two Virginia Museum of Arts Fellowships (1989, 1992), a Virginia Commission for the Arts Award (1988), and has exhibited his work both nationally and internationally.