Biography
Boomer received his BA from Montana State University in Bozeman and his MFA from Utah State University. He has been a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation and Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine. He has given workshops around the country, exhibited nationally, been awarded an Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Grant, and has been published in ClayTimes, The Ceramic Design Book, and The Ceramic Glaze Handbook. He currently teaches at Ohio University in Athens.
Statement
Over the past five years, a body of cross-disciplinary work has evolved. This work stems directly from being a parent. Work that combines many of the same influences and traits found in my utilitarian pots. More conceptual and sculptural in nature, these pieces predominantly have gained their identities from concepts of utility, pacification, and environments stemming from being a parent. As a new parent, I was submersed in new forms and ideas of utility. Ideas bounding from breast-feeding to the same toys I looked at when making pots. However, I found myself looking at toys not as playthings but rather as pacifiers and their importance that infants/kids place upon these objects. Objects that define a child's learning environment and personality traits. Personalities defining us as individuals and how we interact and learn from our surrounding environments. Observations of my son and daughters interaction within these same environments, has led to a series of work describing their growth and individual traits.
I have always been a process oriented individual. The ability to utilize my passion for diverse material processes and fabricating methods, has allowed me to create a body of work that showcases a sense of playfulness, craftsmanship, and personality. Materials and ideas combine to create a sense of engagement and interaction with the viewing audience.
