Scott McClellan Maker Focus January 10, 2023

BIOGRAPHY

Scott earned his BFA in ceramics in college at Utah State University where he studied under John Neely and Dan Murphy, and found a connection to wood firing. After graduating with a BFA in ceramics, he moved to Edinboro, PA to work as a ceramics studio technician at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Lee Rexrode and Chuck Johnson. While there, he developed multiple clay bodies for soda and wood firing.
Scott then moved on to work as a resident artist at Taos Clay in Taos, New Mexico. There he continued his research of firing wood kilns in differing atmospheres. He also took on the responsibilities of a studio technician, gallery attendant, ceramics instructor, and show curator.
Scott earned an MFA from the University of Missouri, studying with Bede Clarke and Joe Pintz. he experimented with a variety of technical processes, primarily focusing on wheel thrown pottery and hand built sculpture. His work was fired in a variety of different wood kilns researching multiple firing patterns.
After receiving his Masters in Fine Arts, he worked as the wood fire resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula for two years. There he developed wild clays to be used in reduction cooling, glazes, and as additions to Wollastonite clay bodies. Scott rebuilt the CSOM anagama and increased the efficiency to get hotter using less wood and time.
Scott taught ceramics at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Washington and Community College of Rhode Island. Currently he is the ceramics studio manager at the Seattle Artist League.

STATEMENT

Weathering, metamorphosis, heat, and tectonics are forces that form and transform the earth. Over millennia, these methods of abrasion construct captivating structures out of ubiquitous materials. I reference erratic rock architecture by using the same minerals and modes of construction to create new metamorphic rocks. By stripping clay down to its basic nature, I exploit the rawness of the material.

The dramatic craggy surfaces hold a dignified presence of solemnity. When observing these objects, one can see how the undulations and irregularities are what give them fortitude, encouraging contemplation in the viewer; a time set aside to recognize the earnestness of life in comparison to the gravity of death. I have often found myself in this capacity when surrounded by the vastness of desert landscapes. The massiveness of the rock formations combined with the expansiveness of the horizon, humbles me to a contemplative state. In these times I have been able to resolve who I am and what is important to me. I replicate these experiences by inducing solemnity in the individual interacting with my work.