HANDS
ON Cuba
Vietnam California
Collaborative
works in clay by Idilio Lopez Arnaud, Do Quoc Vi, Joel Bennett and special
guest Bien Velds.
California
artist Joel Bennett predominantly works in clay. For the past 18 years
his focus has been burnished pit-fired vessels, sculpture, and wall murals.
His organic forms are often derived from nature, and his sculptures sometimes
have a humorous element to them (i.e. Post-Colombian Artifact Series).
His unglazed surfaces are highly burnished (polished), and the pieces
are fired in a covered pit with wood, sawdust, dung, seaweed, and other
organic materials to produce a variety of colors and fire markings.
Over the past five years Bennett has been working with ceramic artists in France, Vietnam, and Cuba, sharing his methods and firing techniques. Last year, he had an exhibition in Hanoi with Do Quoc Vi of work they created together in the traditional pottery village of Cay, just outside of the capital. He has also been invited to three international "Encuentros" (Symposiums/ Workshops) in Cuba, where he has worked with Idilio Lopez Arnaud.