Theo Helmstadter

Artist's Statement:

My pots are sculpture. They are one-of-a-kind pieces, each with its own inner nature that reveals itself over time—each with a quiet, contemplative presence. My work reaches into the past, and is inspired by pots of the past, especially those of the Asian ceramic tradition.

As a teenager I worked with iron and steel, and these materials influence my work in clay, which sometimes seems forged, welded, or ‘rusty’ with oxide patinas in place of glazes. I did a lot of traveling in the canyons of the American west before becoming a potter, and list the river first among my influences as an artist; its primordial landscapes of change and re-creation inspire my work in clay.