Bud Vase with handles by William Bowser

William Bowser
Bud Vase with handles
Ceramic

About William

I have a long-standing interest and involvement with clay which is now a basic starting point for my art practice. I have had the very good fortune and privilege to have learned from some of the most well-known and highly knowledgeable instructors throughout my path through college and university, most especially Alfred University.

I have also worked very closely with curators, designers, and artists, as well as paintings and objects of all eras and from many cultures as a result of close to 30 years with design departments in two Smithsonian Museums, and finally with the National Gallery of Art, all located in Washington, D.C.

I’m interested in making “things,” objects made in clay. Ceramic objects have been critical in human survival and art through their use in food utensils and food storage, the making of durable shelter, and territorial barriers, as well as sculpture, for millennia.

Clay has also been, and remains, critical in human culture in many areas - industry, art, ritual and metaphorical use. It is in these areas of the ceramic tradition that I am presently most interested.

I have also returned to drawing, primarily with gouache and pastel. The medium of drawing allows me to use a wider range of color than is possible in ceramic work (primarily because of the significant technical restraints in the firing of ceramic work) and allows me the ability to use my imagination more freely.