Derek Au: Life & Work

Keramikstudio

12 years as a professional studio ceramicist, 2 years manager of a resident studio, and 2 years working as Artistic Director for a large-scale ceramics production workshop and residency.
Experienced with all aspects of ceramics production: ceramic chemistry, clay & glaze formulation and preparation, traditional & modern fabrication processes, and maintenance and firing of a wide variety of kiln types and sizes. Experience teaching community classes and workshops to young & old in a variety of environments.


In addition, 20 years of software development experience using a variety of programming languages in many different environments including 3D modeling and open-source development.

Experience living and working in a number of different countries and cultures. Native English, intermediate-advanced Mandarin Chinese.

Artist Statement

I’m interested in the relationship between historical and contemporary craft traditions, as well as the on-going dialogue between different crafts such as ceramics, metalware, glass and painting. In my early work, Planeware, I developed porcelain slab construction techniques
inspired by tinware and Song Dynasty qingbai ware (which, in turn, was influenced by Tang Dynasty silver and gold ware). My newest series, Painted, explores the long history of slip decoration in ceramics as well as the relationship between painting and ceramics. As with hakeme, in the Painted series brushes are used to apply slip. But Painted removes the “ground” of the underlying thrown form, leaving behind only the slip.

An amateur researcher of ancient Chinese ceramics and glazes, I am continuing to develop a number of glaze types using both traditional materials (such as porcelain stone and natural ashes) and modern materials. As a part of this research I created Glazy, a free platform for sharing and analyzing ceramics recipes. I’m a strong promoter of open-source software and the benefits it can bring to the ceramics community.

https://www.alfred.edu/academics/graduate-programs/ceramic-art.cfm

http://derekau.net/2016/03/27/iphone-microscopy/

derekau.net

glazy.org
Derek Au: Life & Work
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