Stylin' & Profilin'

What kind of pigeon hole can Larry Paul Wright's ceramic art be put into? Here's what he says: "Let's start with my pottery: yeah sure, the academic debate of 'is it art or craft?' needs to be addressed. Guess I'm happy with being a craftsman, especially in regards to the functional pieces. By definition, they have to function, but beyond that, I demand that my work bring some joy and sense of well being to the user. The feel and look should communicate the human element from the maker, me, to the user, you. For example: the handle of a cup, fashioned in soft clay by my fingers, will just have to feel better when your fingers grasp it--versus the feeling of a handle stamped out by a machine. I use Melmac in my kitchen, but I don't produce it in my studio.

When I fought fires, I was a fireman--when I produce pottery, I'm a potter. Over the years, I've seen potters push their work way beyond any semblance of functionality in a vain attempt to be thought of as artists. I like some of their work, but I've never known what to call it. For whatever reason, my pottery remains unmistakably just that: pottery, and my sculpture is my art.

That's not to say that I don't employ my artistic sensibilities to embellish my pots. In fact, I have to check my tendency to go overboard with embellishments. As a musician, I learned that if all you play is a full set of your 'hot licks,' with no relief from time to time, then none of it sounds 'hot' after a while. In other words, it's fun to show off, but don't spoil the show. My pottery, if nothing else, exemplifies that check-and-balance between less-is-more, and over the top flamboyance. I read somewhere that pottery made by naked people in the tropics tends to be unglazed and unadorned, as opposed to pottery made for the court of Louis XIV, which tends to be dressed in fancy clothes like it's users. What do these tendencies say about me, here in Venice Beach? At my advanced age, public nudity is no longer an option--if one looks like me in Speedos, they had better be able to swim really fast. Consequently, most of my pots are at least glazed.

I love all my glazes, and have learned to use them well. As for shapes, my pots are pretty traditional without being folksy or primitive looking. My lifestyle is not very primitive, neither are my pots. I think Portuguese fisherman's caps look best on Portuguese fishermen, don't you?"