Alan Spencer
Ceramics
Born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1955, Spencer grew up surrounded by metamorphosed rocks that lacked any fossils. His knowledge of paleontology expanded when he moved to the mid-west and studied geology at the College of Wooster, where he earned a BA in 1978.
While at Wooster, Spencer studied studio art, taking classes in ceramics, printmaking and drawing. For his senior independent study at Wooster, he completed a petrographic analysis of Neolithic pottery from Cyprus.
In the early 1980’s, Spencer worked as a field geologist in Indianapolis. In 1985 he moved to Delaware, Ohio to build a studio and begin a new profession as an artist. In his studio he created ceramics, stained glass, and blown glass works of art for shows and commissions from 1986 until 2002.
After working in his own studio for 17 years, Spencer returned to school and received a Master’s in Art Education from Ohio State University. In 2002 he began teaching ceramics and sculpture in the Worthington City Schools while continuing to create his own artwork.
The current ceramic artwork that Spencer has created is a series of thrown vessels called "Strata in Clay".
Formed by the weathering and erosion of rock strata, clay seemed to be a perfect material to work with to create this series. The earth constantly recycles and rebuilds surface layers. As sand, silt, and clay weather away from older deposits, and new layers of sedimentary material form, occasionally an organism gets buried between the layers. Clay and the unique fossils found in the sedimentary strata of the earth are the focus for the Strata in Clay series.
The stoneware vessels, “Strata in Clay,” were created as a series to represent examples of the fossil time line that have been preserved in rock strata during the past 500 million years. In each of the geologic time periods, certain life forms have become known as indicator fossils. Following identification of the indicator fossils for each of the geologic periods, researching, sketching and modeling of the fossil forms commenced.
Replicas of the fossils from each of the twelve geologic periods were sculpted and fired, creating a mold that could be used to make multiple copies. After the vessel form was completed press mold techniques were utilized to decorate the large thrown forms. Some of the low-relief sculptures that are represented on the vessels came from casts of actual fossils; others were sculpted by studying photographs of real fossils. Each vessel represents a particular geologic period in time. Sedimentary rock strata, such as limestone, siltstone, shale, and sandstone, are the predominate materials in which fossils are naturally preserved. For this reason, the surface decoration and glazes used on the vessels in the “Strata in Clay” series were carefully selected to resemble the appearance of these sedimentary rocks that typically encase fossil remnants.
While at Wooster, Spencer studied studio art, taking classes in ceramics, printmaking and drawing. For his senior independent study at Wooster, he completed a petrographic analysis of Neolithic pottery from Cyprus.
In the early 1980’s, Spencer worked as a field geologist in Indianapolis. In 1985 he moved to Delaware, Ohio to build a studio and begin a new profession as an artist. In his studio he created ceramics, stained glass, and blown glass works of art for shows and commissions from 1986 until 2002.
After working in his own studio for 17 years, Spencer returned to school and received a Master’s in Art Education from Ohio State University. In 2002 he began teaching ceramics and sculpture in the Worthington City Schools while continuing to create his own artwork.
The current ceramic artwork that Spencer has created is a series of thrown vessels called "Strata in Clay".
Formed by the weathering and erosion of rock strata, clay seemed to be a perfect material to work with to create this series. The earth constantly recycles and rebuilds surface layers. As sand, silt, and clay weather away from older deposits, and new layers of sedimentary material form, occasionally an organism gets buried between the layers. Clay and the unique fossils found in the sedimentary strata of the earth are the focus for the Strata in Clay series.
The stoneware vessels, “Strata in Clay,” were created as a series to represent examples of the fossil time line that have been preserved in rock strata during the past 500 million years. In each of the geologic time periods, certain life forms have become known as indicator fossils. Following identification of the indicator fossils for each of the geologic periods, researching, sketching and modeling of the fossil forms commenced.
Replicas of the fossils from each of the twelve geologic periods were sculpted and fired, creating a mold that could be used to make multiple copies. After the vessel form was completed press mold techniques were utilized to decorate the large thrown forms. Some of the low-relief sculptures that are represented on the vessels came from casts of actual fossils; others were sculpted by studying photographs of real fossils. Each vessel represents a particular geologic period in time. Sedimentary rock strata, such as limestone, siltstone, shale, and sandstone, are the predominate materials in which fossils are naturally preserved. For this reason, the surface decoration and glazes used on the vessels in the “Strata in Clay” series were carefully selected to resemble the appearance of these sedimentary rocks that typically encase fossil remnants.
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Artist Links
- I allow businesses to purchase or display my work.
- I am open to selling my work under payment plans.
- I am available for demonstrations.