Cornwall sculptor exhibits new work with son

Author: Kaity Potak

Memory may be the last thing one would expect to find at the bottom of a coffee cup. But it is memory that separates clay from any other artistic medium. Just as clay retains the movements of those who give it shape and form, Bob Crystal vividly remembers the first time he sat down at a wheel at the University of Delaware in 1969. Throwing for the first time, it was the physicality of throwing and the practicality of its result that brought Bob Crystal to pottery.

"The dynamic quality of wheel work made me a thrower, and functional clay became my focus," he has said. "I loved the idea of pots for use, that something I made might become part of someone's everyday life." A black-and-white photo from 1974 shows just this - Crystal laboring over a pottery wheel, surrounded by an array of pots and bowls designed not for china cabinets but for coffee and cereal.

What began as fascination with its functionality has since evolved into an appreciation for the aesthetic elements of clay. Now in his 40th year in the ceramics studio, Crystal's focus is shifting from the practical to the ornamental. "I started out making functional pottery and then less and less functional things, making them for art's sake," said Crystal.

This move has resulted in the ceramic murals that currently adorn the walls of Middlebury's art gallery in the Town Hall Theater. While Crystal's show actually opened on New Year's Eve in the gallery, Crystal hosted a reception on Jan. 9, and ensured that he was available for discussion with those attending.

The murals themselves, some of which reach over 15 feet wide, manage the remarkable duality of being both abstractedly modern and also organically earthy. Crystal sometimes cuts the large slabs of clay into specific curves and shapes, often with strong interrupting diagonals, but also allows for the imperfect edges that only the kiln can create. In terms of how the ideas for his murals come about, he said spontaneity is very much a part of his process.

"Shape?" said Crystal, making a graceful sweeping gesture with his right arm and very nearly closing his eyes, "It's just a matter of getting started."

Crystal began creating wall-sized masterpieces two years ago in his Cornwall studio. He has since recruited the artistic talent of his son Aaron to help facilitate the creation of these massive works. "I was always playing with clay in my dad's studio when I was a little kid," said Aaron, who is now pursuing a degree in studio arts. Aaron initially began helping out with the larger pieces that his father worked on, but has since become a regular force in his father's studio. Collaboration II, the second serious mural that Crystal and Aaron worked on together, is a source of pride for both father and son. Cosmos, a piece Aaron created entirely on his own, was also successful at the show as its rich midnight blue and terracotta-toned glazes garnered the attention of everyone in the room.

"I've always loved the deep blue glaze," Aaron says in response to a comment on his color choice, "It is so different from a lot of the other pieces."

Like Aaron's color choice, the desire to discover something different seems to be what drives Crystal's art. "I am no longer limited by the wheel," said Crystal of these newest murals. "I am now able to create whatever space challenges me." One of the most striking features of these murals is the color palette that enhances the murals' commanding presence. Using naturally colored glazes such as browns, greens, gold and black, Crystal claims that color determines his approach.

"My inspiration is almost reverse of what you would expect. Rather than approach a piece with some specific theme, I approach it with color in mind," said Crystal, "I take the biggest brush I can find and I attack the piece with it, making the biggest stroke first. Then the rest of it is accentuating and balancing it."

Crystal's work and the emerging art of his son, Aaron, prove that such an attack can have wildly successful results. Crystal said he's embracing the freedom of uncertainty in the future of his work.