Stephen Wolochowicz, Vision Dots: Parts & Portals

VISION DOTS:

PARTS & PORTALS

STEPHEN WOLOCHOWICZ

Blue Torp Tank, ceramic, 26” x 11” x 10”

The artwork I create is entirely composed of ceramic material. My constructed forms are derived from abstractions and draw from an array of thoughts and objects that include themes of industrialization, humor, games, politics, and the environment. While I have specific areas of interest that shape and define my practice, I find it interesting how a viewer perceives and interprets my work.

(Left) Yellow Torp Tank, ceramic, 26” x 10” x 11” (Right) Pink Torp Tank, ceramic, 24” x 11” x 10”

“Parts” Lime Bulb, ceramic, 17” x 10” x 9”

The sculptures I create have a carefully crafted ambiguous quality. They resemble or hint at notions of transport, storage, containment, or transformation. Although there are no moving parts, I do imply an internal tension or kineticism within my forms. The inclusion of pipes or piping suggests interconnectedness and connectivity. They signify the conduits that link humanity to my designs.

(Left) “Parts” Blue Bulb , ceramic, 18” x 12” x 10”; (Right) “Parts” Orange Bulb , cerarmic, 23” x 9” x 7”; (Bottom) “Parts” Red Bulb , ceramic, 23” x 9” x 8”

I find it intriguing how the use of color and texture in tandem with simplified forms can convey deeper meanings and retain aesthetic appeal. Infusing metallic surfaces with vivid equiluminant colors allows them to play off of each other in suggestive ways—notably creating a contrasting tension between fun and craft, play and precision.

I establish layers of content through surface treatment, the construction process, and form. While some of these strata are overt and visible, and others are buried and work below the surface, they offer the viewer ample space for contextualization. The green-colored ooze in the pipes of some of the designs, for example, derives from the palette of a post-nuclear disaster and indicates what might possibly reside inside these forms. The complexity of the designs allows them to be framed in positive & affirming or dangerous & menacing terms, depending on one’s point of view.

(Top) Three Ring Circus detail (Bottom) Three Ring Circus detail

Three Ring Circus, ceramic, 20” x 19” x 3” (individual)

This is also true for the disk and bulb forms. They act as the storage or containment vessels of that ambiguous substance. Some of the industrial shapes are derived and/or directly molded from objects like clocks and smoke detectors—a reference to alarms and the concept of time or lack thereof. Additionally, many pieces contain a white, black, and clear dot within the field of color—a nod to a strategy game like chess. For me, however, that singular dot within a field of other dots is a metaphor for the human experience.

(Top) Signal Lost, ceramic, 13” x 13” x 2” (individual) (Bottom) Connect Four, ceramic, 17” x 17” x 4” (individual)

Vertizontal Linear, ceramic, 14” x 12” x 3” (individual)

Stephen Wolochowicz was born and raised near Trenton, New Jersey. He holds a BFA from the University of Delaware (2000) and an MFA from Miami University of Ohio (2005). He has taught ceramics at institutions including the University of Notre Dame, the University of Central Missouri, and Central Michigan University. He currently lives, works, and maintains a studio in Ogden, Utah, where he is an associate professor of art in ceramics at Weber State University. Wolochowicz is recognized nationally for exhibiting artwork, conducting workshops, and presenting lectures at galleries, art centers, and colleges around the country. Stephen’s current work combines abstract industrial shapes with organic features. Through the use of vivid color and textures, he adds a playful aesthetic to his underlying concepts. They deal with human invention, the environment, and progress through networks of industrial themes. You can view more of his artwork at StephenWolochowicz.com