Inner tranquility – inner rhythm
An exciting mixture 33 year old Brigit Hurst lives in the Swiss region of Ticino yet draws her creative inspiration mainly from prehistoric ceramics, pueblo pottery in particular. After completing her studies at the Bern college of Applies Arts she made several study trips to Colorado, USA. It was there, in museums and workshops that Brigt Hurst first came across the pueblo pottery (above all Anasazi pottery) that made such a lasting impression on her. Up to the present day she has always been fascinated by the use of the hands as the only tool, seemingly so “primitive” and simple, yet, in actual fact, so artful and inexhaustible. The use of various stoneware and porcelain bodies, some of which she mixes herself, the combination of thrown and built-up elements – often in one piece – , the of glazes, stains and engobes – all this is rooted in the same feature that gives the pieces their fascination: the rhythm of working with the hands, giving rise to even but never perfect or uniform surfaces and shapes. In 1996 the renowned Swiss potters’ association “Arbeitsgemeinschaft Schweizer Keramiker ASK” awarded her smokes “vessels for invisible contents” with a prize. The most contemporary. Most “modern” variation of Brigit Hurst’s theme are without doubt her around 50 cm high “spiral vases” from partly glazed porcelain. Simone Haack-Marioni,Keramik Magazin 5/2000.
In 1995 I participated in an Anasazi pottery workshop at Kelly place in Colorado, in the South West of the US with John Olsen, where I was introduced how to work with the corrugation technique, the whole process of reclaiming the raw materials, processing and handling them, construction and decoration methods and firing the different types of ceramics. Unforgotten were our later trips to prehistoric rock paintings and John’s advice how to handle rattlesnakes.
Later I met Clint Swink at his beautiful place and got to know his particular way of working with this technique.
Cocon, Corrugated Ceramic technique
Anasazi Jar (replica), Corrugated Ceramic technique
Anasazi Jar (replica), Corrugated Ceramic technique
Arte Ceramica 