Don Williams

Functional and sculptural works in clay.

Artist’s Statement

My time in the studio alternates between doing functional work and sculpture, at times blurring the distinction between the two. 

Making utilitarian objects and using them is a grounding experience. Meals are enhanced with handmade plates and cups, especially when one knows the maker. Creating these kinds of objects connect me to the earth, because of the material and process, and to the people who use them. 

Creating sculpture and wall pieces stems from a need to express ideas beyond the parameters of function. Imagery in these works is rooted in landscape and architecture. It occupies the ground where the natural and man-made worlds collide, speaking to the complexities and tension inherent there. These works are sometimes fragments or artifacts. they reference places and objects, remembered or imagined. They have a history, have born witness to forces of change, and the passage of time.