James Aarons

Artist Statement

My work is an abstract expression of the urban/human condition. Pathway and structure are elements that play a significant role in my development of ideas and are portrayed in non-representational, linear ways. Whether executed as a three-dimensional shape or as markings on a flat surface, my concern is for the form or line, the gesture that made it, and how it relates to the surrounding space. I am devoted to the task of making objects from clay and feel that the clay, its substance-ness, is an important component of my work. Sometimes this manifests as an exploration of the silting and shifting nature of the material, other times its plasticity and flexibility is what inspires me. It's fitting that, since much of our constructed environments are made from clay, my work should be also.

-- James Aarons

Bio

James Aarons is a self-employed ceramic artist working in a private studio in Mokelumne Hill, CA.  He has been making site-specific wall pieces since 1996 for private and corporate collections, healthcare facilities, and hospitality settings.  By working in tandem with designers, art consultants, and galleries, Mr Aarons has been able to manipulate the general themes of his work – abstract landscapes, pure form, and dense color – to satisfy a wide range of spatial needs.  His compositions, ceramic paintings, and drawings have a broad flexibility to fit in many environments and tastes.

Mr Aarons has been actively making things out of clay since 1974 when he first found himself distracted by a potter’s wheel.  In the intervening years, he earned a BFA in Modern Dance and had a decadelong international touring career as a dancer.  But clay has always been a component in his creative live.  When not immersed in the studio, he works as a yoga teacher, approaching the practice from a therapeutic perspective, nurturing the bodies of mature humans.