Artist-Paul Ide

Paul Ide is a graduate of MSUM-Moorhead, with a BFA in Ceramics. Most recently, he has been juried into the 2005 Cherry Creek Art Festival as an "Emerging Artist." The Festival will take place July 2-4 in Denver, CO.

This young artist is an exquisite potter with a fine sense of conceptual form. He has great talent at the wheel and is versatile in his application of glaze and embelishing details.

Samplings of stoneware, some Salt-fired, some Wood-fired with others out of an Electric Kiln.

Artist Statement

The aesthetic qualities that my work possesses reflect my personality, as I believe every artist's work should. Drawing from personal experience, interests, people I've met and formed relationships with, and those that have paved the road I traveled, I create pots that tell my story. Cradle a tea bowl in your hands, have a seat and listen. Most of my forms begin on paper as doodles, having been influenced from nature, human gestures, and graffiti. These doodles are then refined and interpreted three-dimensionally with clay. Function being my only limitation, and in turn my ultimate goal. Functional pottery is a truly intimate form of art one of the only art forms designed to hold and put into your mouth. Keeping this in mind, aside from making pots that are aesthetically pleasing, I pay special attention to comfort; weight, balance, a smooth lip on a cup or mug. These are all factors considered with each piece I create. This all in hopes to enhance the daily ritual of food consumption.