Makers Mark Stamp

Artist Statement

For the Makers the Mark Stamp project, we were asked to create a small stamp that would become our recognizable “makers mark.” The stamp could be used to mark our pieces and as an alternative to carving into a piece. After watching a video and seeing a demonstration, we came up with designs for our individual stamps. The subject of my creation was a moon, with my initials coming off of the tip. I used clay and carving tools to create the design I wanted. Coming up with a design was one of the more difficult parts as I wanted to do a star and moon but wasn’t sure how to arrange it. I didn’t want to replicate any existing symbols and wanted the piece to include some sort of symbolism. In the end, the moon was my alternative for the North star, and the initials were inspired by what I saw others around me doing.

In coming up with a design, I paid attention to the shape of the moon, and the way I wanted to play with negative space. I made two stamps for this project because I wasn’t very satisfied with how the first one came out. In the first I had carved left the moon as the positive space and carved away everything around it. However, once fired I realized this wasn’t the look that I wanted for the imprint. It was messier and in some ways too simple. I liked the idea of switching the negative and positive space to see what it would look like to have the moon carved out.

The symbol of the moon has always been important to me. Something about the mysterious moon lighting up dark night, as well as its historic use as a symbol for femininity across many cultures interests me. In relation to my life, the moon is a figure I have used in many of my past pieces, especially in past years of art at FHS. The stark white-upon-black of the moon allows for so many creative choices in playing with direct contrast. I am most proud of creating a simple design that still represents me in some way. In the final stages of making the stamp, I struggled with making it look finished and clean. This is partially why I choose to create a second one that has a much more finished look.