Untitled (Ebony and Jet 3), 2012–2013
Collage and ink on paper, 6 works
11 × 8.5 inches (28.00 × 22.00 cm)
Collage and ink on paper, 6 works
11 × 8.5 inches (28.00 × 22.00 cm)
 Jonathan Middlemiss is a visual artist in different media who studied painting, printmaking, sculpture and photography at college and then made a living from producing unique ceramics. Since 2001 his work is environmentally based, mainly painting on location. Recently he has worked with schools to develop creativity through interventions and set up sensory awareness courses in natural environments. In 2011 he started a new ceramics studio and is now producing for a programme of exhibitions.
His ceramic work is in public collections and museums in Europe and has received recognition through International awards. It has been shown widely throughout Britain, Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, the Middle East, America, Japan, Korea and New Zealand and has been featured in magazines, catalogues, dictionaries and other books. " Between the moment of seeing something and the sense we then make of it lies a place of questioning. For me it is the most alive place in our consciousness, bringing the unconscious to life through processes of emotional recognition and rationalizing our references. My work takes the energy of polarities, formal contradictions, impacts and merging as the beginning of a journey to this place. Inspiration comes from many sources - geometry in the western Mystical Tradition, Vajrayana Buddhism, the uplifting quality of wild and remote landscapes, ancient traditions that revere the land and the Earth's wisdom, among others. - from www.middlemissart.com  Catalog text by Ken Price
Ron Nagle is a sweetheart. Ron Nagle is a sweetheart. I know this because we have been friends and comrades for fifty years. Back in the late ‘50’s Ron and I were like soul mates, both making strange little cups while the rest of the art world seemed to be making huge paintings that were tough & “important.” For about 10 years it seemed like the two of us owned the cup idiom. The idiom is a good vehicle for ideas, even though the cup is it’s own subject and doesn’t need to be about anything other than itself. Ron’s work isn’t only about ideas, it’s mostly about physical presence. He has a unique mentality - a splendidly perverse intelligence that includes odd things like rhyming, Charlie Chan, and the number two thirty. He has a quick wit, and manages to make humor in his forms, which is hard to do and impossible to explain. Another thing that’s hard is making small pieces that have power. Little pieces invite you to check them out closer so you can see what they really are. It’s been my experience that some people won’t stop to look at a small object. But if you examine one of Ron’s, there’s a pay-off. The work rewards close viewing, being fully resolved formally and beautifully made. I think the standard of quality that Ron aims for in his work comes from the strong but un-seen influence of medieval Japanese pottery. Ron appreciates the fact that Momoyama period Japanese Tea Ware is the greatest pottery ever made, but he doesn’t wear the robes. The stuff he makes comes from his own time and place. Ron belongs in the first rank of clay artists in history. Being grouped by material seems odd in our current times, but it’s still in effect. So, he’s stuck in this category and he’s one of the best. When he’s hot he makes magic. (From exhibition catalog: Ron Nagle, 2008, p.5) |
