01. Stacked Rotary Servers, hand-built porcelain, cone 6, 19 x 11 x 7,” 2009.

Clay Leonard was raised in Midwestern United States. Growing up in a small farming community, interaction amongst community members and family gatherings were made priorities, and continue to serve as inspiration to his ceramic artworks. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan and in 2009 earned his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from Bowling Green State University and was nominated for an outstanding thesis award for the exhibition.

02. Server with Nesting Plates, hand-built porcelain, cone 6, 18 x 15 x 5,” 2010.
His current body of work is his contribution to reintroducing the lost art of communication around the dinner table. Through his ceramic vessels, he investigates the important ritual of sharing a meal. His functional ceramic vessels focuses on the role ceramics has in stimulating communication and interaction in a communal setting.

03. Nesting Bowl Set, hand-built porcelain, cone 6, 10 x 10 x 5,” 2010.

Clay’s ceramic work has been featured in various international and national exhibitions, and included in multiple publications, as well as being featured in the May 2009 issue of Ceramics Monthly, as an Emerging Artist. He currently is serving as a Visiting Artist at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.

04. Triangle Bowls #1, hand-built porcelain, cone 6, 6 x 6 x 4,” 2010.

05. Circle Server, hand-built porcelain, cone 6, 20 x 20 x 4,” 2009.

@font-face { font-family: “Arial”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
@font-face { font-family: “Arial”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } ARTIST STATEMENT Some of my favorite childhood memories were formed around the dinner table with family and friends, eating and engaging in conversation. My work continues this dwindling tradition, and serves as a reminder of the importance of these experiences. Through my ceramic vessels, I investigate the important ritual of sharing a meal. This work is my contribution to reintroducing the lost art of communication around the dinner table.
Although I draw formal inspiration from mass-produced objects, I strive to reclaim the directness of human interaction with the material. I celebrate what my unique touch offers that is lost with a machine. Through subtle manipulation and gesture, I instill my work with personality, energy, and softness. The process of inventing and constructing these forms with my hands offers a reconnection to past traditions including the notion of honoring the humility of craftsman. In a face paced culture where communications is overwhelmed by current technology, my work and research offers an incentive to rediscover personal conversation and get back to the table.
@font-face { font-family: “Arial”; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-size: 10pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } www.reclaimingthetable.com