Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council
7 Lapham Place Glens Falls, NY 12801
(518) 798-1144 • Fax: (518) 798-9122
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LARAC
June 2007 Artist of the Month
Each month LARAC highlights the work of an Artist
from the Adirondack Region.
See samples of
Dolores' work at LARAC through June 2007
Dolores working on the wheel
Clay Concepts
Dolores Thomson
Hudson Falls, NY
Dolores Thomson has always had an interest in art, and in addition to
working with clay she also enjoys drawing, painting, photography,
graphic design, and art history. She has continued to challenge
herself by taking art classes and attending workshops. Her
watercolor and oil paintings have been displayed in student art shows
at Adirondack Community College, SUNY Albany, and Blue Mountain Lake.
Her ceramics and photography have also been featured in local
galleries and art shows.
Dolores states, "Working with clay has been a journey of
self-discovery that is more than just the making of objects for me.
To throw a successful pot on the potter's wheel, the clay must first
be centered. In my struggle to conform the clay, I've learned that I
too, must be centered in order to form a successful pot. As I
engage with the clay, I find it to be meditative, almost Zen-like, as
I concentrate and coordinate my efforts."
Click on each image to see more detail.
Raku vessel--crackle glaze
with smoke blackened neck
Dolores pulling a piece
from the raku kiln
Distorted vessel--raku fired
with copper and turquoise glaze
Leaf Bowl--wheel thrown then carved and incised, raku fired with
copper glaze
Raku vase and bottle forms--
multiple glazes on each
Clay is limitless in its form and expression, and Dolores enjoys
exploring a variety of forms and learning the complexities of the
ceramic process. She finds surrendering the pieces to the fires of
the raku and sagger kilns is a freeing experience after the struggle to
conform the clay. The results are very often spontaneous and
exciting. Clay teaches patience, to seek balance and harmony, and
to embrace unexpected results. "By its very nature, clay connects
us to the Earth, and I find my awareness and appreciation of the world
around me heightened. As I continue to create with clay, I
continue to create myself."
