And of course please mention "www.clarkmade.com"
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE             APRIL 20, 2005

- Nature’s Call -

Flower Shaped Urinals and other Nature Inspired Sculptures
by San Francisco Artist, Clark Sorensen

May 20 – June 13, 2005, Opening Reception: Friday, May 20th, 6-8pm

Ruby’s Clay Studio & Gallery
552-A Noe Street, San Francisco, CA., 94114

Contact:
Ruby’s Clay Studio (415) 558-9819
Clark Sorensen (415) 401-0383

Clark Sorensen’s flower shaped urinals are arrestingly beautiful and at the same time a fascinating combination of functional bathroom fixture and whimsical sculpture. Though urinals have been the subject of many artists before, never has one taken such a graceful form. These large-scale flowers, deftly crafted of high fire porcelain, create an ironic marriage between beauty and functionality. The strange blend of lyric form and unmentionable men’s bathroom fixture is unsettling or humorous for some and inspired for others. 

Clark has reached unprecedented size and complexity for hand building with high fire porcelain, the least forgiving and most difficult ceramic material to work with. The drying period for Clark's complex pieces takes several months so that they shrink evenly. Each piece is hand crafted and unique and can actually be plumbed and used as a urinal. If you visit Clark’s studio you will notice the Calla Lily Urinal from his first show, which is in use in a corner of his workspace.
 
Ruby’s Clay Studio is located at 522-A Noe Street in the Castro between 18th and 19th streets. Ruby’s is a non-profit studio space for clay artists and has a gallery space where local artists display their work. The studio and gallery are usually open 10am – 4pm, 7days a week. There is a manager on duty Mon. - Fri. 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, on Wed. 5:30 - 9:00 pm and on Sat. 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm. For more information please contact:

Ruby’s Clay Studio - (415) 558-9819 - www.rubysclaystudio.org

Clark Sorensen - (415) 401-0383 - clark@clarkmade.com  - www.clarkmade.com


 

- Nature’s Call -
Flower Shaped Urinals and other Nature Inspired Sculptures
May 20 – June 13, 2005, Opening Reception: Friday, May 20th, 6-8pm
Ruby’s Clay Studio & Gallery, 552-A Noe Street, San Francisco, CA., 94114

NATURE'S CALL
A Solo Exhibit of Flower Shaped Urinals and other Nature Inspired Sculptures by San Francisco Artist, Clark Sorensen
May 20 - June 13, 2005 in San Francisco, CA

Clark Sorensen has created some of the most amazing and beautiful urinals one is likely to ever see. Each is meticulously hand built and one of a kind - formed from high fire porcelain and fired to cone 10 (2300 deg.). They are fully functioning vitreous porcelain fixtures that can actually be plumbed and used in a bathroom or simply displayed. The show even contains three functioning urinals that you may flush! Clark hopes that his urinals will be put to use in uniquely designed bathrooms around the world. He has a gorgeous Calla Lily urinal in his studio from a previous show that is plumbed and fully functioning.

    Clark has been perfecting his ceramic technique with these pieces for several years. Because of the size and complexity of the forms they must be dried slowly and evenly - taking five to eight  months to complete each one. Achieving such rich vibrant colors at such high temperature has also been a challenge. This will be the first time any of these beautiful flower shaped urinals will be offered for sale. Don't miss your chance to see these exquisite and rare sculptures.

______________________

      "Many have asked where the idea for these pieces came from. Well, quite obviously from the bathroom! I had the idea while standing over a urinal many times a day and letting the shape inspire me. I saw a shoe, a mouth, a shovel, a cup, etc. The flower became the shape I finally chose partly because I love flowers and partly because it is the perfect contradiction -  taking a mundane, even ugly object and transforming it into something different,  even something beautiful.

     I have also been asked about deeper meaning behind my pieces. I don't know that I have a very complete answer for that question. The creative process is 99% mystery for me. I create instinctually and reflexively. I plow ahead with an idea and don't really contemplate my intentions or motives until afterward. These pieces are still very new for me and I am just beginning to analyze their possible underlying meanings. I am, however, greatly enjoying the varied interpretations and observations of others.

     The reaction to the show has been very gratifying. Three urinals were plumbed and flushable during the exhibit (not usable as urinals however!). In each of my designs the water flow is quite different and really adds to the experience. One of the main focuses of my pieces is their interactivity and it was great to watch people react to flushing these urinals. It almost always brought out a smile and sometimes a giggle or more.  I am in full production on my next batch of flowers and look forward to a chance to show them off. Thanks for all of the kind comments!"

- Clark Sorensen, June 2005
 

ARTIST STATEMENT

     “My current work reflects my interest in combining beauty with function as well as exploiting the discord between opposing elements in life and in art. The contradiction of taking an unsightly urinal and transforming it into a graceful flower or shell is a potent combination. Since most people think of a urinal as being ugly or dirty, it is the perfect object to beautify. These pieces also echo more classic conflicts between masculine and feminine, good and evil, soiled and chaste. Ideally these pieces would be fully functioning each time they are exhibited, their interactivity being another key element. By flushing or even urinating into my pieces one’s experience can hopefully be even more intimate and engaging.”

- Clark Sorensen, September 2005

More in depth thoughts from Clark Sorensen - February 2006

As a sculptor working in porcelain I am always looking for new ideas. Tea pots and bowls have been done a million times and leave little room for improvement. One day, while using a urinal for the thousandth time I started thinking about how fun it would be to make some wild sculpture based on an actual urinal. Each subsequent visit brought new ideas but it took a while to convince myself that it was possible and worth pursuing. It has been probably 5 years since that moment and many failed attempts to arrive at my current collection of unique urinal sculptures.

 My first ideas turned out to be much more complicated sculptures than I wanted to first attempt. I decided to start with a flower because of the simple cone shape. As I thought more about flowers I really liked the contradiction of taking a very feminine and delicate shape and turning it into a urinal. I think the combination of beautiful form and unmentionable function makes my pieces successful from an artistic point of view because there is the juxtaposition of what one expects a urinal to be contrasted against the graceful and colorful forms that I have created.

 I began my exploration by purchasing and installing a traditional urinal in my studio. I studied how it worked and measured the connections. I started testing different porcelain clays and their shrinkage and workability along with altering the brightly colored high fire glazes I had developed for the porcelain plates I was already making. Finally I started sculpting my first urinal - it was a very awkward calla lily and came out of the final firing riddled with cracks. I have come along way since that first try, and although there are still challenges with working in porcelain, my technique improves with each new piece.

 My sculptures are hand-built using more or less a coil building method. Starting from the bottom, I add a little clay each day. It can take several weeks to complete a piece, and depending on my schedule, I work on several pieces at a time. The drying time is the most crucial stage. Because the walls are thick and there are inner chambers and support walls, the pieces must be dried as slowly and evenly as possible. It can take up to 6 months to properly dry the urinals before they can be fired for the first time. The urinals are fired twice, once to 1733 deg. F and the second glaze firing to 2300 deg. F. Both firings need to be very slow to lessen the tensions in the piece as it shrinks. The final piece is made of the same material as a standard toilet and should last a lifetime.

As I observe the world around me I am constantly evaluating a shape’s urinal potential, and have begun to branch away from just flowers. I have done a few shell shapes and have a bunch of new shapes that are bouncing around in my head. There is no telling what kind of things will find their way into my next inspirations.

Questions & Answers - February, 2007 (Clark's answers in pink & blue)

 Although art has always been a part of your life, you worked as a computer animator in the video game industry for over a decade before becoming the full-time artist that you are today. How did you get into the video game industry?
After I finished my Degree in Sculpture I had to get a job. The first job I found was for an educational software company. They hired a bunch of traditional artists and trained them on some very primitive illustration software. From there I found another job for a small video game company that allowed me to work at home. This was doing Atari games (really old technology) even before Nintendo.

 What are a few of your favorite games that you worked on?
I really liked the cartoony games the most. I worked on a couple “Spot” games, “Earthworm Jim” and several “Loony Tunes” games that were a lot of fun to animate. I worked on a bunch of sports games that got really old after a while.

Is being a full-time artist harder or easier than your previous occupations?
Being a studio artist is much more difficult in many ways than working for someone else. I didn’t know it would be so hard to not have the regular reward and affirmation of a pay check. I like the independence if gives me but it is very stressful at times when I don’t know when my next influx of cash will be or whether anyone else will think what I am creating is good or worthwhile. It is a constant battle with my ego, my bank account and my practical side.

You have this 8-ft stoneware sculpture called Bryce that is quite unlike your recent sculptures with porcelain and glass. Could you tell me a bit more about Bryce and the inspiration behind it? Where is the sculpture today?
That sculpture is in my living room. It was a college project gone wild. The assignment was to do something 3 feet tall and mine kept growing and growing. It was inspired by the dramatic country side of southern Utah where I enjoyed countless camping trips. The form suggests an emerging figure out of a stone formation with a kind of painful stretching posture. I think it echoes how I was feeling in college as I struggled to find my own way to adulthood and independent thinking.

How did you get into porcelain and glass sculpturing? Did you learn most of the technique during your collegiate years?
I learned a great deal about ceramic sculpture in college. I had a professor, David Pendel, who was one of those great teachers who inspired rather than tore you down. I ended up taking a lot of clay classes because of him. That gave me a good start in clay but I am constantly figuring out new techniques and developing new methods.

From tableware to urinals—that’s a huge transition! How did it all happen? Of all the household fixtures and appliances, what made you choose the urinal as the object of your sculptures?
It was really a joke at first. I was working for a video game company and doing my tableware and other sculpting on the side. I was doing a lot of work with porcelain. While standing over a urinal several times a day I just started thinking about the shape of the urinal and wondering if I could make one and the idea “blossomed” from there.

Many people find the shower to be a very conducive place for brainstorming new ideas. Do you have any such rituals?
I have my best ideas in bed in the morning. A warm bed just won’t let go of me in the morning and I sometimes lay there for hours and create and solve problems in my head. Sometimes I will wake up early or in the middle of the night and go into creation mode.

You mentioned that you thought about many possible shapes for the urinals, including a cup, a mouth, and a shoe, before deciding on the flowers. Why did you finally choose the flowers?
I thought I should start with a simple shape. A flower is basically a simple cone and the calla lily was my first shape. I wish I could say that consciously I saw all of the great conflict and play of the female versus the male and the ugly versus the beauty. These issues dawned on me later as I started actually sculpting. These issues and the endless variety of flowers have kept me busy since.

After you decided that you wanted to sculpt flowers, how did you decide which particular flowers to use?
I chose a calla lily because it was a simple cone shape, also it has such grace to it.

I am very curious about your motivation behind the pitcher plant, a carnivorous plant that preys on flies. I mean, a guy is supposed to unzip his FLY in front of this! So, what inspired you to choose this particular flower as a design for the urinal? Is it a form of social commentary on the power struggle between the sexes?
I wish I were that clever to think of all of these analogies before I create something. I am always looking at the shapes of plants and flowers to see if they would make a good urinal. A pitcher plant has a perfect shape and is a really wild looking thing. I was drawn to its colors and shape. I love your analogy and musings about the possible struggles and social commentary of a pitcher plant urinal. I might have to borrow it next time I talk to an art critic. I think part of the fun of being an artist is creating something that gets other people’s minds going. For me, most of my ideas are visual and the meanings and implications dawn on me after. I think the deeper meanings are more sub-conscious and less a direct motivation for me. All of the possible meanings and analogies certainly contribute to whether I end up continuing in a certain direction but I can’t claim to have such conscious foresight to see all of the meaning at the inception of an idea.

Which flower design is your favorite urinal?
I still love the calla lily for its grace and simplicity. I also like some of the orchids and the Jack-in-the-Pulpit for their flamboyancy.

I assume you have at least one of the urinals installed in your home, right? If so, which one(s) do you have?
I have three spots in my studio for urinals. I am constantly changing them around.

You mentioned that it takes about 5-8 months to sculpt one urinal. Could you briefly take me through the major steps in your creative process?
It takes 5-8 months to complete a urinal. I am always working on several at a time. It takes several weeks of sculpting - I build each piece using a modified coil building method. Once the initial sculpting is complete then the piece is wrapped up and set aside to dry. I must dry them very slowly and this accounts for most of the creation time. I will periodically un-wrap them and do some refining of the surface and shape. As they become totally dry I do a lot of scraping and sanding to get a nice smooth surface. Then I slowly bisque fire them (1730 degrees F). I finally I apply my glazes and do a cone 10 firing (2300 degrees F). I often re-fire a piece several times at cone 10 to perfect the colors and address any imperfections in the glaze surface.

I read that you had to develop your own glaze recipes and techniques to achieve the vibrant floral colors. I thought such techniques have been more or less standardized, given all the vibrant colors porcelain makers use in tableware, including your own tableware collections. Are the techniques for tableware and urinals very different?
Most ceramic artist who create brightly colored sculpture are working at lower temperatures than I do. I fire my urinals and my tableware at cone 10 (2300 degrees F). I have had to develop my own recipes for both my table ware and my urinals in order to have these vibrant colors. I am still adjusting my formulas to get just the right colors and glaze surface. I often feel like a scientist in my laboratory as I do endless tests and adjustments.

When you decided to design urinals, were you ever concerned about designing something that’s applicable to only 50% of the population?
I don’t think the thought entered my mind. Numerous women have pointed this out to me since, however.

Are any of your urinals available in public restrooms?
Unfortunately not yet.

In general, do you think both sexes appreciate your sculptures equally? Have you received very different reactions from men and women?
The reactions of women verses men have been one of the most surprising things to me. Women and men have such a different point of departure when if comes to urinals. Women don’t use them or even see them on a daily basis. I have found that women respond to the shapes of my pieces and are disappointed that they can’t use them. I also find that I have many more conversations and emails from women than men. Most of the designers and buyers have been women. Obviously the end user is a man. I was surprised by this at first.

What do you hope the audience will get out from viewing and/or using your urinal sculptures?
I love it when I see someone smile or laugh when they first see my urinals. When I was in Korea exhibiting my work I was expected to attend the entire 6 days of the show. At first I was dreading the thought but soon lost myself in watching people react to my pieces. 

Will you add more urinal designs to your collection? If so, what are some of the designs that you plan to add?
Many people have asked this question. I do have many other designs in mind but want these to be a surprise.

Do you think you will ever revamp the unisex toilet? If so, what kind of design ideas do you have for the toilet?
I have also been asked this many times and I really don’t have any plans to tackle the design of a standard toilet.

Do you teach, or will you consider teaching sculpture in the future?
I do an occasional workshop for fellow artists. I don’t have any plans to teach but I think I would be happy to share some of my techniques and artistic ideas with other artist.

Recently, you received quite a lot of publicity for your urinal sculptures. When you first started working on the urinals, did you ever think that you would get this much international attention?
I think we all dream of getting noticed or being famous. I didn’t ever seriously think that I would get nearly the attention I am getting now.

How has all the publicity changed your life?
I have a lot more emails to answer.

Having total strangers talk about my work in a positive light has really helped me continue with my art. 

What has been your most rewarding experience so far?
I was blown away by my experience in Korea. I had so many hesitations leading up to my exhibit there. It was overwhelming to be appreciated and pampered. Nothing has quite compared to that since.

What do you envision yourself doing 10 years from now?
I have no idea. Hopefully still doing art full time and being proud of my ideas.

The most famous urinal is probably Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, which is considered to be one of the most influential pieces of modern art. Has Duchamp’s urinal influenced your own urinal creations? If so, how?
Duchamp’s urinal definitely entered my head while I was considering doing my own urinals. His motivation, if one can truly know what that was, was a bit different than mine. The fact that an artist has done something outrageous in the past certainly opens up the possibilities for those who follow.

Who are some of your favorite artists?
I like so many - Rodin, Calder, O’Keeffe, Chihuly, to name a few.

Besides sculpting, do you have other creative outlets, like culinary arts, music, writing, or painting?
I love to cook, I play the piano and the saw (that’s a whole other story) I have a bunch of paintings that are waiting to explode out of me, I love to do all sorts of crafty things like string beads and sew. I love to remodel and redesign my home.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working in your studio?
I love to eat, drink, travel, walk, hike, & spend time with good friends and family. 

What’s your favorite color?
Purple and periwinkle

Least favorite color?
brown

Favorite movie?
Harold & Maude

Favorite TV show?
Don’t think I have one

Favorite food?
Anything with butter and suger in it, I have a wicked sweet tooth! Shortbread cookies for example. 

Is your studio open to visitors? If so, when is it open for viewing, and where is it located in San Francisco?
I would be happy to host visitors by appointment. I don’t participate in any open studios primarily because I am too lazy to clean up my mess long enough to make my space very presentable. It is a big old cluttered mess of projects in mid completion.

Thank you very much for the interview!
Thanks for your interest and very good questions!

What is your creative process like? (Not the trade secrets of how you make your work; rather, what is it like when you're creating?  Do you throw all your materials on the table and let serendipity take its course?  Do you plan endlessly with paper and pen?  Do you like music or silence?  Do you work for twelve hours straight or in smaller chunks of time over the course of several days?  Things like that!)
I get a lot of my ideas and work out details while lying in bed in the morning. I love lying in a warm bed in a dark room and I do my best creating at this time. I then continue my ideas on paper and sometimes make small models to work out 3-d issues. When I actually get to work on the actual piece I have all sorts of diagrams and even some profiles cut out of cardboard to help as the shapes grow. I work on several pieces at the same time and work for several hours on each. I find my biggest challenge is keeping on task. It is so easy to get distracted and grab my sketchbook or check email or feel like I need to clean up or organize. I think coming up with new ideas and working the design ideas out in my head are the most fun and certainly the easiest parts to the artistic process. The execution and completion is the hard part and takes a lot of focus and determination.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?  (Especially things that you did outside of formal training.  Include how you moved from being a hobbyist to a professional if you want.) 
I think that there are so many things that contribute to what I am doing and where I am at with my art now that it is hard to list or even think of them all.

I am always aware that several times a day I hearken back to my college experience and what I learned. The objectivity and discipline that was drummed into me is something I am always striving for and grateful that I was taught. I had some very tough art professors who seemed to delight in making us start over and over and not get attached to anything we were doing. It seemed so mean and vindictive at the time but it really is an important principle to accept as an artist. As a commercial artist and animator I had to practice this same discipline – you need to do your best but then move on and try it again with a different approach if it isn’t exactly what is wanted for the job. I constantly have to remind myself to just move forward and not cry over the piece that was almost finished that I dropped or the one that has a huge crack after the final firing or the piece that is just plain ugly. I don’t think I could have gotten to this point if I hadn’t learned this lesson in school and work. Plowing forward isn’t always easy but I know that it is the only way to achieve any sort of high level.

Is there a tool or material that you can't imagine living without?
What a great question. My first thought would be paper and pencil but I have a better one - I couldn’t live without a garbage can.

I think it can be so liberating to just throw something away and not see it anymore. Then I can move on and start from scratch. I used to give away my early pieces but I started visiting friends who proudly displayed these monstrosities and I wanted to die! Of course I keep some pieces around for a while before discarding them and it is often hard to part with things that have taken so much energy and time but it is so necessary and cathartic to just smash a piece and start all over.

What inspires you to create?  (In general, or the specific work that you do, or both.)
Wow, I don’t think I know what truly inspires me or motivates me to create. It has always been a part of my temperament. I have always loved to make things. My parents have told me time and again that I hated coloring books when I was a young child and just wanted blank paper instead. I think the qualities that inspire me in other artists are flawless execution and ingenious originality.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
I keep going because I have learned by past experience that it is rarely the first try that succeeds either technically or artistically. I know the next attempt will always be better.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?  (In general, or in your specific field, or both.)
Welcome criticism and comment and then have the confidence and determination to make the final decision.
Keep trying to improve. There is always room for improvement.