Mark Muscarello
Dreams and intuition have always played an integral part of my creative process. Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by the unreality of my dreams. These dreams become concept. The concept becomes form and the form becomes understanding. Intuition allows me to interpret the dichotomy of subconscious images into the conscious world.
I relate this dichotomy metaphorically to the colored strata one sees in the canyons of the Southwestern United States. When viewing the canyons from a distance it reads like a surreal landscape. It is only as one gets closer to the canyon face that the reality of layered rock, sediment and mineral laden soil becomes clear.
I allow the concept to dictate the medium I use in any given work whether it is clay, steel, wood, glass, etc. I find the interface of mixed media affords me the freedom to juxtapose materials to realize a more timeless result.
Mark Muscarello first fell in love with clay during high school. His art teacher was a big influence and nurtured his passion and skill for throwing and sculpting. Mark received his BFA in Ceramics from Alfred University in 1979. His own studio practice has been influenced by artists as diverse as the work of Mark di Suvero, Anthony Caro, David Smith, Joseph Campbell, Val Cushing and Wayne Higby who manufacture new synergies from both random and orderly textures. Mark is currently a resident artist at AMOCA Ceramics Studio in Pomona, California.
