Cory Fusick – junior , business major , from Portland OR
Young-Fell Memorial Intern : Cory Fusick
Cory Fusick – junior , business major , from Portland OR
I ’ m drawn to clay ’ s intimacy and functional history rooted in community . Early pots were storage and cooking vessels . When I join in the making process I feel drawn back to the inherent creative spark we have as people . I am interested in expressing through clay the human relationships , faith , conflict , and flourishing that are illuminated clearly by the unquantifiable nature of art .
Techniques I keep returning to are faceting and stretching my pieces to achieve distressed , torn , and rough surfaces . With functional pieces , I communicate the precision , movement , and immediacy involved in the making process . Through my metaphoric and sculptural pieces , I draw people ’ s attention to the dissonance between our world as it currently is and our world as it ought to be , by exploring themes of repentance , social justice , and globalism .
Through clay , I ’ ve found a voice to what is most important to me , giving all that excites or upsets me a physical space in this world . In a more grounded sense , I ’ m honored when my functional ware enriches daily lives — early morning coffee to after dinner dessert .
In society we ’ re allowed some degree of creativity , but always within constraints . The more I work with my hands , the more these limitations fade away — replaced by an authentic expression that is uniquely my own , allowing my mind the space needed to think creatively so things I value are manifested . This act of “ returning to one ’ s self ” enables the creative thought that gave us science and technology in the first place .
52 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE