Evan Hobart is California Clay Competition’s artist of the week. Hobart is an accomplished ceramicist who has been working in clay since the sixth grade. He has shown at the NCECA and had a few solo shows and feels good about selling some major works. He has built kilns including a wood fire train kiln. Hobart is also responsible for building the program up at the Mendocino Art Center.
Hobarts artwork is informed by ecology, archeology and paleontology exploring a wide range of topics about humans influence on the natural world. Mostly, he is a maker and loves to create using his hands and loves the materiality of clay.
Currently working on a series of Dragon head mugs, oil can cups and whimsical dragon and fish sculptures, Hobart uses B-mix and porcelain. Depending on the size of the sculpture, he can spend anywhere from a few days to a few months to finish a piece. Since the work is mixed media and takes glass components, it can take quite a while to get a piece from start to finish. His favorite finishing techniques are soda and wood fire but since he doesn’t have access to woodfire, he has been exploring using very little glaze and letting the porcelain clay shine on its own.
Since the arrival of Covid -19, Hobart not only had The Artery show cancelled, but also a show in John Natsoulas Gallery, and a solo show in Mendocino that never opened to the public and has since been taken down. You can get a virtual tour on YouTube by following the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4VnD1oyx-e8
He is also waiting to see if upcoming Creep Show, in New Orleans will happen as planned in September.
Feeling out of balance, Hobart resorts to the studio as an addiction, “but I could use a little exercise! I think under the current circumstances…all I can do is make art, it
You can see more video and learn more Evan Hobarts at: www.evenhobart.com,
Instagram: @hobarts
