CCC Artist Isaiah Phillips
First time California Clay Competition artist Isaiah Phillips was honored to be selected for this show. He is presently attending San Francisco State University and was scheduled to graduate in spring with a BA in Studio Art. Due to Covid-19, he will have to push that back no next Fall. Phillips is a winner of the Martin Wong Scholarship for ceramics.
About the piece chosen for the show: “The Exteanguisher is one of my favorite pieces and I’m definitely very proud of it. It is a teapot shaped like a fire extinguisher with an infuser in the lid….There’s also a set of eight cups that match and the teapot fills all of them. This was a project for Jeff Downing’s throwing class at San Francisco State and I was struggling to come up with an idea.The idea came to me when I saw the fire extinguisher on the wall. I saw it as a challenge to replicate that form and also make it functional.
Aside from the process of creating and the joy of inspiration, this piece is a common relatable object. It makes me think about fire season in California…and the virus simultaneously. Prevent fires, breath, drink tea and be healthy.”
Phillips style is heavily textured using a loop tool to scallop the surface. This process can take up to 40 hours to carve and glaze. Lately he has been leaning towards lichen glazes.
Phillips is inspired like Christmas every time the kiln opens, loves the good people in his art classes, learning and experimenting with glaze chemistry and enjoys having a comfortable place to work. His hopes are to get into graduate school next year for his MFA.
You can find more work by Isaiah Phillips at: iphillipsceramics.myportfolio.com/
Or on Instagram: @imp_clay
