Jonathan Walsh
Jonathan lives in rural Virginia with his wife and daughter. He teaches art in a public elementary school, and tries to find time to pursue his own Art.  His work has been exhibited, published, and acclaimed not nearly enough. 


Artist Statement


Where does Art come from?  Spirit, psyche, subconscious? 

The question of spirituality often comes up in talking about ceramic musical instruments.  I don't like to use the word "spiritual" because it is such a loaded word.  You risk wandering into the realm of "beliefs," which are far too intangible for me.  There is a long, rich history of many cultures throughout the world using ceramic musical instruments for ceremonial or spiritual purposes, but my instruments don't have tradition to fall back on.  But there is still an effect on people: perceptual, emotional,  sensory, explicit, universal, and/or unexplainable.  Therein lies the interest for me-- not the meanings people may place on these experiences, but the experience itself.

To clarify, I'm not saying that there is no element of "belief" in my Art.  I believe in Art the way some believe in miracles.  Some time ago, I had the opportunity to play some crystal singing bowls with someone who practices sound healing.  The experience was profound.  Though I can't say with any certainty whether my consciousness was altered or anything was healed-- I'm fairly healthy anyway-- I appreciated the sensation for its aesthetic value.  Since then, I've striven for a similar reaction with my own works.

From the beginning of my involvement in creating ceramic musical instruments and sound sculptures, the problem has been the disconnect between the object and the experience.  The object did little to speak to its function.  The challenge has been to unify the visual experience of the object with the profound auditory phenomena it contained.  I'd like to one day achieve a perfect unity, something concrete and tangible, between the auditory phenomena and the visual object itself.  It's a lot like trying to explain the unexplainable.  I may never achieve my goal, but I'm enjoying the journey.

Selected Art Shows

March 2009
KQCD "School Daze" Public Art Project Auction

February 2009
Solo exhibition, "Ceramic Sound Sculptures," Windemere Gallery, Mechanicsville, VA

June 2008
The Wine and Arts Festival at Locust Grove, Walkerton, VA

March 2005
Fourth Annual National Arts Program Art Show at the Middle Peninsula of Virginia

March 2004
Christ Episcopal Church Art Show

April 2003
Wheeling Artisan Center “We Dream in Clay” Exhibition

April 2003
West Liberty State College Senior Show

October 2002
West Liberty State College Juried Student Show

May 2002
Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center CROSSCURRENTS Exhibition

November 2001
West Liberty State College Juried Student Show

Awards, Honors, and Other External Validation

2006

Published in From Mud to Music: Making and Enjoying Ceramic Musical Instruments, written by Barry Hall, published by the American Ceramic Society

April 2005

First Place in the Professional Division of the Fourth Annual National Arts Program at the Middle Peninsula of Virginia

May 2002

Honorable Mention, Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center CROSSCURRENTS Exhibition

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