Mark Chatterley
My work is about traveling in the dream world. The place that exists between wakefulness and sleep. Betwixt and Between. I am interested in conscious thoughts and the space between thoughts. My work allows me to get to these spots. I try to make the pieces that are timeless yet contemporary. As if the sculpture was dug up from a civilization yet to exist.
People as a group are more alike than not, no matter what race, culture or social group we come from. We all have basic drives governing us – self-preservation, replication of the species. The rest of what we do is cultural and social, a luxury because our basic needs are taken care of. Art is one such luxury, mixed with emotions such as love, hate, greed, jealousy and fear, along with a spiritual need to create.
-Mark Chatterley
Mark Chatterley's ceramic figures appear to be our counterparts from another time…another world, distinctly familiar yet mysteriously divergent. Ranging in height from twelve inches to twelve feet, each piece is unique and hand-built. Chatterly’s signature crater glaze allows him to create a variety of surfaces ranging from shiny metallics to crusty, lava-like textures resembling rusted metal or weathered stone. The sculptures are fired in a walk-in kiln that allows him to work on a larger than life scale. They are high fired to give them the durability to be displayed outdoors year round.
A Michigan native, Chatterley earned both a BFA with High Honor and a MFA from Michigan State University, East Lansing. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally receiving numerous awards.
Selected Collections: Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL; Lake Forest Library, Lake Forest, IL; Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, FL; Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI; Plymouth Community Arts Council, Plymouth, MI; Upjohn Research Division, Kalamazoo, MI; East Lansing City Hall, East Lansing, MI; Wharton Center for Performing Arts, Michigan State University-East Lansing; Kresge Art Museum, Michigan State University-East Lansing; Foremost Insurance Company, Grand Rapids, MI; North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC; Botanical Gardens, Toledo, OH; The Paine Art Center and Gardens, Oshkosh, WI; Whitefish Bay Library, Whitefish Bay, WI; Milton Keynes, United Kingdom; Hocheng Cultural & Educational Foundation, Taiwan; James Wallace Arts Trust, Auckland, New Zealand; International Museum of Ceramics, Faenza, Italy.
