Author Archives: Christopher Agostino

Moche Warrior Pottery — Today’s History of the World in 100 Objects

Warrior, ceramic vessel, Moche culture, Peru

Another fascinating episode from the BBC/British Museum History of the World in 100 Objects series today on WNYC radio: Moche Warrior Pot —fascinating being defined as connecting to the images and art that have informed my work.

Moche vessels

The Moche were a large, complex civilization in Peru 100-800 ad (pre-Inca), which had established cities with architecture and facilities that the Romans would have been envious of (according to the radio episode). Hearing they’d be talking about a Moche object my ears perked up. Moche masks have inspired faces I paint, and their ceramic portrait vessels, with spouts coming out of the tops of people’s heads, were some of the first objects I imitated, way back in High School ceramics class. In the BBC episode they spoke to a contemporary potter who analyzed the warrior pot and said they made hundreds and hundreds of these types of vessels, combining the use of molds and hand-building to mass produce them but give them individual qualities. Continue reading →

Ceramics – Coffee Cups

The most recent class I took with John Fink was in 2009 at Nassau Community College. They’ve got a great studio set up there, and are very supportive of artists like myself that take the course to work on their own projects rather than to earn credits. In that class, Professor Fink showed us how to make coffee cups.  And when I told him I sometimes sit with my coffee or tea while I’m working and get annoyed that it gets cold, he suggested making lids—a very positive evolution in the coffee drinking experience in my house. These are 5 of the ones I made.

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Dinocritters and Dragons: Sculptures by John Fink — Exhibit

Our Dinocritter

We are the proud owners of a Dinocritter made by John Fink. Here he is, staring at us from his shelf with a quizzical look, as if he wonders how he got into our world. Also apt is John’s alternate name for his ceramic creations, “Far-Fetched Dragons”, for they often find themselves in larger, playful constructions—so playful that I found myself laughing out loud at his exhibit in Gallery West at Suffolk Community College, Brentwood. Maybe our critter got here “Through the Portal” with the help of the Scientist Critter operating the bizarro device. Maybe he came as a little egg on the “Maternity Express”, guarded by a fiercely grimacing dragon. It is the expressions and individual identities he gives to each of these critters that makes a room full of them so fun to explore—a gallery full of John Fink’s playful sculptures is a really fun exhibit. Article on the exhibit.

Maternity Express

Maternity Express - detail

The joy John brings to the creative process is also why I keep returning to take his classes over the years. From John’s article Creative Thinking: “…creative strength is found through ‘weakness,’ not by being egotistically confident in your abilities, but to come innocently to work as would a child. To accept vulnerability as strength, rather than a weakness.” An important understand for any artist, and particularly appropriate for those of us who play with clay.   Continue reading →