My work is very detailed, but there’s a simplicity in it.
I'm not making a grand statement with each piece,
but what they are is sort of just what I think of
as like a quiet piece of poetry.
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Ken Standhardt has spent two decades exploring a theme.
He designs original clay vessels,
then adds texture and design.
When people initially see my work, they’re surprised.
People really enjoy it.
They get engaged into it and really are interested
in how it's done.
His finished pieces look intricate and layered,
like a woven basket.
Ken uses a simple repetitive process
that has evolved over time.
Each vessel starts as a lump of clay
on his potter's wheel.
You quickly learn the benefit of learning how to center.
Some people just pick it up right away,
and other people never get it.
I'm telling the clay what I want to happen.
And maybe that's part of what I really enjoy about ceramics
is that you’re taking a lump of clay, and within moments,
you’ve made this vessel
that's either functional or decorative.
It's a creative force that you get to experience.
[ dogs bark ]
Ken grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
His family has a long tradition of hands-on craftsmanship.
My father and grandfather were master casket makers
as well as farmers.
Our work ethic is more of craftsman that I come from,
and I like that term.
I say it with a little bit of pride.
I started as a weaver, or working in woven materials.
I really enjoyed that.
But, no, clay is pretty much it.
Each piece dries overnight, then gets smoothed and shaped.
He’s preparing the surface for his mark.
If it gets too dry, it’ll literally crack,
and it won't be a clear impression.
Where if it gets too wet, it'll actually be gummy and sticky.
This is where Ken'’’s designs begin.
His tools are surprisingly simple.
I use two main tools, which are just church keys,
one with just the regular tip and one with an inverted V
grooved out of the tip.
And working with a triangle,
all my patterns can expand and contract
according to how hard I press into the clay body.
Some patterns are easier, others are more intricate.
So they just can take a very long time
and can be very involved.
But they're all just variations on a theme
that I’ve developed over the years of different tool work.
And then my only other tool is a ballpoint pen.
It doesn'’’t really matter what make or model.
It’s just an additional detail.
Ken doesn't draw out his design.
In fact, he doesn't have a plan when he starts a vessel.
The other thing that people often ask me is,
how do you know when you come around with that first row,
how's it going to match up?
And I don’t.
I think one thing I really have going for me
is I've always had a very strong sense of distance and space.
It turns out very serendipitous how my work will flow.
It can take seven hours or more
to cover a small piece with texture.
It's very meditative to me, it truly is.
I'm in the moment, and I like that time.
Time flows very nicely.
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A series of triangles connected in creative ways.
Ken gets his inspiration from nature.
What I like is looking, especially with pine cones
or seed pods such as these, is that overlap,
that back and forth that goes down the piece.
When you look at some of my work
where I have that sunflower pattern going down,
it does the same effect.
The final touch is an accent of color.
This is an iron oxide stain.
I just work it into the surface.
It's real thin, but making sure it gets unified
into the recesses around the whole pot.
And then I will sponge away all that I can
off the exterior surface of the pot.
And what that does is it adds shadow and depth
to the recessed area,
and then that just brings up all the pattern even more
without being too loud, I guess you'd say.
Oftentimes people will think, how'd he get it so perfect?
But there's plenty of imperfection
in each individual impression,
but when you look at the overall body of work,
it creates a uniformity that implies
there's more perfection to it.
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There'’’s artisan craftsmen that, unlike myself,
that will hop all types of mediums,
explore a broader range of work,
where I'm not sure why,
but I like the narrowness of what I'’’m exploring.
I’m 20-plus years working at it,
and I still wake up and want to explore it more.