Joshua clark
las cruces, new mexico, uSA
Joshua Clark in his studio, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Joshua Clark, Golden Toast, 2019. Ceramic, 7” L Xx 7” W X 16” H
Joshua Clark, Soft Bait, 2019. Ceramic, 10“ L x 4” W x 8” H i
I have always likened being an artist to having a kind of ailment. It is not so much a choice for me, but a deep need to create. I have never done well on vacations: after a couple of days lying on the beach and sightseeing, I begin counting down the days until I can get back into my studio. When the realization set in that I wouldn’t be able to leave my 970 sq ft apartment for the foreseeable future, my first impulse was not to run to the grocery store, but to the local craft store to buy oil paints and canvas.
I moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the fall of 2018 to teach ceramics and sculpture at New Mexico State University. I have always painted, but the bulk of my studio practice has always focused on ceramic sculpture. When we were moving all our belongings to Las Cruces, one of the only in-process art objects I packed was an unfinished painting I had worked on, here and there, since 2017.
My days in quarantine are focused on doing my very best to teach studio art courses online, and supporting my students through these far less-than-ideal circumstances. My wife, Hannah, is an elementary school teacher (the most important job in the world), so we’ve both been adapting our curricula and learning to use new technologies at home in order to teach our students remotely. We are very grateful to be able to work still, and are amazed at the support and ingenuity the education system has displayed in this time of crisis. It has also been amazing to witness how many companies have made software and other tools and resources available so we can continue to do our jobs and our students can move forward with their education. It has also been a real delight to be able to see Hannah interact with her students through video portals, and hear how excited the children are to see her face and hear her voice. It is clearly very important for them to see her every day, and hear her words of encouragement and support.
Between the emails and the Zoom meetings, we water our plants, play with our cat, binge-watch shows on streaming platforms, and I work on the aforementioned painting. It has been a great delight to discover how much I enjoy the process. I plan to make paintings for the remainder of this crisis, and suspect that painting will evolve into a regular part of my studio practice once this dreadful situation has hopefully ended.
Joshua Clark, Number One, 2019. Ceramics, Resin, 15” L x 20” W x 50” H
during the lockdown, JOSHUA CLARK rediscovered painting, working on a canvas that he started in 2017. He now anticipates that painting will become a regular part of his practice.
Joshua Clark, White Sulfur Springs, 2017-2020. Oil on canvas, 16” W x 20” H.
Joshua Clark, new painting in progress, 2020. Oil on canvas, 16” W x 20” H