Michael J. Strand
Ceramist Research #3
"Life is good, a balance of Faith, Family, Art, and Teaching."
Cups
Michael's cups before being fired.
Cone 10
I like the use of the different colors dripping all over.
Cone 10
I really enjoy the simplicity of the cup, and i love the colors he chose to use together.
Personal Life
Michael is married to Michelle Strand, and has been for the past 20 years.
They have two children, Malcom, 10, and Ian, 7.
Why?
Michael tells about the joys of being an artist: the ability to dream without limitation, and then acting on those dreams without fear of failure.
Michael Says
"I make objects that.......
Extend beyond the walls of the museum or the confines of a gallery.
Without this restriction i work to build bridges between people through shared experiences with functional objects and ideas.
Relationship is my content.
Working in collaboration is my process.
Community outreach through Art, Craft and Design is my mission."
My Opinion..
I think i enjoy Michael's work the most out of the artists i have written reports on. His art is the kind of thing i would see in a store and say "Oh my gosh! i love this! Can i get it?!" I love the colors he uses in his work, and the way it isn't too plain, yet it isn't too over the top either. There is a lot of imperfection in his work, and i think that's why i like it so much. Some cups are a little crooked, their glaze is splotched, it's all different. It's all imperfect. And because it is imperfect, it's beautiful.
Education
- St. Cloud State University
- University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Cuplomacy Project
The pictures directly above and below are part of the Cuplomacy Project. This project creates a physical social network between 4 religious leaders representing the Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faiths. Each leader has a diary and a camera, and of course a cup. They were asked to photograph their cup different places in their surroundings, and then it would be passed to the new religious leader.