Paul Heroux is a ceramic artist living and working in Central Maine. A maker of vessels, his surface decoration references plant life, erotics, landscape, and a number of other changing influences. His work is collected nationally and shown in a number of galleries in Maine and beyond.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have been working with the ceramic vessel as a painting surface for over twenty years now, and I am still interested in this three-dimensional canvas because there is always some side hidden, regardless of the vantage point. The patterning on the surface is foremost a response to the form. The imagery has changed over time in reaction to evolving interests and events in my life. Often plant life, erotics, and references to the landscape are present. It is also important to me that my work is visibly strong and durable, so that it invites touch and use. I am a craft artist; tactile experience and the potential for use are crucial to my definition of a craft object.

The ceramic work presently shown at Cove Street is made of white stoneware clay. All of the work is made on a potters wheel. boxes and folded vases are thrown collars that are manipulated and hand built parts are added.
Sodafiring is done by mixing soda ash and water, and spraying it into a hot ceramic kiln. This will apply a thin glazed surface to clay and slips,it will also affect glazes. The effect is a bit unpredictable.

I use many types of slips and glazes. The graphic line work is done by scratching through a slip and applying a stain or glaze in the line. I use under glazed decals (under glazes silk screened onto thin sheets of paper), which are then transferred onto slipped surfaces.

Second and Third firings:
Photogaphic images are made with a process of printing photo images onto a thin plastic film with metallic based ink and applying it over a fired glaze surface and refiring.

Metallic surfaces are gold or platinum based lacquer that are painted on and refiring at a lower temperature.

C.V.