George Ouimette

medium: ceramics

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Abacus 1996 Ceramics	Cloak 1999 Ceramics	Ladder Works 1993 Ceramics
Treepe 2002 Ceramics	Twisted 2002 Ceramics	Waterfall 2002 Ceramics
Long Legs 2001 Ceramics	New Leaf 2002 Ceramics	Purplesaurus 2001 Ceramics

Contact information
Artist resides in: Forestville, WI
Email Address: ouimette@doorpi.net
Web site: ouimettestudio.com

Artist statement
I use clay in combination with other media such as wood, metal or paper to create a one-of-a-kind sculptural piece. Although the sculpture is primarily clay, it is often the other mediums that set the tone for what the clay will do.

I collected branches while walking in the woods. The branches suggest interesting lines or negative space between the parting of a branch in which clay shapes or forms can be built. This begins the process. There are many possibilities and it is really just a matter of deciding which direction to go.

Various clays, building techniques and finishes are used depending upon the image I envision for the piece. Finishing the sculptural work takes as much time as building the clay form. That final step is attaching the wood to the clay using wooden or steel pins and pegs.

Biography
I have been making things for as long as I can remember. My first day of kindergarten I made a colorful, large bead necklace during free time. I wore the beads the rest of the day and then it was time to line up and go home. The teacher told me I could not take "this thing" I had made. That necklace had to be taken apart and put back in the bead box so other kids could make necklaces.

Since that experience I strive to create things that are unique to my surroundings and me. Current works are one-of-a-kind vessel based pieces, unique to me, and still hard to part with.

In 1977 I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with BS in Broad Area Art Education. The first two years of college I considered myself primarily a drawer and printer, but I was unknowingly being lured to the three-dimensional side of art while taking courses such as fibers, glass and sculpture. The clay class was the final push, but there was also the realization that I could draw on or with my sculpture. My focus changed. Acquiring knowledge in both the two- and three-dimensional areas of art has allowed a mixed media approach to my work.

Since 1977 my work has been juried or invited into shows and fairs in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, resulting in awards and acquisitions for private collections.