David Eichelberger

My work is composed to create pause. Functional qualities, visual rhythms, and exaggerated proportions are some of the elements I employ in the objects I make to quietly challenge our preconceived notions and our expectations. Upon investigation, a codified order both mysterious and liberating emerges in my work, and makes it resonate with my intentions. The objects I make are equal parts anthropological study and artistic endeavor, and incorporate an attempt to understand the world we live in, through making. The importance of genuine utility in my work is precluded by the desire to borrow a certain quality of functional items: familiarity. Pottery has an implied invitation. The intentional placement of openings, lids, and handles in my work conveys the specificity of function, clarifying that the objects I make have an intended purpose. The exact function is less obvious, and a situation is created that pairs a sense of knowing with a sense of mystery. The desire to identify the purpose of an object is an open invitation for continued exploration. Scrutiny and inspection reveal both undulations in edges once considered straight and subtle variations on flat planes. These details act as rewards for a heightened level of engagement. The objects I make exhibit a compositional preference for repetition over variety, and I position repeated elements in regular, metered fashion. This allows the eye to travel predictable paths across my work. A rhythm develops, with a cadence that promotes a rambling exploration of the form. Edges and lines are also measured, and they exhibit a confident, grounded quality that guides visual investigation in a steady and considered way. Vessels for containment are, by their own nature, the product of a desire for order. The interior spaces in my work are made special by manipulating access to them, and my vessels most often contain only a rarefied space. Simply reaching the interior, literally or visually, is an event, a private ritual that is a self-justifying endeavor. The composed nature of the objects I make reflects the quiet sentiment of my investigations. My endeavor is a disciplined approach, aimed to augment one's engagement with their surroundings by creating objects that appear to have cryptic lessons in them.