Artist Statement by Joel Cherrico, Potter:
"In ancient history, the story of Sisyphus is well known. Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to roll a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back down every time it neared the hilltop, for all eternity.
We call things Sisyphean when they are both extremely difficult and seem to get nowhere. Anyone who has ever made pottery knows the feeling. Endless practice. Unforgiving kiln firings. Hours, hours and more hours on a single pot, only for it to crack in the drying. Or explode in the kiln.
Yet, pottery clay is magic. The smooshed clay can be recycled endlessly. Clay gives us unlimited opportunities to improve our art.
These ideas inspired my daily practice of making a board of cups, saving one, and smooshing the others back into recycled, usable clay. My hope is that this project inspires more people to see their hardships as opportunities, with infinite, endless optimism."