Glen Martin Taylor is an American artist who creates empathetic, existential and provocative ceramics.
Why did you choose to do ceramics?
I used to paint canvases when I was younger, but made my living as a master woodworker. My first love was painting, yet my mind works best in three dimensions. After going through some difficult times, I just started throwing clay on the wheel one day as therapy to bring back balance to my life, and in the end it all made sense to my artistic passion and I just stayed with it.
Please describe the process of your work, from the initial idea to the finished product.
My process is intuitive and full of chance and emotion. I play with pieces, play with ideas, and I let them sit around until the moment of clarity arrives and then I finish them. I like to fail, I like to cry, to laugh, to get angry while I work. Something inside my chest always tells me what to do and when they are finished.
What is the main idea that unites all of your artwork?
My work is autobiographical, it is me, all the complex layers that reside in every human. Some layers are silly, some — deathly serious, sometimes I scream, sometimes I smile: I’m looking for God, I’m looking for myself. My work is me.
