Dylan Nadeau is an artist currently living in Morrisville, Vermont, and graduated with a BFA in ceramics in the spring of 2021.
A young Vermonter looking to share his perspective with the world, Nadeau found inspiration deep in the woods at a very young age. Seeing beauty in the observation of natural phenomena, he was infatuated with things that grew from the forest floor. Now coming to grips with the state of our world he contemplates our relationship with it. He distills these thoughts into a saturated and lush world of illustrations through the narrative of Being, a single perspective wandering the land. Being curiously explores, observing the cause and effects of those who inhabitant the strange place he calls home.
In my work, I tell the story of Being. A single perspective exploring his way through a strange world chasing curiosities. In the physical, my work is investigating altered wheel-thrown objects. Then attach them to become a fully realized sculpture. The ceramic surfaces involving narrative are created using a saturated palette of underglazes. The organic-looking sculptures utilize pressed textures in combination with glazed surfaces achieved through a reduction soda firing process. I first create characters and landscapes in illustrations then bring them into the three-dimensional world using clay. Investigating my ideas, I am interested in the connection between humans and nature and the experiences that stem from this. I admire the biodiversity of our world and do my best to represent what I observe. I hope to catch someone’s eye and bring their attention to the smaller things in our world. I would like the viewer to be pulled in by their curiosity as if they found a beautiful flower or a funky mushroom along their walk, pausing for a moment to take a look, realizing this beauty has yet to be found anywhere else.
I fit the imagery of Being onto painted ceramic surfaces. At first, being very influenced by ancient Greek pottery, I depicted two scenes from Being’s adventure gathering berries on a ceramic amphora form I created. The story of Being began to peel away from the two-dimensional surface as I made a large jar covered in a low-relief depiction of Being getting a pair along the path he walks. Enthused by making this story tangible I started work on building the world Being explores. By sculpting the creature Being as a ceramic figure along with other possible characters in the story I discovered a new way for people to encounter and experience this world. I am currently working toward creating a more full and complete environment. I want this installation to be a portal for the viewer into Being’s world.
In the physical, my ceramic work is investigating altered wheel-thrown objects. Exploration in working with composite forms to greater the proportion and complexity of my work has led me in a new direction. Attaching pieces of a whole to become a fully realized sculpture has shown to have a greater impression on viewers than similar work on a smaller scale. I see scale continuing to be an important theme in my work.
The ceramic surfaces involving the Being narrative are created using a saturated palette of underglazes and mason stains. Mixing these colorants with sig utilizes one of the oldest methods of surfacing in ceramic history creating a desirable satin/matte finish. Experimentation in the surfacing of my work has shown how the same form will differently affect viewers, depending on glazed, rustic, or saturated matte surfaces.
The sculptures I make having an organic appearance are ceramic forms with a glazed soda-fired surface. Pressed textures underneath the glaze in these forms are created by carved bisque clay and plaster patterns as well as natural objects like wood, stones, or bits of coral. Lately, I have been focused on the spectrum of surfacing I create on this body of sculpted work. Ranging from the organic glazed surface to the saturated matte surface closer to an illustration. The introduction of sig to my work has helped blend the differences in these, as the saturated work clashed with the earth glazed work. I intend to find harmony with the two surfaces as I see use in both to create a dynamic installation.
Investigating my ideas, I am interested in the connection between humans and nature and the experiences that can stem from this. We are beings that came from the natural world yet most of us live so very far removed from nature. I believe we are becoming estranged from nature and in turn the earth. This alienation from something we still rely so heavily on will be our downfall. I hope to inspire an interest in the natural world we live on through a level of surreal abstraction offering another perspective for viewers.
I admire the biodiversity in our world and do my best to re-present what I observe. I hope to catch someone’s eye, bringing their attention to the smaller things of our world. I would like the viewer to be pulled in by their curiosity as if they found a beautiful flower or a funky mushroom along their walk, pausing for a moment to take a look, realizing this beauty has yet to be found anywhere else.