About
Ergo is the work of artist Dan Siegel, created in his studio in the Old North End of Burlington, VT. All pieces are one of a kind wheel-thrown or hand built stoneware or porcelain, food-safe, and a thoughtful addition to any home.
An exploration of form, line, and surface.
Clay holds a unique place in my life. This material which at first I found quite intimidating became something I now feel a deep connection to, even to the point of experiencing a unique sort of angst if I haven’t worked with it for longer than a few days or so. Clay has the potential to be nearly anything and yet I find that it is most intriguing to me when I set guidelines for myself, within the limits of a given set of rules lies the potential for nearly infinite variation. In my work, at the most fundamental level, making pottery is about the exploration of lines, how they evolve, interact, begin, and end. The lines and marks I make on each piece explore how lines and shapes interact within their own space. Drawing is very much the foundation of my work and translating ideas from paper to three dimensional surfaces presents unique challenges that I love to dive into. In that way the pieces I throw are akin to blank canvases I’ve produced in order to play with and explore these ideas. All of the work on this site is part of that continuing evolution of form, line, and surface.
Studio Practice
Most days I spend time in my studio, sometimes all day, sometimes a few hours. I work alone and I feel a deep gratitude for the attention that the solitude of my space allows me to give to clay. It isn’t that I don’t enjoy the company of other people but I find that the presence of others changes how I work, how I relate to exactly what I’m doing with clay- the pieces I make don’t capture me in the same way. I want to love what I’ve made, the lines that the movements of my hands produce, the balance I hope I have achieved in the form. Clay talks to you in its own way and a potter learns the language of clay through their many failures, and the successes those failures allow act as guide posts, hopefully towards the kind of work they envision making.