Hasta La Ideas

Inspired by the spectacle of matadors and bulls, potter Adam Silverman’s new works merge “beauty with ugliness, elegance and violence.” The artist, also the L.A. director of Heath ceramics, will display his gorgeously tortuous works in the upcoming show “Faena Nueva” at Heath’s L.A. studio.

Drawing on childhood memories of bullfights that his uncle took him to in Spain, Silverman combines the vivid hues of the sport’s unforms with a crackling glaze surface, suggesting the violent nature of the man-versus-beast event. After testing several colors and textures, he eventually came up with six new glaze bases to tell the story. One dramatic red vessel particularly articulates the concept, with a swirl of glaze echoing the movement of a matador’s cape.

With a focus less on function and more on investigative and experimental works, Silverman leads the way in custom and design-focused ceramics. Recently working with architect Nader Tehrani, the duo created “Boolean Valley,” a 400-piece site-specific installation comprised of cobalt blue clay objects based on the Boolean logic principle.

The colorful Faena Nueva exhibit runs from 10-25 April 2010 at Heath Ceramics, with an opening reception on 10 April from 6-9pm.