Kenyon Hansen is a full-time studio potter and educator in Dollar Bay, Michigan. He has been a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. In 2013 he was selected as an Emerging Artist by Ceramics Monthly. Kenyon has taught at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Crafts, Penland School of Crafts, and Greenwich House Pottery in New York City. He has led workshops at numerous universities and art centers throughout the country. His pottery has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
The insatiable need to work with my hands is the driving force of my craft. The pulse of my practice lies in the rhythm of making and through repetition the work evolves, changing slowly in response to each firing cycle. Tactile and visual consideration and slowing down are key to this process. These elements carry equal weight and are central in my working process leading up to the finished pieces. I focus on utilitarian objects that enrich the quotidian experience. My work is made of soda fired porcelain and stoneware clays. Ideas are generated and inspired by the everyday experience, patch work quilts, structure and patterns found in nature. Currently I am exploring the dichotomy of vessel structure and the fluidity of glaze. Producing textured surfaces and raised lines allows a place for glaze to pool and collect and in return enriching the surface and building of depth. My hope is that the pots I make will contribute to the field of craft and elevate the everyday experience.