Darryl Houghton

I make teapots, bowls, platters, flower arranging containers, ovoids, ovals, an occasional mug, and a periodic dragon.  The pieces look decorative, somewhat sculptural, and are usually functional.  However, I think of them more from a personal perspective.

I began working with clay seventeen years ago after a serious illness.  Without intention, I intuitively began creating sculptures that depicted my emergence into consciousness from the coma that I had briefly resided in.  As I continued investigating this medium, I gravitated toward the formation of vessels; however, I retained that sculptural and intuitive connection.

Historically, the vessel is inextricably linked with the human form, i.e. the mouth, neck, shoulders, body, and feet, the inside and the outside.  My practice has been to consciously explore all of these features, not to deconstruct form, but to illuminate each aspect.      

Conceptually, my pieces are improvisations on themes including: the masculine and feminine, transformation and timelessness, sameness and difference.  My current work is intended to evoke a state of contemplative awareness.

BIO 

I grew up in the Bay Area.  I have degrees in music and music therapy from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, and a M.A. in psychology from Naropa University.  I began my journey with clay at the Boulder Pottery Lab and currently teach adult pottery at the Boulder Potters’ Guild.

tel: 303-440-5598
email: darrylhoughton@hotmail.com