Conor Alwood
MFA, Clemson University, 2018

Q: What year are you at Clemson and what is your dream job after you graduate?
A: I am a second year graduate student. My dream job is to own and operate my own ceramic studio, while offering workshops to people interested in learning about clay!

Q: How would you describe your design aesthetic/ style?
A: The general aesthetic of my work is very organic. The forms I create
are built by process of pinching, leaving a distinct mark of my hand within the surface of the clay. The aesthetic quality of the selected piece is a strong
contrast to my usual work. The share artwork was created using a 3D clay printer. This process removed my physical touch from the clay, and lended a mechanical aesthetic to the piece.

Q:What do you love most about being an artist?
A:The thing I love most about being an artist is working with my hands to create something wholly original which personifies my identity as a maker.

Q:What are your inspirations? In general and for the selected piece.
A: My primary inspiration comes from time spent working with my dad and grandpa installing underground water systems that provide water to homes. Other inspirations come from the tension that resides between infrastructure, the domestic space, and nature. The interaction, imposition, and synergy of these three facets of our modern landscape is incredibly interesting to me.
The inspiration for the selected piece was from the maps used by my grandpa to locate underground water lines. These maps used specific symbols to identify objects in the surrounding area. One of these symbols was a tree. The outline of the selected piece is based on the symbol used for "tree."

Q:What piece of work or project are you most proud of and why?
​A: I am most proud of a series of ornate, slip casted platters that I
created during my second semester of graduate school. I illustrated the maps and diagrams used in the trade of water installation on the surface of the platters. The process of slip casting was something new to me, so learning that was very exciting. Also, the act of hand drawing the maps and diagrams was a very intimate process that I feel truly commemorated my grandpa's line of work.

Q: What are some other art related internships, demonstrations, gallery showings, or publications you have been involved with?
A:Demonstrating Artist at Artisphere, Greenville South Carolina, 2017.
Clay Arts Vegas, "Serve It Up" show, Las Vegas, Nevada, 2017.
Featured Artist in Bradley University's Arts and Literature Journal, "Broadside,"Peoria, II, 2015-16. Group Exhibition at the Peoria Art Guild, Peoria Illinois, 2015. Gallery Intern at Backspace Collective Galleries, Peoria Illinois, 2014.

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