Your favorite troublemaker, Garth Clark is back with a new episode of Cfile’s podcast Casita Confessions. Don’t miss Garth’s slightly harsh, but loving evaluation of Portland-based ceramist/ painter Dirk Staschke‘s work, then and now. Hint: Garth loves Staschke’s simply decadent, painterly sculptures, but they MUST be seen in the round.
Do not drop the ball on this sincere discussion of the role of boredom in a maker’s life, the very real consequences of metamorphosing your work mid-career, as well as how artists and galleries both reckon with their collector audience.
Collectors… can’t live with them, can’t live with out them…
“Stop looking at ceramics for your inspiration. And if you’re gonna look at ceramics, make sure its artists who are dead. Draw from your life experiences, pull from older art. Don’t look at what’s hot right now and try to imitate it.”
Dirk Staschke
Dirk Staschke, Architecture of an Ending, 2019 Ceramic and wood. Photo courtesy of the artist. 
“[In Garth Clark Gallery], we were constantly telling the collectors: If you can’t grow with the artist, you really don’t believe in them.”
Garth Clark
Dirk Staschke is best known for his exploration of Dutch Vanitas still life themes in the medium of ceramics. His current body of work explores the space in between sculpture and painting. His work often uses meticulous representation as foil for examining skill and craft.
He received his BFA from the University of Montevallo followed by an MFA from Alfred University and has maintained an ongoing studio practice and extensive exhibition record for the last twenty years. During this time, he has taught at many notable universities, including Alfred University and New York University. His work has been shown internationally and resides in the permanent collections of several museums including the Smithsonian Museum in Washington (DC), Icheon Museum, World Ceramic Center (Gwango-dong) South Korea, Portland Art Museum (OR). He has received various artist’s grants including grants from The Virginia Groot Foundation and the Canada Council on the Arts. Staschke currently resides in Portland Oregon where he is a full time studio artist.
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