literature review

An Analysis and Practice of Organic Art in Ceramic Arts

How Organic Form as A Creative Practice Can Be Abstracted From Nature and Transformed Into Artwork

Annotated Bibliography

Barsukova N. (2018). The process of transformation natural forms into an associative design

model. IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering. DOI:10.1088/1757-

899X/463/2/022044

Barsukova (2018) is an engineer who takes note of artistic aspects in the design and execution of his science and the architectural field and the research he conducted that I use to cite for my paper, is aimed at showing the possibility of using associative design objects in certain urban conditions and setups such as recreational parks and pathways by transforming Organic forms for use in place of other non-organic material. This research complements my paper in that it brings out the art representation by organic forms in a different field of design and works as a suitable alternative. Barsukova (2018) went further and proved that associative modeling is subject to the same objective laws of harmonization which determine the development of an organic form’s design. It was proven that a figurative form had a stronger emotional and aesthetic impact on a consumer than a simpler aesthetic form artwork in the case being an illuminating bird’s nest sculpted as opposed to an inorganic street lamp. In doing so the abstract of the organic form in using it reduces and significantly suppresses the technological and environmental degradation brought about by an urban set up through economizing on energy costs and the raw materials for lighting while bringing out an artistic value. A weakness in this study is that this method although not fully organic per se as a result of the need to reduce the degradation of natural spaces by the encroachment of urban setups and thus may not bring an artistic approach but rather a functionality one to the subject matter. The strength of the source here is that in his research it does not solely emphasize organic forms’ used for functionality purposes alone but also adds to value in design. This research is important to me for me to analyze and draw reference as to the findings of how the use of inspiration drawn from organic forms in art contributes to the overall effect and system of an urban area not only as art but also with its organic attributes and functionality combining the two as would be intended for sculpture and ceramic in art.

Candy, L., Edmonds, E. (2018). Practice-based research in the creative arts:

Foundations and futures from the front line. Leonardo, 51(1), 63–69.

Candy L, Edwards E(2018).article points out what practice-based research is and how it is valuable in bringing out new knowledge during practice in research such as mine That can be shared and used on a wider platform across other disciplines besides arts. candy L Edwards 2018 claims that practice and research in the creative arts are used intertwined however they are distinctive and used differently. This article will be key in relating how research in how organic forms transformed into the earth can bring out new knowledge. it will involve the practice itself of transforming an organic form through abstraction from nature into art and analyzing the creative process besides barely analyzing the artifact or the sculpture or in my case ceramic but also the input of an artist to the whole process will be taken into account. This will enable one to take account of any emerging instances in the creative process. it entails a more hands-on approach that terms the extent of originality in research focusing on the making process Candy L., Edwards E.(2018) use that research should be able to provide something insightful groundbreaking, and useful and not just gathering information that is general or exists in common questions arise of what benefits will the research of transforming an organic form into art through obstruction be if it would not provide any n novel contributions to what is considered as common to the art. This helps in challenging the approach I will use in my research and paper as brought out by the article as Candy L., Edwards E. (2018) distinguishes between two which are a ‘practice-based’ research approach and a ‘practice-led’ research approach. If a creative artifact is the basis of the contribution to knowledge then the research will be deemed as practice-based and it will be practice-led If the research leads primarily to new understandings about practice. These views will give direction as to whether I am considering as to looking at the process of abstraction and transformation of organic forms as artwork rousing artwork made from organic form abstraction and transformation to gain knowledge.

Crowther P, Wünsche I. (2012). Meanings of abstract art between nature and theory. Routledge

The source, Meaning of Abstract Art between Nature and Theory, is a compilation of findings on how organic forms have evolved in being used and transformed into art and is key as it addresses my research question giving deeper illustrations on the whole topic of my research. Dr. Isabel Wünsche is a professor in this area of art and science and hence a credible source in my research paper. In her contribution to this article, titled life into art nature philosophy, the life sciences and abstract art, proceeds to claim that abstraction of organic forms from nature and transforming them into art can take place through biomorphism or natural processes and an artist can express themselves through centering themselves around nature without making a direct representation of it. Dr. Isabel further states that development in life sciences is a Key Factor in laying out the foundation upon which art can obstruct natural organic forms and Express them creatively making this source fundamental to my research. Dr. Isabel Wünsche points out that art nouveau artists and designers back in the 19th century one interested in the patterns of organic life independent of Science and explorations made by the scientists during their studies of the branch of biological science and hence true inspiration from it save the science aspect of it. Isabel also attributes the transformation of organic forms into art and influenced earlier in history by The Romantics who in turn attributed beauty to the likeness of nature by relating the sensation of Beauty to nature. This would aid my research as it raises the desire to understand the driving force of earlier civilizations and societies in drawing inspiration from their surroundings and nature and is provided for in the source material. The strength of this source is that it gives a detailed philosophical occurrence of events leading up to how organic forms revolved into art however this source does not contribute much to how organic art is incorporated in ceramic art but rather takes a general view of other types of art made out of organic forms but also aids in distinguishing organic forms and their relation to science.

Haugen D. (2017). The organic gallery Retrieved from https://www.theorganicgallery.com

The author Deb Haugen who also is an Organic Artist describes her interaction with organic forms and art as a continuous micro and macro occurrence and complete worlds under the surface. She further describes them as natural progressions that tell the story of time. This view emphasizes the fact that although organic forms may be abstracted from nature and transformed into artistic forms of expression with functionality, Organic forms are familiar to every human, as everyone would respond to it. This further raises a question as to what are the requirements of anyone to respond to art. Deb Haugen regards them as essential and a vital part of a human’s life. The author also further demonstrates that organic forms of art also enable one to travel through time with experiences of nostalgia. It also interprets the evolution of the earth. It further acts as a testament to how the earth operates to anyone who may take their time to analyze and interpret the artwork being viewed. Deb as an artist transforms the organic forms and shows a relationship and understanding of how the organic forms contribute to the art. This would be valuable in relating other artist’s experiences with organic forms and evaluating what goes through their mind while identifying any similarities when it comes to the process of abstracting organic forms and transforming them into artwork. It is key also to understand that the author Deb Haugen may be dealing with a variety of organic forms outside the field of ceramics but it would be good to find out an artist who uses organic forms in ceramic arts and can relate to another artist in a different field but under the same bowl of incorporating organic forms into art. This would contribute well to the main Research topic while addressing the research question. A drawback from this article would be that it does not provide a deeper evaluation and expression of the topic or any new points as the author only gives off a single general experience working with organic forms in art and not much more insight leaving gaps for more inquisition in my research.

Heck J. G. (1851) Iconography encyclopedia of science literature and art (4), 388. R. Garrigue

Johann Heck is a prolific research author in science and arts and points out that organic forms in nature can be represented in all sorts of material such as claystone metal work among others and is to be perceived through the sense of feeling and hands described as a sculpture. Although stone was prominently used by the Greeks the later organic forms were preferred for their beauty. Time highly favored the use of ceramic or organic clays in building as well. In the ancient period, organic forms had a more functional purpose as equally as their artful purposes. This material from Heck was key in establishing an earlier recognition of organic forms being acknowledged as able to be used in art before the 20th century although it may have not produced much insight to how the period may have appreciated the art and used it more artistically rather than functionally as this edged around the industrial revolution period where organic art is not extensively mentioned out of functionality. Determining the origins and the experiences of artists with organic forms and abstracting them from art is key to the development and answering of the research topic. Early documentaries and evidence of human response to organic key would be good for comparison with the current era of technology and period and how the different peoples of the periods identify and express organic forms in art. It would aid in assessing how organic forms in ceramic arts during that era compare to modern times of the 21st century in terms of consumption and usage and relation to science. However, this document is one-sided and does not contribute much to the artistic side of organic forms but rather contributes much to the scientific aspects of the organic forms and may cause my research not to have a plain artistic focus on my topic thus leading to sourcing and citing more sources on the subject that are scarce. Among the other resource materials Heck deals prolifically with the study of sculpture art and will aid my research in the field that is not addressed in detail by the other sources.

Leavy, P. (2015). Method meets art: arts-based research practice (2nd ed..). New York,

New York: The Guilford Press.

Leavy, P. (2015). claims that through arts-based research, new approaches to art, knowledge, and understanding of a creative process are achieved.  A limitation of the book to my research, is that it addresses numerous genres of art ranging from music to poems and media leaving little to the Organic forms of art. the author then goes on to mention about an A/r/topography work with the ‘A’ standing for the artist, the ‘R’ for researcher and the ‘t” for the teacher which shows how art-based research flows between and links the three within the context of educational research. Leavy, P. (2015). provides additional resources to which one can use to understand the use of art-based research laying out a foundation for my research paper methodology with additional material for referencing.  The author points out that carrying out an arts-based research one ought to carry open-mindedness, be intuitive flexible while maintaining ethical practices and values. Leavy, P. (2015). take is quite insightful as a research participant. It guides on how to conduct my research further to achieve the result of objective research, which is achieving and unlocking a new depth of understanding and knowledge to the human, based on the results and findings my paper comes across. Compared to other articles gathered, Leavy, P. (2015). gives a different and more guided overview of conducting my paper. Although it may not specifically mention the particulars of my area of research within the creative process of transforming abstracted organic forms into artwork, it gives a similar insight of what to do off of other similar artistic genres. Leavy, P. (2015). also, views that art-based research is an alternative to traditional forms of research methods that may not be able to fully address and tackle issues that may arise within my research topic neither the interests I might have for the research. This broadens the scope and liberates researchers from only sticking to traditional research methods and is very useful as it already addresses any challenges that I may encounter in the course of my research due to having chosen to take up a more traditional approach in the methodology.

McArdle T. (2020). Making art from nature. Retrieved from: https://www.art-is-fun.com

 McArdle (2020) on her blog website, making art from nature, recognizes art as originating from the Stone Age. Whereby man not only used ecological elements that were purely organic but also incorporated minerals and ores to compliment the Organic forms into art. McArdle (2020) antagonizes the commercialization of organic forms and makes the view that an artist becomes detached from the foundational process of creation which is forging one's tools for the artistic process as authentically as possible. McArdle views omitting the process of manufacturing raw materials by hand for the artistic process as not a complete creative process, it beckons the question as to what entails the full artistic and creative experience when dealing with organic forms in my research paper. McArdle also views that the neglect of using the earth as raw material is a loss and waste as most of the products commercialized are mixed up with synthetic materials yet the Earth is a plentiful resource. McArdle (2020) then cites other artists and believes that abstracting organic forms which are presumed as unconventional into art is in self a statement. She points out the challenge arising from using organic forms as raw material is that the artistic process is quite time-consuming. She goes ahead and points out that organic materials are perishable. This in turn means that the art will not last long enough to be consumed by a wider generational audience. This results in the photography of art as a means to preserve it. This raises the question as to why Organic form may not be preferably considered for abstraction in the creative process as opposed to ceramic and clays due to its perishability in my research. McArdle (2020) reveals a British artist known as Damien Hirst known for exploring the theme of death while using organic forms. He captures unseen and undocumented natural occurrences of an organic form after its demise and portrays it as art such as dead sharks or maggots eating a cow's head. His work, however, breeds controversy as to whether or not it may be considered as a blurred line between art and science. It goes further, raising the question as to what is the borderline of artwork and science. She acknowledges the effect of using organic forms that challenge states of mind as humans that we may have never fathomed or ever considered the existence of such an attitude in our minds. This raises issues on how the use of organic forms and transforming them into art may provoke ethical issues due to emotions and feelings of strain in one's belief of what right or wrong is. This article is useful to my research on the question of what effect can be generated from the artwork of transformed organic forms abstracted from nature.

Neddo N. (2014). The organic artist: Make your own paint, paper, pigments, and prints from

nature. Quarry Books

Neddo (2014) in his book that guides anyone on how to become an organic artist first and foremost credits human ancestors during pre-historic times for their creative ingenuity. He credits their knowledge and appreciation of their landscape surrounding them and using it as the raw materials to which they may express themselves, and build upon and with it culture. Neddo (2014) points out that not only can one consider the surrounding organic forms as art but also out of them come up with the raw materials to translate into art.in doing so humans get fulfillment in the satisfaction that comes with the process of creation and deriving a new thing from another. Neddo (2014) further points out that in abstracting organic forms from nature for a creative purpose, an artist and any individual deepens their knowledge and furthers their relationship with the bioregion they inhabit. Abstracting organic forms for art produces an understanding of the characteristics, the strengths, the weaknesses, and the limitations of the organic forms. This is built on one’s awareness. During the transformative process of the organic form, one can learn how to be receptive to the feedback that comes with the manipulation and the shaping of the organic form into art. The abstracting of organic materials and using it for creative processes reminds us as humans that we are part of the ecosystem and the organics form natural history. Nick further points out that it is important to maintain the rawness of the organic form after the transformation while still maintaining its beauty and also during its functionality. A point one can consider a possibility for questioning is how to maintain the organic material and being able to preserve it for even a longer period not necessarily in its organic form but in its artistic form after transformation. This would be of great advantage to artists and anyone who would enjoy organic form represented as artwork to still be able to experience the presence and novelty of the art as if it did not age. Nick's work will shed light on the importance of organic forms to humans when abstracted from nature, when-to, and when not to exploit the organic forms. However, his data does not touch much on the relation of organic art and ceramic art.

Neddo N. (2014). The organic artist: Make your own paint, paper, pigments, and prints from

nature. Quarry Books

Nick Neddo is a proclaimed Organic artist and in his writing which is more of a guide on becoming an organic artist as well (2014) Points out that there is a need in accessing the landscape (the source for organic forms) for the abstraction of naturally occurring Organic forms for transforming into art and in looking for an environment one has to assess whether humans have interfered. One has to keep in mind that their naturally untouched environment does not exempt the Organic forms from occurring and are in abundance. Nick Neddo (2014) points out that mankind's obsession with control and notions of tidiness play a part in a place's stages of natural succession and that man may not be able to understand organic forms and this breeds fear of a mysterious possible hazard and hence this may lead to man destroying what he fears rather than transforming it instead of viewing the organic form as an abstract art form. This source aids my research in providing challenges as to why organic form may not be abstracted from nature. He challenges humans into transforming ignorance into curiosity. On also a positive note, he encourages the education and learning of the Natural History of an organic form as a key Foundation In enabling one to access organic forms for creative practices and transformation into art through abstract. In my study, it is true from his point of view that ignorance limit one's abilities to interact with anything with the backing up of fear of what is considered normal yet it is occurring naturally and poses more risk whatsoever to those unaware of it. In accessing organic forms to be used in creative practice and development into art forms humans can be able to interact with other species and the surrounding landscape to the fullest and go further to transform it into art that is used to dispel the fear and ignorance of the unknown Nick further raises the question of whether it is necessary to kill a species for its organic art value which then leads to the unraveling our more issues that delve around the subject matter of conservation and protection of wildlife and endangered species with the common example of the rhinos horn and the elephant stuff used as art and valued highly yet obstructed at the expense of the demise of the Species. Awareness of the effects of organic form obstruction from nature to its environment is a Key Factor in research as well. as a plus for my Research, Nedo provides sound information that is very relatable and easy to understand and relate organic forms in art and the environment making it easier for one to appreciate the value of organic forms in art. It also enlightens one through creating the awareness of surroundings and the ecosystem and the indirect effect of not interacting with the environment.

Ritterbush, P. C. (1968). The art of organic forms. Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press

Ritterbush (1968) goes on to mention whether or not organic forms may be categorized as art. Ritterbush (1968) goes on to mention Kant’s Kritik of judgment [1970] whereby he states that “the more beautiful a presentation is the greater the understanding it may reveal of its object. Nature is beautiful because it looks like art and art can only be called beautiful if we are curious about it as Art while yet it looks like nature. This philosophy further probes one to question whether any random organic form may be regarded as art regardless of whether or not it is presented as an art as Oscar Wildes would say that Nature mirrors art. Ritterbush (1968) also has the view that a work of art and in this context organic forms transformed into art has the power to reshape our experiences by imposing demands upon our mode of perceiving them. Ritterbush (1968) also recognizes other influential pioneers of abstract art such as Wassily Kandinsky on the Spiritual Art (1910), who viewed art from organic forms as art that ought not only to represent nature in its bare appearance but also take appreciation and expression to its inward qualities. Ritterbush (1968) would also go forward and pronounce the thoughts of other authors who found it a great tragedy and mistake as the idea of limiting organic form in the art to documented instances of scientific treatises. Ritterbush’s book will be of much help to my research as I agree to the findings made by him, I find clarity in the statement that one ought to be able to distinguish between how the factual illustrations and classification of organic forms during a scientific study are different from the same organic form used and expressed in an artistic work by an artist. It is also key to understand that they may both bear beauty as an art form as well as a scientific representation of organic form but are distinctively beautiful based on the perception of a viewer. It is easier to pass off scientific organic forms as art for their beauty. This then raises the desire to probe the question as to what are the requirements to distinguish naturally occurring organic forms from being passed off as art whereas they are just naturally occurring organic forms by scientific processes. Through his book, Ritterbush can amalgamate clear ideas from a variety of authors and artists on the subject matter of organic forms which is rare to find in a publication and will play a key role in the fulfillment of the research objective and answer the research questions posed in other sources to a significant degree of contentment .a key element to his work is the ability to coalesce other authority works in finding out whether how organic forms can be abstracted from nature and transformed into art. This will greatly advantageous to my paper with a variety of discourses addressing my research question

Sarkisian M., Lee P., Long E., and Shook D. (2010). Organic and natural forms in building

design. Research Gate. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net

Shook (2010) views that the study of biological organisms and systems for a very long time has fascinated scientists who then bring out the transformation of complex organized biological organic forms into magnificent architectural structures as engineers and architects, that turn out to be artistic landmarks. This further raises the question of whether it would be possible to consider the copying of organic forms components using different materials from itself to a creative process and turning it into art as an abstraction? A building’s design may draw inspiration from the organic or natural form. Shook (2010) gives examples from how an ant colony unsupervised can build a mound that is efficient in self-cooling, or how a hive of bees make a honeycomb from one individual worker bee forming a nearly perfect hexagonal compartment that turns out to be a highly functional and effective structural and storage system without any external guidance. So how does one abstract such organic forms? Shook (2010) refers to this concept as ‘Emergence’ and that Engineers can be able to use the model and artistic design of the organic forms when seeking organically inspired solutions leading to the creation of architectural masterpieces. An example of such is whereby the shape of a storksbill seed, a weather pattern, a Nautilus shell, or a spider web was used as inspiration and submitted and suggested for the elevations of the Transbay Tower Competition in San Francisco California by Michelle Truss an Engineer in the 1900s or the use of the internal Bamboo structure that withstand and survive significant natural and unnatural disasters ranging from earthquakes to tsunamis. From David (2010) findings one can deduce that organic forms may not be used directly as a whole but can be studied and replicated on a larger scale by engineers and turned into expressions of rational and provocative architectural solutions that express artistry. This Article is essential in my research as it not only gives an example of how organic forms are used in art but also in a very different field that may be hard for one to draw reference to its use.

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2020) Greek pottery. Retrieved from:

https://www.britannica.com/art/Greek-pottery

In transforming organic forms through a creative practice into artwork many factors come into play for the consideration of this approach, one being how relatively expensive it would cost as compared to assuming the other art forms. As history would have it, ancient societies such as the Chinese dynasty, Egyptians, and Greek period are highly remembered for their artistic organic forms of expression as evidenced by their colorful and pattern rich crockery and ceramics. The use of organic forms in art was solely attributed to the fact of its durability as compared to other forms of material be it papyrus or reed used to make the scrolls or lumber products. The extensive use of Human figures and animal motifs on the pottery showed how the ancient Athenians had a knack for representing organic forms as art and in so doing expressed a vast array of history culture and annotations of everyday culture. The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2020) point out that pottery gave out an idea of contemporaneous achievement on a large scale level. This shows how much an entire era was influenced by organic form translated into art and withstands the test of time to be enjoyed by curators and viewers centuries later. However, artists who usually abstract organic forms from nature in ceramics and transform them into art lose the functionality of the ceramic but end up with an intriguing piece of art. An example of an artist using organic forms in ceramic arts is in the Express Show (2019) video of Ceramicist NebNikro from Cape Town South Africa. He draws his inspiration and purpose through a way of communicating non-verbally through putting momentary or previous feelings and experiences into his art. In using the art of abstracting the organic forms and transforming them to allow the pieces to remind him of what he may have felt during that particular time. In doing so he can share and put out his private life in an indirect way out to the public and get different feedback and reaction to it from others who view his organic form ceramic art. The account made by the ceramicist NebNikro would act as an example to my study of an artist’s combination of organic form in Ceramic arts and its influences on the human, analyzing how he uses his art form. Although the video may be short his account will set a precedent on other forms of data collected bearing similar information and making a direct address to the topic of the Analysis of organic art in Ceramic art.

References

Barsukova N. (2018). The process of transformation natural forms into an associative design

model. IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering.

DOI:10.1088/1757899X/463/2/022044

Candy, L., & Edmonds, E. (2018). Practice-based research in the creative arts:

Foundations and futures from the front line. Leonardo, 51(1), 63–69.

Crowther P, Wünsche I. (2012). Meanings of abstract art between nature and theory. Routledge

Express Show. (Aug 20, 2019). Ceramic artist NebNikro About his expression through shapes

[video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07iH06u3j1c

Leavy, P. (2015). Method meets art: arts-based research practice (2nd ed..). New York,

New York: The Guilford Press.

Heck J. G. (1851) Iconography encyclopedia of science literature and art (4), 388. R. Garrigue

Haugen D. (2017). The organic gallery Retrieved from https://www.theorganicgallery.com

McArdle T. (2020). Making art from nature. Retrieved from: https://www.art-is-fun.com

Neddo N. (2014). The organic artist: Make your own paint, paper, pigments, and prints from

nature. Quarry Books

Ritterbush, P. C. (1968). The art of organic forms. Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press

Sarkisian M., Lee P., Long E., and Shook D. (2010). Organic and natural forms in building

design. Research Gate. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net

The editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2020) Greek Pottery. Retrieved from:

https://www.britannica.com/art/Greek-pottery