Gerry O’Meara, ceramist, ©DrakeWhite, 2022.
More than merely blurring the line between arts and craft, the thrown pottery work of Gerry O’Meara confronts the binary nature of things we considered constructed and those that are created. Yes, O’Meara’s work is the product of a skilled hand, practiced and assured. She is, in the most elevated sense of the word, a craftsman who, in many ways, is taking a craftsman’s approach to her work. Her work, foundationally, is about producing functional objects rendered in familiar forms. There’s no trickery or slight-of-hand. That beautiful bowl will, in fact, hold those apples and lilies will look lovely springing from the mouth of an O’Meara vase.
But it doesn’t take careful consideration – although careful consideration is clearly invited – to discern that there is much more happening than strict adherence to technique and forms perfected prior to her first throws. She is using the craft of pottery – ancient and alive – as a starting point and familiar anchor to groundwork that illuminates and elevates. Her pottery’s primary purpose can be, should be, a matter of some debate. Is it practicality or fodder for deeper discussion? Are her pieces purely aesthetic, or do they represent and reflect something deeper or more meaningful?
The answer is probably yes. Yes, we admire the craftsmanship and O’Meara’s place in the very long lineage of local potters. But we also find ourselves transported by her work. Her deep glazes, exceptional color theory, and creative use of both natural and constructed forms becomes a point of pondering, prompting enquiries about the nature of perception, tactility, and her ability to find new life in myriad artistic moments and movements. It’s a remarkable feat borne of her willingness to keep working a piece and ability to identify the proper point of completion. It’s a rare gift.
It’s a craft.
It’s art.
