biography
Kowkie Durst makes functional pottery in his studio in Portland, Or. Before moving to Portland, Kowkie completed a two-year residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, where he received a Lincoln Fellowship. Kowkie received an MFA in Ceramics from Penn State University. He teaches Ceramics at Portland Community College and the University of Portland.
artist statement
I imagine my pots in someone's home, tossed from sink to table to shelf. I want them to live with someone and become a part of their everyday life. The physical connection—lips, hands, eyes—that engages a user with the object is essential to the creation of meaning for pottery. My approach to clay embodies my passion for the material and exposes the physical nature of my own existence.
The murmuration pattern on my pots explores the phenomenal strength and beauty created by collective movement. My previous surface designs investigated social and political issues such as the commodification of food, factory farming, gender identity and marriage equality.