Capturing essence in clay
Making pottery with ceramicist Peter Karner

Ceramicist Peter Karner kneels next to the window where his unique and much sought after work is on display at the Durango Arts Center./Photo by Todd Newcomer.

by Jules Masterjohn

There is an age-old legend that is passed, in varying story forms, through generations of potters and exemplifies the mythology surrounding ceramics. The story goes like this: During the Chinese Ming Dynasty, there was a potter for the emperor who, one day, opened his kiln to find a most unusual sight. Among his expected green-glazed vases was a rich, red-colored urn. Upon hearing of this rarity, the emperor commanded that the potter produce more pots of this kind or he would be killed. The potter had no idea what had caused this anomaly so, fearing for his life, he worked tirelessly toward the appointed deadline to reproduce the blood-red vase. Firing after firing, the imperial kilns only produced the typical green-colored ware. The day before the potter was to present the red urns, knowing that he would be killed for he had not satisfied the emperor’s demand, the potter threw himself into the firing kiln. The next day, the eager emperor and his guards arrived at the pottery compound. Upon opening the kiln, the emperor was elated to see it completely full of blood red vases. Of course, the potter was nowhere to be found.

Gone are the medieval strictures that had a potter beaten or killed for his noncompliance. Today’s potters and ceramic artists enjoy an elevated and deserved respect that their pre-modern counterparts did not. Contemporary ceramicists, whether making functional pottery or vessels for decorative use, are part of a long tradition that has evolved to embrace individual artistic expression.

Technical experimentation and exploration of form are ways in which local potter Peter Karner keeps his work unique and in high demand. Intended for everyday use, his pottery is sold at fine craft galleries nationwide. Ten years of unwavering dedication and solid hard work has paid off for Karner, who spends his time doing what he cares about – making “spirited” pottery and making a living. From mugs and bowls to covered jars and vases, he sells every piece he creates.

Looking at Karner’s work reveals why he is so successful. His beautiful clay forms are decorated with intricately layered patterns of glazes that create the illusion of depth and seem to come alive. Colored with blacks, greens, greys and flashes of red, his glazes are reminiscent of desert patinas, lichens and mosses, which populate the landscape near where he lives and works. With a degree in environmental studies and a deep love for wilderness, it is easy to understand why his surfaces reflect the environment. “I make one design that is an undulating, wavy pattern that is reminiscent of that ridgeline to the west,” he told me one crisp and sunny afternoon standing outside his studio door.

Halfway down Cherry Creek Road between Durango and Mancos, nestled among the piñons and junipers near the creek, sits his home and studio. In a quaint and almost Old World scene, Karner lives in a yurt and works in two small buildings that comprise his studio and shipping shed. Except for the occasional UPS truck rumbling down his driveway, he lives a life of relative isolation and self-sufficiency. “Solitude and quietness are a big component to the development of my work.”

One of Karner’s vases sits on display in the Durango Arts Center’s gift shop. Karner draws on the Southwest for much of his inspiration./Photo by Todd Newcomer.

This solitary lifestyle lends itself to the focused nature of Karner’s routine, working 12- to 14-hour days, seven days a week. Taking few days off each year, he spends his seasons engaged in a variety of activities that support his craft. Much of his time is spent making pottery forms with the use of a potter’s wheel. Once a pot has been shaped, removed from the wheel and firmed up a bit, Karner reshapes it with his hands, creating deeply undulating ridges and valleys in the surface that energizes the form. In these shapely vessels, he expresses a complexity that is balanced with simplicity. To further emphasize this dynamic, Karner applies geometric, multi-layered glaze patterns over the curvaceous pottery, creating a harmony of form and surface. There is a peaceful accord of opposing tendencies that draws me to his work.

Karner’s pots, with their enticing marriage of form and surface, are most pleasing to behold – and to hold. To drink from one of his mugs is a sensual experience, to hold a bowl in one’s hands feels divine. Karner stated it best, “I attempt to capture an essence not easily put into words.”

Ten years ago, he never imagined he would be in the Southwest, living his dream. Introduced to ceramics in boarding school, he furthered his craft during college where he “lived” in the ceramics studio and earned more credits in clay than in his major. After college, living in Washington, D.C. and awaiting acceptance into law school, Karner honed his skills working for a potter. Though he expected to attend law school, Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and craftsmen, had other plans for him. When he didn’t get into law school, he accepted an invitation from a friend who lived in Durango to come for a visit. He has been here ever since, living his life with the earth under his feet and clay under his fingernails.

Though Karner is working in a medium that is one of the oldest in history, the past does not lure him. His pottery speaks of today. “At this point in my career, I am interested in what’s modern; what I’m drawn to is work that is concerned with the present, the pursuit of an ever-evolving self through creativity,” he said. “The beauty of being an artist is that I am able to work, and the work expresses the moment, and I move on. Each piece I make is an expression of that moment and the understanding of my craft. There’s a beauty in that.”

Peter Karner’s pottery is on display at the Durango Arts Center Gallery Shop. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.