Bennett Bean

Statement

There are a number of ideas that I am dealing with in the work. I assume that I will be alive next year, so I have time for them to evolve more fully. I don?t think most artists have more than four or five ideas that they find interesting enough to entertain them for the duration of their lives. Some of those that I am still exploring are presentation: How you put an object into the world yet separate it from the world evident in the black slabs that are used under the pairs and triples. Another is the idea of control, which in my case takes the form of refusing to let the fire have the last word. So much of the embellishment of these pieces is done after the firing, i.e. the paint and the gold. And finally the surprise of cross fertilizations between other disciplines in which I work - sculpture, rugs, knives and the vessels.

These pieces are accumulated evidence of my behavior, each technique having left its mark. At my age, I'm quite familiar with both myself and the elements that I am working with, which allows considerable freedom and relaxation.

People talk about the element of risk in their work. I recently heard a story of a Cambodian painter who was told to paint Pol Pot with the stipulation that if the painting was no good he would be killed. That's risk. I'm more interested in wandering from idea to idea propelled by curiosity, not fear. There is a large amount of suffering in the world. If, when somebody sees my work they feel some pleasure, that is success.

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