Connected by kilns, these cross-cultural connections were shaped by clay

Painters and sculptors are known for working in solitude. They spend long hours alone in their studios — thinking, brushing, hammering, polishing — emerging only when they have something they want to share with the world.

But it’s different for many ceramicists. They often labor in groups, or in co-ops, each pursuing their own ideas but all but sharing the most important tool of the job: the kiln.

They have to work together to make sure the oven can supply the right timing and the proper temperatures that each artist needs. There is give and take and, to a large degree, sharing. They spend time together talking about work, and life, while they wait for their earthen objects to take their final form.

That’s how Mike McClung of Michael Warren Contemporary explains the connection that developed between a group of five Colorado ceramists and five of their peers in Chile.

The local artists met one another during a 2018 residency at the prestigious Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Mont. They formed a fast bond and started exhibiting together, and pursuing other residencies, including at the Art Center of Curaumilla, a small town near the Pacific coast in central Chile.

The aim was to hone techniques, access local clay, give themselves a new environment to create. But they also connected with the Chilean artists they shared the facility with. There was a lot of chat, and a little bit of partying, and that developed into an extended creative kinship.

That is the core of the new exhibit “Vistas Comunes: from the Andes to the Rockies,” which Michael Warren is currently showing at its gallery on Santa Fe Drive. The 10 artists each get an opportunity to unveil what they have been up to.

It’s a colorful show, for sure. And rare in a way: Top galleries in Denver do not frequently go all out to display ceramics. This exhibit does that, with works on the floor, wall, pedestals and shelves, and it also carries the narrative of the two sets of artists partnering together.

To local art fans, the Colorado names may be familiar. Among them is Martha Russo, who has shown frequently across the region, with recent solos in Boulder and Colorado Springs. Russo is known for her nature-inspired works, in which she incorporates botanical elements. The exhibit has a selection from her “Incubo” series, which includes disc-shaped plates in exaggerated hues and shiny glazes.

There is also “Nubbins,” in the style that Russo is probably best known for, where the artist combines various smaller ceramic pieces, shaped to resemble shells and rocks, into a sort of bouquet that can be hung on the walls or set on a shelf. This piece includes sections made from black Chilean clay.

There are works by Tina Suzynski that incorporate white porcelain and paper, and take the form of plants such as milkweed and allium. Also familiar locally are Sara Ransford, K Rhynus Cesark and Andrea Gordon, who is showing flowery stoneware vases that fall somewhere between functional home decor and abstract sculpture. The pieces are expressive and have a keen sense of humor about them.

The surprises come from the lesser-known Chilean ceramicists. The star attraction of the exhibit is a large-scale piece by Clemente McKay, which greets visitors at the door. McKay, who lives in Santiago, traveled to Denver to install it himself. It is something of a musical instrument.

Titled “Campanas de aqua,” the work consists of four, bell-shaped pieces that are suspended over four tubs filled with water. The piece is rigged so that the bells can be submerged into the tubs, giving off a whistling sound as the water replaces the air inside of them. Each bell has a different pitch, allowing the piece to perform a composition of sorts. It is a very contemporary work of art, but references both pre-Hispanic and colonial culture in South America.

And there is a series of minimal, geometric abstract works — perfectly balanced on their smallest points — by Vivian Rosa, which are made from slabs of clay. The other Chilean artists are Pelusa Rosenthal, Bárbara Bravo and Milena Vodanovic.

Each of the artists in the exhibit has his oir her own style, and there is no clear line that shows how their cross-cultural interaction influenced the work. But there is a shared spirit of adventure and experimentation across the board. A slide show of candid photographs, taken during the collaborations in Chile, underscores the spirit of camaraderie in the room.

There is also a nice moment of actual, creative sharing in the show that is manifested in a work co-created by Chilean McKay and Coloradan Suzynski.

It takes the form of one of his bells, which has been adorned with one of her delicate paper-clay pieces. There is a nice balance between McKay’s rough and raw fired clay object and Suzynski’s soft, white porcelain decoration.