"Invasive Species 11", 2023
Earthenware, glaze, luster
6” x 12” x 3”
 
Mic Stowell holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and an MA from Saint Cloud State University. After years of full-time teaching, Stowell is now focusing entirely on his studio practice. His work has undergone multiple iterations, ranging from slipcast geometric teapots to intricately painted plates and organic forms. Stowell's pieces are part of collections worldwide, including the Sanbao Ceramic Art Institute in Jingdezhen, China; the Polish National Museum in Wrocław, Poland; and the Appalachian Center for Craft in Cookeville, Tennessee. He has received a McKnight Fellowship and three grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Recent work by Stowell is characterized by sharp contrasts, often defined by a dichotomy of color and texture. In the past, he spent several years painting surrealist-inspired figurative landscapes and became fascinated by the relationship between eye level and the horizon line. While it may not be immediately evident to viewers, the contrasts in his current work are inspired by concepts such as waistlines and horizon lines. When asked whether he ever attempts to divide his work into more than two spaces, Stowell says he has tried this approach but found it tends toward decoration. Instead, he prefers to think of the surface as a skin on the object. As a maker, Stowell is intrigued by the mystery of work that seems to represent something from the world while remaining difficult to define. Constructed from earthenware clay, his work is made using fundamental pottery techniques such as coiling and pinching. Each piece is fired multiple times, typically between five and ten firings, to develop unique and satisfying surfaces. He often begins the process without knowing what he’s looking for, only to discover it along the way.