Today I am featuring Portland, Oregon ceramic artist James DeRosso as the latest in my Amplify Series. I don’t know James personally, but I am a big fan of his work.
About five years ago I was inspired by one of the fourth graders that I was teaching at the time who was drawing monsters, and I thought, “Hey, that looks like fun,” and before long I began drawing my own monsters. Since that time, monsters have become a vein of my work, so I definitely have an affinity to artists that create monsters. It was at this time that a friend just casually said that I should check out monster8all.com, and that’s when I first discovered James’ amazing work.
James’ love of ceramics began in junior high, and though he received his college degree in graphic design, he spent a lot of time during those college years in electives in the ceramic studio. After college he began working in advertising, but continued to pursue ceramics on the side. Eventually a commission for 200 custom ceramic vases forced him to quit his advertising job and focus on the commission full time. He never went back to advertising, and has been creating unique ceramic pieces ever since.
The monsters grew out of the small guardian creatures James would make to watch over the firing of the kiln while in college, but these small gargoyle-like figures kept disappearing from the top of the kiln. James then decided that perhaps there was something to these little characters and started to focus his energy into creating more realized versions.
James creates both stand alone sculptural pieces and functional pieces. His monsters aren’t scary or gory. They seem more grumpy or annoyed, but they have a fun and comical air to them with their large eyes, visible teeth, and expressive faces. This was something that really drew me in and inspired my monsters. With all of James’ monsters, he draws attention to the eyes and often glazes them with a bright red, a vivid blue, or an opaque white to make them contrast the body and really stand out.
Whether sculptural or functional, his pieces seem to fall into a couple of categories. He has purely ceramic pieces that come from the kiln finished, and he has mixed media pieces where he combines the fired monsters with rusty bits of metal, wheels, gears, and gauges giving them a slightly steampunk vibe. As for his functional pieces, James creates monster pots, lidded canisters, mugs, salt and pepper shakers, and much more.
Along with his ceramic monsters, James has also brought his aesthetic to two-dimensional work and has explored his monsters through illustration and painting.
Like many artists, James shares his work through galleries, festivals, and exhibitions, but he also brings the joy of monster making to kids and adults alike through the workshops and classes he teaches.
I hope that you enjoy James’ fun and unique monsters as much as I do, and please make certain to check out James online to see more of his amazing work.
Website: http://www.monster8all.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monster8all/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monster8james/