Clay Rat Studio Information

Clay Rat Studio is the working ceramic studio of Eric Boynton. Here is his artist statement: As an artist and individual I find my greatest inspiration in the great outdoors whilst enjoying the beauty that abounds in nature. As often as I possibly can I strike out on foot through the local nature trails and parks. I find that nature renews my spirit and grounds me. When I can not get out, I pour over the countless magazines and books I have collected both new and antique to help me understand the things I have seen. Many of the bird and animal tiles I make are species I am familiar with and have seen on my walks; some are based upon my own amateur photography. Through my art I hope to educate, inform, & share the beauty I have found inspiring others. Some of my mosaics represent game species and are intended to act additionally as alternate "trophies" for the "Catch and Release" fisherman or camera hunters. I always enjoyed the stories of the travels of early America and the worlds great explorers. Especially, the journeys of John James Audubon and the Americans he encountered traveling through the waterways and byways of our great country. Even in his day, the skies were being emptied and the waters dirtied up. The bounty and "plenty" that was Americas promise to all was being taken for granted. Species like the Carolina Parakeet had been brought to extinction. For sport, groups of men would gather and clear the skies of migrating birds to see how many they could drop. Making mosaics and tiles began for me in 1999 in Sarasota, Florida. I Lived on Jewfish Key, an island that was sparsely populated and where I could relax and stay in touch with nature. I would kayak to Longboat Key and drive to work. I worked for four months in a tile factory as the sole production ceramist before leaving to do an apprenticeship at the Moravian Pottery and Tileworks in Doylestown, PA. The three month intensive apprenticeship and eventual full-time position deeply impacted my personal style and has led to a more "Arts and ...