Mels Boom

Adventure to the unthought

Making (ceramics) is my adventure. But also my struggle. It is the urge to express, which finds its way from inspiration, through planning, experimentation, and more or less happy coincidence, to creation. A creation which I often have to get used to. Is it what I wanted? Sometimes, but mostly it just happened, despite my planning...

Inspiration is sometimes quite direct: a work of art or situation, but often there is no source, inspiration comes from the black box of impressions and feelings. Or from what happens during making: opportunities that arise and could never be conceived. And then choosing from what happened to inspire the next adventure. Differently every time, proceeding step by step.

The struggle lies in starting, choosing from the countless possibilities and in the doubt whether it will good enough. As a friend once remarked: to not make is worse.

I make sculptural work and tea bowls. Sometimes the difference disappears: the bowls lose their function and exist only for themselves.