Presented by Equity Bank
Elemental. That’s the word that comes to mind when you see Erica Iman’s work.
“I’m still curious as to why a smooth river stone can make me feel at peace, or how a broken clump of dirt makes me feel connected to the natural world,” she says.
Iman makes hand-built, one-of-a-kind vessels that are often reflective of forms or fragments found in nature. She enjoys the raw material properties of clay and minerals and is continuously experimenting with these materials and processes to advance her work.
In 2005, between earning her BFA, BSE, and MFA degrees, she served two years in the Peace Corps at Mongolia’s Eastern Steppe teaching English and gardening while exploring the Gobi Desert and Altai Mountains. In 2007, she was a selected participant in the International Workshop for Ceramic Arts in Tokoname, Japan, spending the summer studying contemporary and ancient Japanese pottery and culture.
Iman recently set up her studio on nine acres in the hills north of Lawrence, Kansas. She is also a founding member of KC Urban Potters. She and her husband, Eric, who is the studio manager for Erica Iman Studio, plan to build their new studio space to include a gallery/showroom and create a residency program there. Her studio is open by appointment, and she will be at the Brookside Art Fair and Plaza Art Fair in 2025.
How did working with clay and minerals become the medium for you?
First of all, the materials are absolutely beautiful. I love experimenting with different clays, crushed stones, metals, and oxides, finding their inherent properties, such as patterns or textures that are naturally created. I often mimic processes found in nature, such as water erosion, creating cracks from extreme drying, or experimenting with freezing and thawing the materials. The firing of the materials is a whole other world of experimentation, as the materials chemically interact with one another in the heat and cooling.
Similarly, my paintings explore how finely ground black iron oxide will flow and separate into beautiful branching fractals when mixed with water and poured onto a somewhat absorbent surface. In both mediums I’m fascinated by the natural cracking and breaking that forms the edges and lines in my work, mimicking landscapes and geological structures. Specifically, in the firing of my ceramic work, crystal structures form depending on subtle changes to temperature and cooling. There’s a feeling of alchemy in my creative process that is endlessly exciting, especially when an experiment results in a beautiful piece coming out of the kiln.
While I was in school studying art education I took a ceramics class. I loved the physicality and labor of making with clay and how responsive it was to my actions, and then the magic really struck when we fired our work in the wood-fired anagama kiln. We kept the fire going day and night for about 70 hours, stoking wood into the kiln and watching a river of flame work its way over the pots. That experience was unlike anything I had experienced before. The works that were buried deep in the ashes of the firebox were crusty and textured, looking as if they were excavated from the depths of an ancient ocean. I’ve been searching for that same feeling in my work for over two decades now, and it is an endless and exciting exploration.
How does your time spent with the Peace Corps resonate with you still?
The two years that I spent in Mongolia taught me how much the landscape and natural aspects of a place are reflected in its people and culture. The vast open spaces, seemingly endless horizons, uninterrupted by billboards or construction, created a sense of calm presence. We took a trip across the entire span of Mongolia, camping in these remote outposts in which there was not another human in sight, bathing in crystal clear frigid lakes, while getting to experience landscapes from steppe land, to desert, to the rocky Altai mountains of the west. I still picture the distant horizons and feel the peaceful meditative landscapes to this day, and I can find a bit of that in most of my artwork as well.
As for landing in Kansas, we travel a lot with my work, doing art fairs and workshops across the United States, so there’s a strategic aspect to it. Also, I grew up in a rural community in north central Missouri, and have family in the Kansas City area, so the Midwest feels like home. We recently bought a little bit of land north of Lawrence with a house and studio, and it feels like the perfect place to create an artist residency. Also, it allows me the room to expand the size and possibilities in my work. We had lived in Kansas City for over ten years and love that we were able to find a place close enough to the city to stay in the amazing KC art community, along with everything else that KC has to offer.
Do you involve your family in your business?
My husband has taken a hiatus from the auction business and joined me in the studio, helping manage the art fairs, and prepare panels for my paintings. We have a 9-year-old daughter who often goes on the road with us. It has turned into a full family production!
As a creative person, what would be the perfect day for you?
I love starting my day in the dark, getting up in the morning and making coffee, seeing the stars still out the south window. I’d sit by the fire in the wood stove and listen to a guided meditation, and then do a little writing. Next, I’d go out to the front porch swing and watch the sunrise, spend the next hour sketching and coming up with ideas for new work and experiments. Then I’d go for a little hike in the hills, and finally make my way to the studio. After eating a light lunch outside of the studio with my family, I’d spend some time creating new, weird, risky pieces that I didn’t care if they completely failed—a complete luxury! I’d then join my daughter working in the garden, or building a fort, or taking another hike, and we’d end the day with good music, dinner, and a soak in the (yet to be installed) cedar hot tub under the stars. That would be perfectly wonderful!