American multi-media artist, Dan McCarthy, is not only renowned for his oil paintings and watercolors but also for his vividly pigmented and playful ceramic sculptures. Initially focused on two-dimensional work in his practice, McCarthy reconnected with ceramics around the year 2012. Intentionally uncomplicated, modest, and direct, his ceramics place an emphasis on touch and tactility. McCarthy uses layers of glaze to create his signature vivacity and remarkable visual impact. The foundation of McCarthy’s sculptural practice is to instinctively form the wet, heavy clay into shapes with a “sense of immediacy and buoyant spirit.” Exemplified by his “Facepot” series, his work exudes a cheerful and impish quality upon first glance, yet also embodies a disconcerting emptiness that is hidden from plain view.

 

Dan McCarthy was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1962. He studied painting and ceramics at the San Francisco Art Institute where he received his BFA in 1984, and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. Recent solo exhibitions include “BirdPots” (Baldwin Gallery, Colorado, 2022), “Rainbow paintings & ceramics” (Rodolphe Janssen, Belgium, 2021), and “7 Bangers” (Anton Kern Gallery, New York, 2019). He has also exhibited works in group exhibitions, including “Show 1” (Airfield Gallery, New York, 2021), “Pacific Coast Ceramics” (Galeria Mascota, Colorado, 2020), and “36 Paintings” (Harperʼs Books, New York, 2020). McCarthyʼs works are held in many international public collections, including ICA Miami, the Aïshti Foundation, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York.