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Joel Brown’s wood fired sculptures reflect his architectural background.  After years of building design and construction, he is drawn to the immediacy of work in clay.  Viewers see fantastic buildings in his pieces, and he enjoys their reactions. 
 
Brown trained in hand building with coils under Peter Callas and Joyce Michaud.  He's inspired by the sculpture of Arnaldo Pomodoro and by antique skeleton watches, where the appearance of the mechanism is as important as the engraving on the case.  Viewers are first attracted by the exterior of Brown’s pieces, but on closer inspection, they find an equally engaging interior.
 
The surfaces of Brown’s pieces are achieved by wood firings through the action of flame and ash.  He trained in firing with Roger Baumann, Kristin Muller, and Dan Greenfeld.  Their kilns, based on ancient Japanese models, are stoked by teams for several days around the clock, reaching 2300 degrees.  
 
Brown is an artist member of Peekskill Clay Studios. He has taught coil building at studios in New York and Connecticut, and curated shows of ceramics and painting.