Doug Herren received his BFA from Wichita State University, Wichita, KS in 1988 and his MFA from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA in 1992. He has been teaching ceramics at art centers, colleges and universities since earning his MFA, and has held artist residencies at The Clay Studio and at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT.
Herren’s current work derives from his training as a functional potter. He creates oversized vessel forms, such as teapots, vases, and platters, which are infused with an industrial sensibility and aesthetic. Herren departs from his past work, he says, in his treatment of surface: “Rather than using traditional pottery glazes for finishing, I strive to replicate the surfaces of abandoned machinery. Here I employ sign-painter's paints in multiple layers applied over a black-matt glazed surface. Then I scrub the surfaces with steel wool to erode and distress planes and edges, exposing under-layers of color. The result actually gives an extra punch to the overall color palette.” While Herren’s work explores themes of abandonment and decay, the final result actually comes off as something more playful and boisterous.
