Digital Calligraphy
The Digital Calligraphy series uses handmade brushes on a CNC machine to surface porcelain objects in cobalt. It has been featured on CFileOnline, The Bellevue Arts Museum, The Clay Studio, Harvard Ceramics, Manchester Craftsman’s Guild, and many other institutions. Adam has lectured on this project throughout the United States and published articles in Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics Technical, and Studio Potter about this process. More videos can be seen on Instagram or Vimeo.
“My machine traces an image in the exact same way, but because I use a different handmade brush I get a radically different result. I’m fascinated that this can be a metaphor for both individuality as well as how we present ourselves in digital spaces. Selfies are particuarly interesting to me as we get to choose how much to show or hide online.”
The series below was debuted September 2021 at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis. Titled MESSENGER: A 21st Century Love Letter, every tile takes on the shape of a smartphone and displays a message from my time texting my spouse when we first met. Without the internet I would not have maintained a relationship and ultimately a marriage. Abstracted hands hold the tile using the Digital Calligraphy CNC process and text was surfaced onto the tile using laser engraving onto platinum luster.
