Charles Timm-Ballard

Seductive, haunting, beautiful and perhaps unsettling, the ceramic work by Charles Timm-Ballard successfully bridges the two worlds of painting and sculpture. Charles merges and draws from these distinct mediums, while carving out territory that is his alone. In the resulting realm he creates landscapes that resonate with gentle mystery and silent power.

Possessing both the delicacy of an illusion and the weight of an object in the empirical world, Timm-Ballard’s landscapes are unique and his mastery is obvious. The thin shell that carries the atmosphere of landscape is supported by what appears to be the mass of a solid ceramic slab. The illusion, built up through multiple firings of transparent glazes and luscious porcelain slips, is supported by the irregular edges of the block, which are formed with the texture of industry. The viewer cannot rely solely on the image depicted on the surface, but must instead see the object as a whole.

Charles Timm-Ballard’s ceramic sculpture is exhibited nationally and internationally, winning numerous awards such as the Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award, New Zealand; the Monarch National Ceramic Competition, Alabama; and the Arts Midwest, NEA Regional Visual Artists Fellowship Award. His work is also represented in many collections including the Hoyt Institution of Fine Art, New Castle, PA; Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA; The Philbrook Museum, Tulsa, OK; the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO; The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA; and Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TX.