THIS IS the SEA the Ocean Has Fascinated Me from an Early Age

THAT WAS THE RIVER; THIS IS THE SEA Rich Briggs—Department of Art he ocean has fascinated me from an early age. Growing up in the San TFrancisco Bay Area, I could make a short drive to visit bays, harbors, and the rocky coastline of northern California. I became a certified scuba diver at age fifteen, four years before I would take my first pottery class. Over the years, my clay work has referenced nature. An indirect or supportive influence of earth, sky, and water can be seen in my aesthetic choices of texture, color, and organic forms. While my training in clay has been formal and emphasized the utilitarian aspect, this body of work is more about time and place than function. Collectively referred to as “barnacle pots,” each piece tells a tale of being lost, forgotten, and misplaced. Part of the creative vision Wreck Alley (Yukon), San Diego, CA. for this project was to take the encrusted pots, made in Idaho, and transport them to the coast where they are deposited in the ocean and photographed underwater. This laborious process has been carried out at various locations along the California coast and in Okinawa, Japan. Curious glances from onlookers were common as large vessels or cannon barrels were carried to the waters’ edge, carefully lowered below the surface, photographed, and then returned to land. THAT WAS THE RIVER; THIS IS THE SEA • 93 My desire was to photograph the barnacle pots in various locations, not only to show that artifacts can be found almost anywhere, at any depth, but also to show diverse eco-systems from different locations around the Pacific. Diving Okinawa, I placed pots near hard and soft coral. In Mendocino, California, I have placed a cannon barrel in a kelp bed and an amphora on a rocky ledge covered with abalone, the hard shelled mollusk, prized for its delicious meat and iridescent shell. In San Diego, I located a dive boat that specializes in wreck diving. It is not uncommon for old ships to be sunk intentionally to create artificial reefs. Just one mile from shore, several boats form what is referred to as wreck alley. The Yukon is a 366-ft Canadian destroyer escort which lies in 00 feet of water. The Ruby E is a 65-ft retired Coast Guard cutter lying in 85 feet of water. A buoy marks the location of each wreck and a chain descending from the buoy anchors to the vessel to guide the diver when visibility is poor. Clutching the chain, I descended through the murky green water with scuba gear, digital camera in underwater housing, and barnacle pot. I had an eerie feeling placing my man-made object next to other man-made items so far below the surface. Each of these examples illustrates the collaborative nature of my work. While making art may be a solitary endeavor, firing wood kilns or transporting pots to the coast has involved students, dive partners, and family members. I am grateful for help received in bringing this project to completion. If the work as displayed, or photographed underwater, is able to engender a feeling of curiosity or wonder, it reflects the lifelong attitude I have had towards the beauty, power, and mystery of the underwater realm. 94 • PERSPECTIVE Barnacle pot 21-inches high wheel thrown with press mold chain, wood fired. Photo by Darren Clark THAT WAS THE RIVER THIS IS THE SEA • 95 Barnacle pot 24-inches high wheel thrown—fired in firebox, Noborigama wood kiln. Photo by Darren Clark 96 • PERSPECTIVE Barnacle pot with starfish, Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County, CA. Cannon barrel, Mendocino, CA. THAT WAS THE RIVER THIS IS THE SEA • 97 Amphora with abalone, Mendocino, CA. 98 • PERSPECTIVE.

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