Midden No. 15

Jonathan Mess

The Good Supply Midcoast Artisan Store Midden No 15 by Environmental Artist Jonathan Mess Made in Maine USA
  • The Good Supply Midcoast Artisan Store Midden No 15 by Environmental Artist Jonathan Mess Made in Maine USA
  • The Good Supply Midcoast Artisan Store Midden No 15 by Environmental Artist Jonathan Mess Made in Maine USA
  • The Good Supply Midcoast Artisan Store Midden No 15 by Environmental Artist Jonathan Mess Made in Maine USA
  • The Good Supply Midcoast Artisan Store Midden No 15 by Environmental Artist Jonathan Mess Made in Maine USA
  • $800.00

Made from recycled ceramic materials, this glaze and clay art composite boasts the breezy colors of the coast and mimics the cool fluidity of the tide at a still moment.

This wall object is a perfect bridge into the realm of sculpture for anyone who wishes to expand his, her, or their art collection beyond 2D wall art. In essence, it is a 3D sculpture, layered and textured, designed to hang on the wall.

It will never fade.

Created by ceramic artist Jonathan Mess, an avid fisherman who spends as much time as possible on the  water on nearby Damariscotta Lake or the rocky coast of the Bristol peninsula, the energy present in this work is intentional. 

The archaeological influence is just one of the many namesake features that make this a special piece of contemporary ceramic art.

Mess has long given up buying new material to create his ceramic art, choosing instead to recycle discarded clays and glazes, of which there are endless quantities. Ceramic studios all over Maine welcome this artist’s resourceful scavenging.  

- Measures 12” x 13” x 2.75”
- Various reclaimed ceramic materials
- May require additional shipping

Jonathan Mess is a contemporary ceramic artist from midcoast Maine who allows his art to be driven by instinct and experimentation. The freedom in his process unifies his various series, which are energetic, ambitious, and Environmental Art.

Using reclaimed materials and unconventional techniques, Jonathan Mess has a unique style. His work is a vehicle for education, guiding viewers to consider waste, recycling, and purposeful art. He is also an educator of youth, teaching ceramic and sculpture courses at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, Maine.

Mess has an MFA in Ceramics from The State University of New York at New Paltz and a BFA in Studio Art at University of Montana - Missoula. The artist's solo exhibitions and major awards date back to 1998, and his work is exhibited internationally.

In 2018, Portland Museum of Art in Maine included Mess’s sculptures in its Biennial exhibition. 2019 will host his work at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum Biennial. The exhibit is a survey of contemporary art of New England showcasing compelling and ambitious art-making in the region.

We are honored to work with both Jonathan and his wife Kate Mess, award-winning enamelist and jewelry artist. Their studio endeavors have been closely linked since they met in graduate school in 2006. Renowned in their respective disciplines for innovation in pushing material boundaries, both Kate and Jonathan credit Maine’s rugged coastline and nature as their primary inspiration.

The Good Supply hosted an art exhibition in 2017 entitled Symbiosis. The theme explored the similarities and differences between Kate and Jonathan’s work. The way their practices intertwine opens a dialogue of the benefit of cross-medium influence and experimentation. The couple work out of studio spaces in their home, a renovated gambrel barn in Jefferson, Maine.

From the Artist:

I’m excited to have my work at The Good Supply because I see it as my local gallery, which cares about representing local artists. It means a lot to me that my friends and teaching colleagues and kids at the school where I work have the chance to see my work, whereas if I have a show in Boston, no one in my hometown sees it. The local connection and sense of community is a really important part of art-making for me.

From the critics:

"Mess is in a class by himself as a Maine contemporary artist. His ceramic sculptures are built up like sediments, and take on geological logic through their construction and firing processes. The slips, glazes and clays shift, expand and shrink at varying rates in a way that mirrors geological activity on a macro level. What we see are cross-sections of layers of dynamic color and form with organic activity defining them. They are fascinating and powerful objects.” - Daniel Kany, Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram

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