Benjie Heu is a Missouri based artist and professor who creates splendid sculptures out of ceramic. He has an MFA from Ohio University and BFA from the University of Montevallo. The variety and the finish in his creations is what makes his artwork a real treat to eyes.

"The ceramics of Benjie Heu expresses a personal narrative with the mos t outlandish adventures accounted with a fixed eye on the bare essentials", as described on his website.

We contacted him for an interview to know more about him and his wonderful creations. Read his interview below with some of his best creations:

Benjie, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.

Hi, my name is Benjie. Thanks for having me. In between teaching ceramics and being a dad I enjoy making things out of clay.

How did you get interested in sculpting with ceramics?

I started using clay in high school but it wasn’t until my last semester in undergrad that I realized that ceramics was my medium of choice. Throughout undergrad I studied sculpture, printmaking, and ceramics. At the time, ceramics was for the creation of vessels only but one day I had a breakthrough and realized that ceramics could fulfill everything I could imagine for my artwork. For me clay is versatile and expressive and personal. I really enjoy the process of building with clay and the kiln firing process. I love glazes. I love their tactile surfaces and their seductive qualities.

What inspires or motivates the artist within you? Is there anyone whom you look up to?

On a very basic level, I have a need to make things or be creative, whether it is cooking, yard work, or being in the studio. What motivates me to make art is the desire to express myself. The work can say so much more than my limited vocabulary can ever accomplish. Below is my artist statement:

With my work I am expressing a personal narrative. I believe the use of narrative is a quick and accessible format. Translating oral narrative into a visual narrative not only reveals the significance of the story but it teaches me about myself and extends that revealing and teaching devise to the viewer. The pieces presented are a narrative of the evolving hero and his many trials and tribulations. The hero’s journey is a voyage of self-discovery, an expedition whose true destination is the realm within each of us, where we must find our own unique center with all its strengths and weaknesses. The journey is not just physical, but a spiritual one, as the hero evolves from ignorance and innocence to experience and enlightenment. The most outlandish adventures are accounted with an eye fixed on the bare essentials. Battles against time, against the obstacles that prevent the fulfillment of desire or the repossession of something cherished but lost are themes that provoke me. Revealing truth and humor in the face of horror and the seemingly absurd is my answer.

Who do I look up to? I think the field of Ceramics is alive and well and there are too many people to give credit to. Every professor, every colleague, every classmate, and just about every student I have taught inspire me to be a better artist. If I had to name a few people - I was very fortunate to have several excellent mentors at just the right time in my formative years – Scott Meyer, Ted Metz, Chris Gustin, and everyone at Ohio University: Brad Schwieger, Vincent Burke, Joe Bova, and Chuck McWeeny.

All your creations look wonderful! Lets talk about your most recent project-'Ever-enders'.

Ever-enders is a collaborative project between Carmela Laganse (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada), Pattie Chalmers (Carbondale, IL via Canada), and myself. It was a wonderful experience how our work came together. Pattie Chalmers was the organizer of the project and she approached me with the idea of trying something different. She asked me to be brave! The process started with discussing our similarities and differences, how our artist statements intersected, and our ideas for the show. After a few conference calls and lots of email we had a plan. After much discussion the color blue was chosen. Blue represented many things, but for me it referenced water, sky, the heavens, gender, etc.Pattie composed the Ever-enders statement:

Ever-enders: an exhibition of the work of Benjie Heu, Carmela Laganse + Pattie Chalmers

Ever-enders is an exhibit of self-reflection and reconsidered perceptions. Benjie Heu, Carmela Laganse and Pattie Chalmers are three sculptors who create ceramic and mixed media works that express their understanding of the world. The motivation to show these artists together resulted originally from an initial impression of the artwork—reading at first as guileless or whimsical but having the effect of a Grimm Brothers’ story creating the sensation of being cradled and poked at the same time—on further review of the work other significant relationships were exposed.

The title, The Ever-enders, is a re-purposing of a term from childhood—a bittersweet invitation to be included on the periphery, the role of observer, standing on the edge of the action—the endless turner of the rope. Observations about identity, ideologies and humanity occupy each of these makers. Investigations into the psyches of themselves and others have lead to an altering of perceptions about the human experience and that is expressed through the objects they make. Although their approaches differ physically—from the epic journey inscribed heads of Heu, to Laganse’s toy inspired satirical objects and Chalmers’ landscapes of vaguely familiar characters—the work is linked by themes, an earnest playfulness and a bitter-sweet assessment of life.

The resulting installation pairs the absurd with the beautiful, the meek with the menacing and the emotional with the corporal in an attempt to reveal a transformative process, a journey to enlightenment, a glimpse into social hierarchies, and an altered view of associations. Presenting memories of a place, an event, a person, all charged with changing emotions. Flawed images from flawed hands, eyes and memory: a part is heightened, while another shrinks. Truth and fiction—leading then following and finally the pieces begin to fit together like the layers of a dream or the rings of a circus.

Hanging the show was an adventure! It took about a day and a half. Hanging each piece was exciting because you could feel the energy building in the exhibition. What became apparent was that the negative spaces between each object were just as important as the objects themselves. We are very happy with the Ever-enders exhibition and intend to show together in the future.

How do you choose topics for your projects? What influences your choice?

Currently my work is a bit selfish. It is revolving around the growing pains of my family. I am not making work for children – art that glosses over everything like a fairy tale and overflows with smiles and wide eyes. Life has an edge to it.

What materials you use to sculpt?

I use stoneware with grog. My tools are the basic clay tool kit. I bisque-fire in an electric kiln. I calculate my own glazes and test them before I apply them to my work. I spray my glazes on and I use from 1 to 4 glazes per piece. I glaze fire to cone 6 in a gas kiln.

I am not able to pick your one creation to talk about, as all of them are so beautiful. Which one is your favorite that you enjoyed making the most?

This is a hard one to answer because I enjoy making them all. I would have to say the Pig was the one I enjoyed making the most. This is because it was made very quickly before my wet work deadline. It just came together perfectly!

I saw your work that you did when you were an undergraduate. When did you realize that you are meant to be an artist? What was your first creation?

My last semester of undergrad at the University of Montevallo was when it all came together for me realizing I was going to be an artist for a career and not a hobby. It has been a tough journey over the years but I would not change a thing.

My parents have my first piece. They have it in a glass case. It is a yellow glazed blob of clay with an orange bump on it. It is a duck. I think I made it in kindergarten.

What's next? Would you like to share your future goals/plans with us?

Currently I am planning my next wall piece. It will be pink and include, among other things: houses, chairs, clouds, zombies, children, unicorns, and cell phones.

The Ever-enders are looking for a venue for their next collaborative project if anyone out there is interested in having us.

www.carmelalaganse.com

Many other artists would draw inspiration from you. What message do you have for them?

There is always room for one more.

Visit Benjie's Website.