"Ceramic Fantasy" of Val Shap
The movement toward making and collecting handcrafted objects is greatly reflected in the growing popularity of ceramics. Simple, yet complex; ancient, yet contemporary - ceramics today is one of most popular among people whose interest in traditional art forms has been rekindled. The very impressionistic nature of clay permits the creation of an artwork that truly bears the mark of its maker, reflecting his touch, imagination, and skill. This potential for personal expression, combined with the natural qualities of clay in itself, makes claywork particularly attractive to Russian born artist Val Shap. Val's Art Studio is called "Ceramic Fantasy" that emphasizes his passion for ceramic art. After graduating from St. Petersburg Academy of Art (St. Petersburg, Russia ) Val worked for a long time with different art techniques such as painting with oil, carving wood and creating metal sculptures, several years ago became intrigued with ceramic art and has been working with it since. Val prefers clay as the medium to bring his ideas into three-dimensional expressions. According to Val "the metamorphosis of a lump of moist and pliable clay into a rocklike material after exposure to heat gives such artwork a magical quality despite the fact that the process has been explained scientifically." Sometimes he uses glazes but he prefers to keep his most expressive works as stained terracotta. Ceramics plaques created in this technique do not disguise the graphical beauty and imperative small details. Randall Brown, the owner of the Brown’s Gallery in Boise, Idaho, where Val's works are displayed commented, "the imagery [of Val’s work] is similar to famous artist Marc Chagall [Russian / French 1887-1985]. They reflect a very unique vision unlike any other I have seen in this area." Also Phil Atlakson, who is Boise State University professor, screenwriter and filmmaker, shared his opinion, " [Val’s] realistic images, through terracotta, become more fanciful than real. Conversely, his more fanciful images, rendered in clay, give them a realistic earthiness. Because Val Shap’s work defies conventional artistic categories they must be seen to be fully appreciated." Val separated his work in 5 different galleries due to the versatility of his life experiences and interests. There are the American, Russian, Spiritual, Human Comedy and Tutti Frutti Galleries. Each of these galleries has a developed thematic expression, which is felt throughout all the works.
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