Lincoln Artist Profile: Eric Sewell - etcArts

By Hanna Day-Woodruff

Lincoln artists without gallery space may be at a physical disadvantage, but they are not without a resource that can broadcast their work to the wide webbed world. I'm speaking of Etsy.com, the online marketplace for handmade and artisan-crafted work that has skyrocketed in popularity since its inception in 2005.

Thanks to Etsy, artists can bypass the expense of a personal gallery space and the inconvenience of other galleries, which function as artistic gatekeepers for better or worse. Dozens of artists in Lincoln use Etsy to sell a whole range of items, from clothing and jewelry to soaps and ceramics.

One Lincoln artist whose works seem to leap from the screen is Eric Sewell, a Nebraska Wesleyan-trained ceramics artist who signs his pieces with the moniker “etcArts.” While many of his pieces have a practical function, all are visually captivating with a unique look. The practical and the artistic intermingle – his collection includes shot glasses, cups, goblets, jewelry trees, pendants, vases and any other art object that strikes his whimsy, including his latest creation, three-dimensional wall installations.

Sewell doesn't work with the themes of other potters and ceramics artists – in his words, “the functional pottery market is crowded.” Sewell instead focuses on “niche items and unique forms.” His pieces have an otherworldly quality; they look as though they materialized from Lord of the Rings or a Tim Burton film.

Angles and curves juxtapose with strong contrasting colors – slate grays against neon reds or bright turquoise against a snow white backdrop. His shapes are often asymmetrical. Many of his pieces begin with geometric shapes as a fundamental, guiding inspiration. As Sewell puts it, “I've been reducing my work to basic forms - lines, dots, circles, angular shapes.”

Like many artists, Sewell works from home. Up until a year and a half ago, he had access to a large kiln that allowed some scope for larger pieces. Through circumstances beyond his control, he had to switch to a smaller kiln, constraining the size of his pieces and altering both what he did and how he did it.

Sewell said, “Without getting too technical, I also had to switch the glazes I used and my firing schedule.  This process is still evolving and right now, I'm to the point of firing many, many smaller pieces and assembling them post-firing into larger works.”

His current project is a collection of larger molecular wall pieces that complement smaller pendants he has to offer on Etsy.

With almost 300 items listed on Etsy, you can wile away an afternoon just perusing his current collection. One of the beauties of Etsy is that every transaction is public and recorded – so if you have an evening, you can peruse the almost 300 items that Sewell has sold, and review the close to 200 positive comments made about his work and the integrity of his transactions.

His customers have come from around the world – Europe, Russia, and several from Australia. One satisfied customer wrote that her red and gray goblet was, “stunningly beautiful and highly original.” Another proud owner of a jewelry tree wrote, “Crikey! I was unprepared for just how wonderful this wonky little statue is!”

For those who want to see Sewell's work in person, he will be participating in the Artitudes holiday art show December 2nd through the 6th. For more information on the show, go to www.artitudesinc.com. To see Eric Sewell's work on Etsy, click here or search by seller on Etsy.com for “etcArts.”