Art in Motion:

An Artist’s Biography

ARE 6933:
Artistic Development
Cody Thomas
26 February 2023
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents..................................1
In the Beginning.....................................2
Practice Makes Perfect..........................3
Middle School........................................4
Middle School and Prizes......................5
Art as Therapy: High School..............6-7
I’m Back.................................................8
Savannah..............................................9
Ceramics.............................................10
Dahlonega...........................................11
Inspiration............................................12
I’m a Potter..........................................13
Conclusion...........................................14

On the Cover, Clockwise

Self-Portrait, Printmaking, 2014.
Untitled, Drawing, 2004.
Slip-Cast Bunnies, Ceramic, 2015.
It’s not a Tomato, It’s an Apple!, 2004.
Tybee Island Lighthouse, Photography, 2014.
Face Study, 2005.
Smells Like Carnival Spirit, Mixed Media, 2015.
Untitled, Life Drawing Class, 2018.

Figure A: Ceramic Hand-built Sculpture, Acrylic Paint, 15" x 9-1/2" x 6-1/2”, 2018.
 In the Beginning . . .
Fig. 1: Reproduction of The Far Side, Pencil,
Crayon, Colored Pencil on Paper, 12” x 8”,
7/24/2001
Born into a family that encouraged
creativity and the importance of arts was
important to my upbringings as a child and
artist. Like most children do, I spent most of
my time outdoors. I also spent a lot of my
time with my father, Larry. He was an artist,
too. One of the first memories I have with art
is when I was about five years old, I
remember watching my dad sit at his drafting
table drawing for hours, first starting with a
blank page then filling the page with a variety
of colors and shapes. Just like me spending
time outdoors, he did as well, going hiking,
camping, and horseback riding. This was his
interest in his art – nature, mostly botanical
themed images, or architecture, as that was
also his interest and career. This integral link
is what connects me to being an artist and
the themes I bring into my work. This is when
I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew
up.
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Since the age of five, I have been creating.
First, with crayons, then with pencil and other
mediums once I was able to form lines and
shapes. My father taught me different ways to
shade and blend. Learning from his examples and
through his guidance, I have practiced constantly
growing up.
Elementary school taught colors, working
with mixed media like noodles and tissue paper.
It was my favorite class. From fingerpainting on
large sheets of paper to making hand puppets, I
always found creativity to be intriguing as art can
cherish the present and future child by giving
them satisfaction and job when participating in
art (Herberholz & Hanson, 1990).
By the end of fifth grade, my interest was in
comic strips from the local Forsyth County
Sunday paper or the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
I enjoyed the simple drawings of character, the
subtle touches of colors like Bill Watterson’s
Calvin and Hobbes, and the messages behind the
pieces, or humor, for example, Gary Larson’s The
Far Side, and Jim Davis’ Garfield. At this time, I
would reproduce artwork from these artists to
teach myself about proportions and scale. It was
these simplistic drawings that gave me direction
on how to draw a basic shape of a person or
object. Figure 1 is a drawings I hade recreated
from Larson’s The Far Side. It was hysterical to
me.
Fig. 1.2:
The Far
Side
Comic,
1987,
Source:
TheFarside
.com
 Practice Makes Perfect
My intentions for copying these artists and
others while in elementary school was with the
intention of learning more about the artistic
process. This was due to elementary art teachers
not allowing me to explore the interests in what I
wanted based on their curriculum. Larache (2015)
discusses that when children copy but not to
continue as they get older as this may hinder their
creative process. However, for myself, if I found
an artists work interesting, I would try to replicate
it as this taught me. Duncan (1998) believes that
using pictures and other sources to be copied, can
lead a path of confidence and help develop the
individual’s artistic techniques.
Continuing to practice just about every day
through out the year, my artistic ability continued
to advance. “Through a personal involvement in
art, positive attitudes are developed, an
appreciation for and an understanding and
enjoyment of art are stimulated, and capacities
for thinking and expressing oneself creatively are
advanced (Herberholz & Hanson, 1990, p. 2).” Fig. 2: ”Jester”, Pencil on Paper, 11” x 8”, 19 June 2002.
In middle school, I began to focus
more on figure forms. It was around this
time I began to discover myself and my
identity in the world. I fell into the
subculture of a punk and goth kid. This
was influenced by my home environment,
other social and political climates of the
early 2000s. Figure 2 was one of the first
drawings of a person that I had done. After
completing this, I felt as if I was
accomplishing my personal goals of
drawing more realistically.

Fig. 3: Untitled, Pencil on Paper, 8-1/2” x 11”, 2004.

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Fig. 4: Facial anatomy studies, Pencil on Paper,
Both sheets 11” x 8-1/2”, 2004
Middle
School
As I advanced in grades in
middle school my artistic ability did as
well. My teacher, Ms. Boyd,
encouraged individuality and self-
expression. This is when I began to
focus my artwork on more of the
traditional approach in creating by
learning about famous artists such as
Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Looking at their sketchbooks and
sculptures encouraged myself to get
better in drawing people formally but
also the use of negative space in a
piece of work. The discovery and use
of negative space intrigued me; I was
able to use this approach in creating
my artwork.
Figure 4 are drawings that were
from various anatomy books form the
public library. At this time, I also
explored shading with skin tones and
features such as the lips. In Figure 5, I
focused on negative space. This image
was taken from a CD booklet of one of
my favorite bands, Kittie.

Fig. 5: Negative Space Study, Pencil on Paper, 9” x 8-1/2”,

3 November 2002.

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 Middle School and
Art Prizes
While in middle school, I
would check out anatomy books
from the library to practice. I
also began to enter my work
into local art shows in the region
of metro-Atlanta. Figure 6 shows
a drawing that was completed in
2004. The project was to take a
photo of a person to recreate by
enlarging the photo without the
grid-method. I remember
flipping through a National
Geographic Book, one of the
many in the art room that were
donations, and I came across
this image. As a punk myself at
the time, I knew this was the
one. Within a year's difference,
comparing this work to Figure 2,
my artistic ability had advanced
greatly.
This piece won first place
in the county art show for
middle school. This was an
accomplishment that still
resonates with me till this day. If
Ms. Boyd was not my teacher, I
feel my artistic ability would be
be where it was then or now.
Fig. 6: Untitled, Pencil on Paper, Image (top right) from National “Teachers can identify the needs
Geographic Magazine, 11” x 8-1/4”, 16 May 2004 of students in relation to their
future goals weather they desire
to become an artist or an
engineer, or to just use the class
for personal expression
(Andrelchik & Schmitt, 2014, p.
18)”.

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 Art as Therapy:
High School
High school art classes are what allowed me
to really push myself as an artist. My artistic style
developed me and with the discovery of more
artists, my art teacher for the four years of high
school, Ms. Patterson, became a mentor and
teacher during my time in high school.
I found the art magazine Juxtapose at a local
bookstore store and have been an avid reader of the
magazine still today. With this new interest in artists
from all styles and mediums, I discovered work of
Derek Hess, whose drawings are gestural and similar
pen strokes to Dali but darker meaning. At this time,
I also became interested in mixed media and how to
incorporate more than two mediums in each piece I
created. I felt this way allowed me to be more Fig. 8: ”It’s Not a Tomato, It’s an Apple!”, Prismacolor
creative and have less obstacles when it came to Pencil on Bristol Board, 10” x 1-”, 2005
creating my work. Figure 7 is a piece I recreated by
artist Derek Hess in 2007. It was his style of By using mixed media in my artwork, it
’sketching’ with a touch of color that drawn me in as allowed me to express myself in ways single
well as the emotional hold it had on me throughout medium could not; it also enhanced my
my time in high school. creativity. I feel that getting my hands dirty in
different mediums also allowed me to be
more versatile in my art-making, to adapt
techniques for different projects causing a
more meaning project. This is when I also
became more interested in the process of
making art as opposed to trying to get the
perfect finished piece.
In Figure 8, I was shown highlights,
shadows, and blending techniques. Taking
from a real apple on the table, I used
Prismacolor pencils and was shown how to
use blending tools. Experimenting with new
tools, I was able to figure out what works
best. Gude (2010) implies that
experimentation through play is vital to allow
Fig. 7: “Valentine”, Reproduction from Derek Hess, the students to “make nuanced observations
Ball Point Pen, Sharpie, Crayon on Paper and of inner experiences as they engage in
Bristol Board, 15” x 15”, 2007.
creative work” (Gude, 2010, p. 36).
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Fig. 9: “Clear House – Clear Head”, Ball Point Pen on Vanilla
Folder, 9-5/8” x 11-3/4”, 2006.
Fig. 10: “Face of Agony”, Pencil on Paper, 12” x 8”, 2006.
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Like most high school students, this
is an important time in our lives where we
discover who we are as people. Struggling
with personal issues in high school caused
my artwork to turn to a dark manner.
Figure 9 is a drawing in pen, a
medium that I ended up only working in
for a few years, depicts my representation
of how I felt when my parents almost
separated. This was a dark time for me as I
spent a lot of time alone only drawing and
expressing myself through art. Parsons
(1990) believes that expressions of our
state of mind can be significant, “that
artworks can reflect something of their
time, that their meaning is affected by
their place in their tradition and culture,
that we can look at them as aesthetic
objects . . . (p.137).”
After graduating high school, I did
not create art for almost five years. My
creativity had died.
Fig. 11: “Jester and Pentacle”, Pencil on
Paper, 12” x 9”, 2006.
 I’m Back
After nearly five years of not engaging in any forms
of creativity, I began to draw once I decided to attend
university. Changing my major from accounting to
architectural drafting and then again to studio arts, I
moved to Savannah to attend Armstrong State
University. Here, I met amazing professors that would
end up changing my life.
Getting back into drawing, I began to continue
where I left off at high school: negative space and
portraiture. Figure 12 is one of my friends, Sophia. Using
a portrait of her, I found a way to utilize the negative
spaces that will outline an image. This drawing was
created by pencil first, then coloring in the positive space
with blue marker and the black with a fine point Sharpie,
my steps can be seen (in reverse) in Figure 13. I
continued to do this style of work with more friends, for Fig. 12: “Sophia”, Sharpie and Pen on Paper,
example, Figure 14 shows Mikel, where I used a self- 16” x 12”, 2017.
portrait image and using the negative space to develop
this piece.

Fig. 13: Process shots of Figure 12, Sophia. Fig. 13: “Mikel”, Sharpie and Pen on Paper, 21”
x 12”, 2017.
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 Savannah
Seeing the capabilities that technology can
have on art making, I began to experiment more in
this medium and crossing it with others. Akerman
(2017) writes: “Particularly those that make use of,
and reference digital forms of simulation may
encourage art education practice that is not only
socially powerful but technologically critical in
learning (p. 48).”
While living in Savannah, I took up a new
hobby, photography. Figure 15 is a photo I had taken
from Tybee Island, fishing boats at the dock. While
taking photography courses at Armstrong, photo
editing was another new form in the digital arts.

Fig. 14: “Smells Like Carnival Spirit”, Digital

Painting on Reeves, SpeedBall Ink, 2015.

Attending Armstrong State University

was a great experience. My first semester
here I took three studio courses: Printmaking,
Art & Computers, and Ceramics 101. Working Fig. 15: “Shrimp Boats at Dock”, Photo, 2015.
with new media such as computers in art was
new to me. I never used the computer to
make art unless it was editing a photo; no
Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator.
Figure 14 is a mixed media piece I
created while in Computer & Arts. I used
Photoshop to create a digital painting,
printed that out on different papers, then
used Speedball black ink to draw a gas mask.
This was in response to the county fair that I
just visited back home in Atlanta. It is about
how smells evoke memories. This is one of
my favorite pieces I have created today.
Fig. 16: My friend Zach (L) and me (R) in Dahlonega, GA
-9- taking photos. 2016.
 Ceramics
Fig. 17: My portfolio presentation of all assignments in Ceramics 101, Armstrong State University, 2015.
While at Armstrong, I signed up for
Ceramics 101. It was in this class; I began to feel
my creativity come back. I enjoyed the play and
‘mark-making’ of this medium I have never used
except one time in eight grade. The plasticity of
the clay and able to form and mold it into any
shape I wanted but also to be careful not to
collapse the clay. This medium was all I needed.
Ceramics allowed me to create unique
and interesting objects that reflected my own
personal style and vision unlike two-
dimensional mediums. It also allowed me to
build on my technical skills of hand building,
wheel-throwing, glazing techniques, and firings
styles.
Spending more time in this studio than
any other class, let alone at my house, I used
pottery as a therapy tool to relieve the stress
and anxiety that I had developed from moving
into a new city not knowing anyone and then
my mother getting diagnosed with cancer.
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Creating art in a tangible medium such
as clay is cathartic (Malchiodi, 2007). Being in
the ceramic's lab allowed me to not just work
through my anxiety and slight depression but
also brought new friendship of other potters
in the class and even in the community. I
began to build a social community or artists.
John Jensen, my professor, encouraged
me to work more in pottery after seeing how
fast I progressed, “More than anyone I’ve
seen in the program in a while”, he told me. I
was asked to participate in attending art fairs
for the school and community teaching
others how to wheel throw. I said yes and
have been teaching pottery ever since.
Ceramics had become my new passion that I
could not get enough of. After only a few
semesters at Armstrong, I moved to north
Georgia to be closer to my mother as her
health continued to decline.
 Dahlonega
Fig. 18: Reproduction of The Far Side, Pencil,
Crayon, Colored Pencil on Paper, 12” x 8”,
7/24/2001
Transferring to the University of North
Georgia opened a lot of doors for me as an
artist. The community is also built upon artists
as well. Here, I met Alex Kraft, the ceramics and
3D professor. After my first-year review, Kraft
and other professors on the panel suggested I
take a majority of 3D courses as this was my
strongest suit. Kraft suggested I take as many
ceramics course as possible as she seen the
creativity and style develop.
While taking many ceramics courses,
Kraft’s assignments allowed me to research and
experiment many techniques and styles.
Discovering artist Ivan Alifan, who places his
paints layered into cake piping bags then
creates a impasto aesthetic on his canvases,
made me think of doing the same but with thick
slip in piping bags. Figure 18 are plates that
were wheel thrown and slip was added through
a painting technique with various piping bags.
This approach can also be seen on Figure A on
the Table of Content Page.
Fig. 19: Reproduction of The Far Side, Pencil, Crayon, Colored
Pencil on Paper, 12” x 8”, 7/24/2001
Deciding to make ceramics my
concentration, I excelled is all aspects of
pottery. Once against making mugs and
functional pottery, I made my first
dinnerware set and enjoyed it. Figure 19
shows various plates, mugs, and a chip-and-
dip bowl that was created on the wheel and
altered in design my sgraffito. After many
requests of wanting to purchase these items,
I began making functional pottery. It was a
feeling of wholesomeness that someone
wanted something I created to be used every
single day.
Attending the University of North
Georgia, I entered art competitions on a local
and regional level winning first and second
places each time with my dinner wear. Figure
19, I won a scholarship with and have had
over eight pieces of work published in a
literary magazine in the north Georgia area.
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Fig. 20: (T) “Lincoln”, Ceramic, Ash
Glaze, 17” x 6-1/2” x 6-1/2”, 2018.
Fig. 21: Face Jug by Billy Joe Craven, 12” x
7”, 2022. Source: Etsy.
Fig. 23: Hand-built Vessel by
Darren Francis Cassidy,
Source: Cassidy’s
Instagram.
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Inspiration
While living in the Appalachian Mountains I took an
interest in Folk Art. My first face jug I created, see Figure 20,
was from inspiration of local folk potters like Billy Joe
Craven who is the twelfth-generation potter in his family.
Made by coiling on the wheel and hand-building the facial
features. While taking a course called Appalachian Art, it
made me question what is art exactly and what is folk art?
This reminds me of articles by Ellen Dissanayake. ‘Making
special’ is the idea of making a space or activity just that,
special - something “to make important” (Dissanayake,
2003, p. 24).
Another artist’s discovery that helped shape my
artistic practice in pottery by application experimentation is
with ceramic artist Darren Francis Cassidy. His techniques of
applying detailed work was interested as he did not use any
fancy tools but only those that were laying around his home
or out in nature, for example, a stock or toothpicks joined
together by a rubber band to make impressions. Figure 22 is
a coiled face I made and then added slip to the surface.
Later I used a dowel stick to poke the slip creating these
crater-like indentions.
Fig. 22: Ceramic Coiled Vase, Slip, Glaze,
16” tall, 16 November 2016.
 I’m a Potter
Figure 24 shows a wheel-thrown large
vase I thrown and with slip decorations on
the side that was experimental. The ash glaze
is a style that folk potters, especially in the
Appalachian region use. This was a glaze test
firing in the gas kiln that worked well but
glaze adhered to the kiln shelf.
Figure 25 shows various functional
work that I had thrown as I worked at Hickory
Flat Pottery for three years before moving to
St. Augustine, Florida to start grad school.
It is my ambition to continue to make
pottery in a studio, to teach pottery to the
community, and continue my research in
ceramics and art.

Fig. 25: Various wheel-thrown and hand-built functional pottery

made by me at Hickory Flat Pottery, 2018-2021
Fig.24: Wheel-thrown Vessel, Ceramic, Ash Glaze,
14” x 16”, 2020.

After graduating from the University of

North Georgia, I was hired by my now mentor
and great friend Cody Trautner who owns
Hickory Flat Pottery in Clarkesville, Georgia.
Working as a studio potter I was able to
tighten my wheel work and make everything
as precise as possible. At this time, I also
began selling my pottery at a local store in
Dahlonega, Georgia called Barn & Beach
Design. Seeing the possibilities as a potter
and that I can make a living off of selling my
work, I began taking commissions and selling
work on Etsy as well.
While working with Cody at Hickory
Flat, I gained a lot of knowledge on pottery
and how to run a successful pottery business
that has been running for over 25 years.

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 Conclusion

Fig.24: Self-portrait of working on a sculpture in ceramics class, 2018.

I am lucky to have had this great artistic experience in learning about so many different
styles, techniques, and mediums in art. My path as an artist is continuing and will not end. Art has
always been a way of life for me since I was a kid. Through self expression, communication, and
therapy, art serves a purpose in our lives. Through my experiences in art making, my artistic ability
has developed fast, from simple line drawings in elementary to a more refined style by the time I
made it to middle school. One thing I am taking from this reflection is how I document my processes
and have realized that it is the process of making art that I have always been drawn to as opposed
to the results of what I have created.
With the advancement in technology, my interest in different art making will grow. I recently
purchased a drone and have been using that to take photos. My new interest is how to incorporate
that in making art. Art is experimentation and I continue to push these mediums to their max.

Fig.24: Photograph taken on Tybee Island as I took another photographer's

portrait, 2015.
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