The Pit is pleased to present Like Water Uphill; a solo exhibition by San Pedro based Tony Marsh.  The exhibition will run from November 3 – December 14th, 2019 with a public reception from 4-7pm on Sunday November 3rd.  Like Water Uphill will be Marsh’ first solo exhibition in Los Angeles in over ten years, and his first at The Pit.  The exhibition will consist of eleven of Marsh’ ceramic works from his ongoing Crucible and Cauldron series.

Marsh’s practice fixates on the long history of the creation of vessels.   His method of production is predicated on the acceptance of failure, and an interest in the unpredictable.  As a medium, ceramics are known for their fragile nature, not just their delicate nature after having been fired, but also their tendency to collapse, explode, crack, or fall apart while the clay is still wet or during the firing process.  The ability to overcome these obstacles, and adhere to chemical and compositional constraints is often times what warrants the success of the finished piece.  However, Marsh’s approach in his Crucible and Cauldron works embraces discovery and ultimately searches for unpredictable outcomes.  The works are built up from multiple applications of mineral mixtures, different glazes, pigments, and even found scraps of other ceramic material.  Each piece undergoes multiple kiln firings. Marsh’s Crucible series are fired right-side up, meaning the piece is positioned in the kiln in the same manner it will stand when finished.  While his Cauldron series are fired upside down, allowing the glazes to flow and drip against gravity.  Marsh’s practice yields unexpected results from unmanageable conditions, and ultimately creates dynamic, electrifying works. 

All inquiries please contact Adam Miller at adam@the-pit.la  

TONY MARSH (b. 1954, New York City, NY) earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1978 from California State University in Long Beach, CA before traveling to Mashiko, Japan to apprentice at Shimaoka Pottery with Tatsuzo Shimaoka, who became a National Living Treasure. From 1983 to 1985, Marsh was the Director of the Mendocino Art Center Ceramics Program, and then became a lecturer at California State University, Long Beach. In 1988, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University; and in 1989, Marsh began teaching at California State University, Long Beach, where is continues to be a faculty member in the Ceramics Department, and is the director of the Center for Contemporary Ceramics. Marsh’s work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at galleries such as Lora Reynolds Gallery, Austin, TX; Harvey Meadows Gallery, Aspen, CO; Hedge Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Frank Lloyd Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; and Pierre Marie Giraud Gallery, Brussels, Belgium. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Art & Design, New York, NY; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA; Long Beach Museum of Art, CA; Chapman University, Orange, CA; San Jose Museum of Art, CA; Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, HI; Minneapolis Institute for the Arts, MI; Newark Museum, NJ; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Canada; Takumi Folk Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan; and Taipei Ceramics Museum, Taiwan, among others. He is the recipient of numerous residencies and awards including the Cheongju International Craft Bienale, Korea (2015) and the Northern Clay Center Minneapolis, MN Artist in Residence (2005). He frequently lectures and hosts workshops internationally. Marsh lives and works in Los Angeles.