Clay. Starting as a sketch, it is molded into ceramic pieces representing everyday life and aesthetic amusement.
LHS visual arts teacher Travis Hinton takes his passion beyond the classroom and into his personal life. What evolved from an overcrowded workspace in undergraduate school at USD has turned into a personal business selling his artwork to spaces across the United States.
While Hinton has not yet sold his work beyond national borders, his work has touched patrons globally.
“I have only shipped within the United States. One of the galleries that represents my work told me that they shipped one of my pieces to Paris, France. I do know that I have my artwork in other countries. The ones that come to mind are Qatar, Japan and recently Portugal,” said Hinton.
Being a working artist takes effort. One of the hardest aspects of the business is the marketing and self-promotion required to build up a community of buyers. Marketing his work is a tedious task but is required to reach the success Hinton has achieved thus far.
“I would rather be creating. When I am in my studio, my focus is on solving and constructing my artwork. When I am exhibiting my artwork, the focus shifts to answering questions that come from patrons,” said Hinton.
Though there are more challenges beyond creating and selling, pricing the art is one more hurdle Hinton makes the most of.
“The artist and the art market assert the value of their work,” said Hinton.
The final step of the process, making the sale, is one that is reassuring for Hinton and his talents. His goal of selling his artwork has been reached confidently many times over the years.
“I have sold individual pieces, groupings of pieces and complete dinnerware sets. [All] have had comparable price tags. I don’t share specific prices, but it was in the thousands and definitely a moment that affirmed the value others see in my work,” said Hinton.
Like any other activity outside of school or work, Hinton finds a necessary balance between working at LHS and with his pottery, which can be difficult at times. But operating in the studio takes many different forms depending on the day and availability in Hinton’s schedule.
“Balancing family, teaching and being an artist takes work. I try to work in the studio as much as possible. That could look like physically working on a piece of artwork, sketching out ideas or researching raw materials that I use,” said Hinton.
Researching materials and knowing every detail about the mediums he uses is something Hinton has been interested in since his first experience with clay. Most of the materials he uses can be locally sourced.
“When I first touched clay, I knew that I wanted to know all I could about the material,” said Hinton. “I work with a local distributor here in Sioux Falls; they have most of what I need. I also use some native clay materials.”
As he expresses different periods of ceramics and with dual purposes in mind, Hinton’s friends and family encourage his artistry.
“I draw inspiration from classic or traditional functional ceramic forms. I like the duality of my work being used in everyday life and appreciated aesthetically,” said Hinton.
