Graham Marks

Interviews by Brainard Carey

Graham Marks produces exuberant, coil-built ceramics adorned with vibrant glazes, which combine functionalism with visual delight. Of late, Marks has embraced loose, sinuous forms from which coils of clay spill in dynamic and improvisatory compositions. His candelabras and flower vases contain a wild energy all their own, full of brash, linear abandon. In their merging of pattern and embellishment, they recall the intricate crafts of eighteenth-century France, bringing rococo flourishes to the timeless theme of utilitarian vessels.

Marks taught ceramics at Kansas State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he was Head of Ceramics from 1986 to 1992. His work has been exhibited internationally and collected privately; it is held by numerous public institutions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, Detroit Institute of Art, the Everson Museum, the Museum of Art and Design, the Cranbrook Museum of Art, the Stedelijk Museum, the Hermitage Museum, and the National Gallery of Australia. From 1992 to 1995, he studied acupuncture with J.R. Worsley, establishing a private practice which ran successfully for two and a half decades. In 2020, Marks returned to ceramics. He splits his time between Brooklyn and Alfred, NY.

Graham Marks, Collection of Candelabras, 2023–24. Glazed stoneware, thrown, coiled, and pinched. Dimensions vary. Courtesy of Hostler Burrows. Photo by Joe Kramm

Graham Marks, Pair of Candelabras, 2024. Glazed stoneware, thrown, coiled, and pinched. Dimensions vary. Courtesy of Hostler Burrows. Photo by Joe Kramm

Graham Marks, Collection of Malinalco Candelabras, 2023. Glazed stoneware, thrown, coiled, and pinched. Dimensions vary. Courtesy of Hostler Burrows. Photo by Joe Kramm