Most people would not think that being a pastry chef and being a ceramic artist have a lot in common, but WNMU post-baccalaureate student Hugh Remar knows otherwise. After living in New York City for the past thirteen years, eight of which were spent as a pastry chef in fine dining venues, Remar decided he wanted to focus on his art practice. “Working as a pastry chef, there’s a very technical and tactile aspect to [the work] that is directly related to clay,” said Remar, “So many of the sculptural things I have been working on [are] like wedding cake construction, working with very delicate and sensitive materials.”
Now in his second year of the post-baccalaureate program in Ceramics, Remar also takes inspiration from the color and whimsy of pastry in the pieces he creates. Remar, who was an art history major as an undergraduate, explained, “Fine dessert really emerged out of 18th-century France, and I am quite influenced by the visual and material culture of that point in history.” This especially comes through in his palette, where he is drawn to Baroque shades of soft pink and green.
While his art may at times be whimsical, Remar is also drawn to the technical side of ceramics. In addition to working as a pastry chef in the past, he has also worked in oncological research, which is a field he was drawn to because of its technical demands. This has translated well into his new career path in the arts. “Ceramics is so technical [even when] you are making something as simple as a mug,” he said, “You need to make sure that it doesn’t crack and that it is ergonomic.”
Remar started working in clay as a hobby, but knew he wanted to explore it more deeply, something that he could not do in New York. “I never really had space to turn it into an art practice, and when I tried to take it seriously, especially in New York, it seemed really inaccessible; there are not a lot of facilities in New York and it is really expensive.”
As a post-baccalaureate student at WNMU, Remar has his own studio space, and he is able to use the kilns and other tools and equipment available in the ceramics studio. He is also mentored by Associate Professor of Ceramics Courtney Michaud and in turn has an opportunity to mentor undergraduate Ceramics students. “It’s been really incredible to work full-time and develop an art practice,” said Remar of his first year in the program.
Remar said that he has especially learned a lot from having the time to concentrate on his art and reflect on his practice. “Ceramics requires so much patience, which for me is profoundly challenging,” he said, “There is no immediately gratification. And I think the pieces that really shine are the ones you have really had to sit with, whether you have to let them dry or fire them [in the kiln] in a particular way or just think about them and let the ideas percolate. I think those ones are the really nice surprises. As an artist it teaches me a lot of lessons, like to just be present . . . You have to focus on what it is you are really doing.”
He also noted that ceramics requires a tolerance for “a lot of failure. You have to make a lot of ugly pieces to make something that really speaks to you.” He added, “Being surprised is a huge part of the process. It’s not just disappointments; there are fabulous surprises, too, that can really change your art practice and how you approach things. That’s the best and most exciting part of the process. There’s always something that will surprise you.”