Spontaneous, gestural, playful, absurd, and whimsical, tactile and threatening – these are just some of the words I would use to describe the work of Nicholas Weddell. From cups that are functional, but not daily-drinkers, to furniture that is not ordinary, Weddell causes us to stop and re-evaluate our paradigms about both. He snaps us back to the present. He turns everyday experiences into explorations. He turns a routine, such as drinking a cup of coffee or taking a seat in the parlor, into a ritual. While experiencing one of his works, the user can only be in the present.
Weddell began as a functional potter but wanted brighter colors and stranger forms. He questions: “What is a cup?”, “What can it be?”, “Where does it place itself in someone’s life?”. His answers to these questions lead us to be able to experience a cup or cups like no other.
A sculptor from Austin, Texas, US, Weddell earned a BFA from Texas State
