When choosing the title for our newest short documentary, we were drawn to one word that artist Michael Murrell said towards the end of our interview. And it should be noted that we (Joe Boris and I) filmed Michael on an open-air porch in the north Georgia mountains on the morning after one of those 8-inch-in-places snowfalls that occurs once in a blue moon. During the hour-long interview Michael worked with fresh clay on a new raku piece. And our hands on the cameras were freezing off.
So… catawampus….
Michael wants his work to reveal the hands of the maker. So things are by nature a little off. A little crooked. Hence, catawampus.
And while we worked through our footage of him at work and his work on display, we saw it everywhere. Not just the catawampus. But his hands. His mastery over clay, wood, stone, steel, synthetics, you name it. His love for the process. And wanting to share the process… and the work — most of which he’s retained over the years and will soon be on display in the former cotton mill he’s turned into a gallery space.
RSVP HERE TO SEE “CATAWAMPUS” ON JUNE 10, 2021, AT THE PLAZA THEATER