Mitch Iburg is a ceramic artist who received his BA in Fine Art from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2011. Since graduation he has pursued residencies in Virginia, New York, Denmark, Mendocino and Lake Counties in California. He now has established a studio in Minnesota. The artist is fond of working with indigenous clay and mineral resources which he most often digs himself. They are then hand-formed into vessels which are wood-fired for three to nine days. The net result is pieces which have the distinctive coloration of the process. Some are placed in the firebox of the kiln, and, as a result of being buried in embers, have a unique crusty texture. Of his work, Mitch writes: The content of my work is synonymous with the setting in which it is made. By investigating the clay and mineral deposits, forests, and geological expressions inherent to specific regions, I seek to create work which combines the physiological substance and emotional characteristics of place to form an expression of its terroir. Bodies of work naturally diverge as variations of form, surface, and firing method arise in response to the unique resources found exclusively in each setting. Despite this variance, I intend for each series to be viewed in relation to one another – thus establishing a larger geographical context through ‘mapping’ the physical and emotive nuances of the work and its origin.