Clarke attaches little significance to distinctions between pottery and sculpture, especially those derived from the concept of utility. Though he began his career as a potter and can boast of having thrown his first bowls while still in his early teens, the idea that a bowl, cup, or pitcher should primarily be considered a tool is foreign to his aesthetics. “For me, pots are art.” He explains, “I’m thinking about the same thing whether I’m making pots, sculptures or wall pieces. It might sound heretical for a potter to say, but when I’m making these things I’m not thinking about eating. I’m thinking about poetics: the notions of expression, tone feeling. If someone uses my pots that’s fine, but my favorite place for them is on a bookshelf.”