April 2012 - Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

Monthly Archives: April 2012

Greenware and Impressionism

April 27, 2012

Camille Faure Art Deco Vase – 1920’s

This post isn’t about environmentally friendly pottery, but simply about clay objects that that have the colour green. Not that ” green ” enviroware isn’t worthy of being mindful about. The gemstones of aquamarine and jade are related to the planet Neptune and hence the colour green is associated with this planet along with its actual aqua appearance. During the middle of 2011, Neptune completed its first orbit of the Sun since its discovery in 1846. This took 165 years and astrological tradition believes that the full force of a planet doesn’t occur until it has fulfilled its first orbit.

The ancient Egyptians acknowledged the existence of Neptune and called it Nu and similar to current beliefs believed it was connected to deep subconscious impulses, dreams, mystery, intuition, creativity,idealism and the abstract.. At the time of its discovery it was transiting through the sign that it rules ( Pisceas ) where it has enhanced powers and during this time the Impressionist movement took shape. Art moved away from the literal representation of form and structure, replacing it with a dreamlike “impressionistic” use of colours and textures. The most conspicuous characteristic of Impressionism was an attempt to accurately and objectively record visual reality in terms of transient effects of light and colour.

Classically trained Édouard Manet ( 1832 – 1883) decided he wanted to capture impressions more immediately in one sitting with his models and developed brush techniques to realize this. He painted in patches of colour which was later adapted by other impressionists like Monet and Renoir, breaking up Manet’s colour patches into much tinier patches, flecks, and dabs of colour. Without adopting Manet’s alla prima (“at once”) technique they couldn’t have painted fast enough to capture the shifting effects of light. The much slower application of layers was replaced by a mercurial, intuitive choice of colours which added vibrancy to their art. At the Cafe Guerbois near Manet’s studio, he was the unofficial head of the twice-weekly meetings, which included Monet, Renoir, Degas, Alfred Sisley, Émile Zola, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, and others to pioneer this new impressionistic style. Their early camaraderie was probably needed to survive the early rejection by critics of their radical impressionism.

Claude Monet describing his shift in focus to another painter –– “When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you — a tree, a house, a field. . . . Merely think, here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape.” He believed in following his intuitive perception and first impressions. Among the Impressionist painters, Claude Monet seemed to be the most “rebellious” in the eyes of the critics during that time, preferring to work outdoors then in the studio ( most artists at the time rarely vestured beyond the studio ) . His passion was to capture the scenes of the countryside as well as the scenes of everyday life–considered simplistic by his critics.

Impressionistic like textures and colour styles can occur naturally when firing pottery, especially with the techniques that have an unpredictability to them like Raku , where the mystery seems to lead to an ethereal appearance. Now that Neptune, the cauldron of the imagination , has had its first birthday and returned to Pisces for the next 14 years , it will be interesting to see what new art styles manifest.

Emili Biarnes Studio Art Pottery Sculptural Modernist Vase Vessel

Carbonation similar to metallic lustre process , worked with bismuth , silver and copper after a hard reduction in a gas kiln to produce this lustre glaze.

Van Briggle

Vince Pitelka clay marquetry pitcher

Sylvac green glazed pottery jug -1960

JUGENDSTIL ( German Art Nouveau ) ceramic, Gmunden

Fruit bowl carried by a putto. { Lessing Archive }

Turquoise teapot

Grueby gourd shaped vase

Adrienne Fierman

Song Dynasty porcelain pillow

Paul Dachsel Amphora Vase

( Treadway Toomey Galleries )

Charlotte Rhead Ceramic Tile ( Meridian Gallery )

Large Oribe Sculptural vase by Kato Yasukage

Robert Yellin Gallery

Mid-Century ceramic vessel – Palshus, Denmark

Moorcroft Chapada Sun Conure Vase

Catalina Vase

Hayne Bayless

Christy Knox juice pitcher

Raku vessel

Earthenware tray by Joseph Théodore Deck

( Detroit Institute of Arts )

Weller Fru Russet urn/vase

( Pats Pots )

Antique Portuguese Palissy Snake Vase

Song Dynasty Celadon Vase

Melville P. White for Gates Potteries (TECO) , Illinois , “Chrysanthemum,” ca. 1905

Anne Ginkel ovoid vessel

Roseville Montacello vase

Lis Holt ( NPA )

Clement Massier

Musee D’Orsay Paris

Meisenthal Cristallerie Vase- France

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Posted in: Creative – 6 Comments

Helene Fielder Sculptural Art

April 25, 2012

” When I do work that is going well, I try to stay in the moment, not worry about the future, and be content. I love all colors and enjoy observing forms in our existence here – a seed bursting from the earth, a fish alive with its glitter of color, a microscopic pattern. My wish is that my work transfers these precious miraculous moments of life. ” …Helene Fielder

Helene creates in both clay and metal and has maintained a full time studio in Prentiss County, Mississipi with her husband Ray, who is a painter, for the past seventeen years. She has taught both pottery and silversmithing internationally, including jewelry and pottery instruction for three years in Glessen, Germany. She had extensive work experience in marketing, illustration, and advertising prior to her studio work. Helene has lived in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Arizona and Virginia as well as France ( her birthplace ), Slovenia, and Germany before establishing her studio in Mississippi.

Helene claims ” sketching ideas of future clay sculptures is still my favorite and hardest part of the process, because it is the most creative and challenging. In the drawing stage I plan my textures, glaze colors, form, balance and movement.” … ” My first aspiration to be an artist started early in fifth grade. I admired the majestic horses a quiet girl in class constantly drew in her sketch book. She gave me my first drawing lessons and the desire to carry my own sketch book.”

The ceramic sculptures shown below contain hand-built and wheel thrown components, fired to cone 6. Block print carving was used as imprint texture, with rich surfaces created with stain, latex and wax resist, sometimes airbrushed with layers of glaze and stain.

Her pieces are finished with numerous layers of glaze along with the addition of gemstones and beadwork to add to the textural qualities. Helene states that she likes contrasts and to strive for an organic quality in her work.

Ocean Wave

Triptich

Coral

Gateway

Blue Balance

Large Fruitbowl

Lady in Flight

Golden Sail

Ocean Wings III

Teapot with base

Construction phase

Helene Fielder : “Pottery has always been an item of beauty and purpose for centuries,” “It is a joy combining quality craftsmanship and the spontaneity of the clay medium in forming vessels that are sculptural, and will adorn someone’s home. ”

“Clay is such a versatile medium, it can be textured, thrown, built, sculpted, glazed, the ideas are limitless. Each piece created gives vent to dozens more still waiting to be made. It’s always a pleasure to create the next thought and see what happens when the kiln is opened.”

Helene Fielder Website

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Posted in: Creative – 6 Comments

The Soluble Salt Ceramics of Mark Goudy and Liza Riddle

April 21, 2012

Mark Goudy and Liza Riddle are a couple from Berkeley, California who are blazing a new frontier in ceramic arts with their explorations into the applications of soluble metal salts.

I suppose it could almost be expected with backgrounds covering photography, biology, engineering, chemistry, music and graphics and a love of the outdoors that their work in ceramics would be organic, technical, innovative and experimental . Says Mark, “The process of working in clay is a grounding experience that focuses my attention in the present moment, but also is a tangible thread that connects across time with twenty thousand years of ceramists who preceded me.”

Vessel v56 – Liza Riddle

Liza Riddle

Mark Goudy

Five Forms – Mark Goudy

Mark Goudy’s approach :

He described his signature technique in Ceramicsnow: “My work is an exploration in shape and pattern, using the enclosed vessel as the underlying form. These vessels are constructed from asymmetric curved surfaces that project a unique contour with each viewing angle. The interior space is intentionally hidden, leaving the contents to the imagination, metaphorically containing perhaps hopes, dreams, or spirits. These rounded shapes are meant to be held and, when set on a flat surface, gently rock before coming to rest at their own natural balance point.My approach is to combine ancient methods of stone-burnishing and earthenware firing with computer-aided shape design to produce talismans that fuse traditional and modern aesthetics. Surface markings are created by painting water-soluble metal salts on bisque-fired clay. These watercolors permeate the clay body, and become a permanent part of the surface when fired. “

” After a twenty-year engineering career, working in the virtual world of computer chip design, I found the process of clay work to be a catharsis. The physical nature of handbuilding unique pieces from this plastic medium was immediately satisfying. Soon I was applying my analytical and problem-solving skills to the multivariate issues that surfaced in the clay studio, and exercising my right brain to construct shapes in a totally intuitive way. “

In summing up his future direction , Mark said – One of my favorite quotes is from Johnny Cash who said, “Your style is a function of your limitations, more so than a function of your skills”, and this seems especially true with the processes I’m involved with. So far, my work has been largely vessel-based, but in future, I expect to branch out into some other areas.

To me the array of patterns in Mark Goudy’s ceramic pieces seem to encapsulate a mini cosmos, like staring into a clear night sky. So I wasn’t surprised to see Mark stating that his pieces remind him of mandalas, with their inherent meditative potential.

Mark Goudy

Liza Riddle’s approach :

” I seek to create work that evokes a sense of wonder and mystery, forms that beckon to be held and admired. I delight in closely observing and then interpreting natural objects and events – weathered boulders on a mountain slope, wind ripples on a gray blue sea, complex designs on a delicate bird egg – their rhythms, patterns and forces have greatly inspired my work. I am an avid traveler and hiker. During my adventures I have discovered the magnificent pottery of ancient cultures in the American Southwest, South America, and Asia, which speak to me in very profound ways.”

” I have been experimenting with soluble metal salts for the past two years, a collaboration with my husband, Mark Goudy, which draws on the inspirational work of the master of soluble metals, Arne Åse. Through trial and error, I have developed my own techniques for applying these almost transparent, highly sensitive “watercolors.” The chemicals are toxic and care must be taken while working with them, so my experiences working with photography chemicals and in a scientific laboratory have been extremely helpful. Although metal salts are challenging to work with, I love the sense of anticipation as I wait for a kiln load to finish firing, the joy of seeing their almost magical effects. Some results are disappointing, but I enjoy challenges. Because working with metal salts requires continual testing, inventing and learning, I am certain this project will keep me engaged for quite a long while. ” [ ceramicsnow ]

All of her work is hand coiled, then carefully burnished to a smooth finish. This is followed with bisque firing the clay at earthenware temperatures, painting them with water soluble metals – iron, nickel, cobalt and other salts, and firing again at low temperatures.

Two Vessels (v85, v86) – Liza Riddle

Liza Riddle

Vessel v61 – Liza Riddle

Five Surfaces – Mark Goudy

Mark Goudy

Three Vessels – Liza Riddle

Liza Riddle

Three Vases – Liza Riddle

Mark Goudy

Three Vessels – Mark Goudy

Liza Riddle

Website of Mark Goudy/Liza Riddle : http://www.thundercloudstudio.com/

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Posted in: Techniques – 2 Comments

Clay Body Art

April 18, 2012

New Guinea Face Paint - yellow and red

New Guinea face painting art

The Art of skin painting

For many ancient tribes and cultures , face and body art has been an integral part of their rituals, festivals and displays of heirarchy. Depending on the occasion , face painting was used as a beautifying practice or could be adapted to be terrifying for hunting and tribal battles.

It was suggested by Joseph Jordania that body painting, together with dancing, loud group singing, rhythmic stomping and drumming on external objects, contributed to reaching a specific altered state of consciousness and a battle trance through these ritualized activities. In this state tribe members sacrificed their individuality and assumed a shared collective identity, where they were able to transcend their feelings of fear and pain and were fully dedicated to the group interests. This state was crucial for the physical survival of the hominids in order to defend themselves from predators after they shifted from the relatively safety of trees to the more dangerous ground dwellings. Shamans also used face art in conquering their notion of limited self to assist them in embracing higher forces.

Sometimes the whole tribe used similar decorative appearances which eliminated differences and contributed to tribal bonding. This can still be witnessed in tribal ceremonies in Africa and New Guinea. Not only is the body art used to augment one’s appearance and power, it is a sacred social act of distinction which characterises their tribe and cultural heritage.

The first instances of the use of painting materials (ochre, manganese dioxide) by human ancestors predates the first cave paintings by tens or possibly hundred of thousands of the years,and some scholars suggest that the painting materials were used by human ancestors for painting their own bodies. Roots, berries and tree barks were most commonly used to make the dyes for face painting. These natural raw materials were ground and made into a paste and mixed with clay powders.. Clay of different hues were also used on their own. In some occasions there was a strcit ritualistic order for applying the make up.

The Australian Aborigines have the widespread belief that ochre paint has magical powers and is held in regard as being sacred. It is symbolic with blood in secret ceremonies. Body painting to the Aborigines was also a process of shifting their identity, to be replaced by a representation of their ancestral totem, usually an animal. On a more pragmatic level, smearing the whole body with earth, coloured charcoal and animal fat, ostensibly to camouflage smell when hunting, but also probably to maintain body temperature. In tropical areas, coating the skin with earth and fat kept sand-flies and mosquitoes at a distance.

In Chinese culture, especially with opera. face paint designs are linked to dramatic performances, and are often very complex and ornate. Typically, multiple contrasting colors are used and between them cover the entirety of the face. For example, the face might be typically painted red, black and white.

Papuan tribe

Papua New Guinea Face Art

Members of Tjapukai Dance Theatre — Image by © Free Agents Limited/CORBIS

Australian Aboriginal Body Art

Surma and Mursi tribesperson. Omo Valley, Southern Ethiopia

Face Painting Omo Valley, Southern Ethiopia

From the Hans Sylvester photos of the Surma and Mursi people in Southern Ethiopia in the Omo Valley.

Fifteen tribes have lived in this region since time immemorial, and many use zebra skins for leggings, snail shells for necklaces and clay to stick their wonderful designs to their heads.

As they paint each other’s bodies and make bold decisions about their outfits(all without the aid of mirrors), it seems that the only thing that motivates them is the sheer fun of creating their looks, and showing them off to other members of the tribe. As a celebration of themselves and of their stunning environment.

New Guinea Highlands Warrior Procession

Warrior face paint

New Guinea Highland Warrior Procession

African traditional ceremonial dancing.

Face painted Kikuyu woman – Kenya ( Ochre Clay Face Mask )

eric lafforgue

photo Hans Sylvester

Photo by Dmitri Markine www.dmitrimarkine.com

Moroccan Hand Painting

Daegu International Bodypainting Festival – Korea

Omo Valley face painting – photo Hans Sylvester

Papuan face paint in red and black

Tribal Paint On New Guinea Child

Papuan Face Paint

Omo Valleytribal face art

Tribal paint fashion shoot

( Sofia Sanchez & Mauro Mongiello )

Tiwi ceremonial body design (janesoceania.com )

New Guniea warrior festival

2010 – Daegu International Bodypainting Festival – Korea

PNG facepaint

photo-Melanasianways

Omo Valley tribal face art

Omo Valley Body Art

Photo by Dmitri Markine www.dmitrimarkine.com

Surma guy just after completion of decoration

Surma face painting – Surmas reside in South Sudan, and Southwestern Ethiopia

New Guinea child face art

Tribal face painting Eastern Cape

photo – Lister Hunter

Girl from the Hamer tribe of Ethiopia

Photo by Ronnie James

17th World Bodypainting Festival took place in Pörtschach, an Austrian town, 17th World Body painting Festival took place in Pörtschach, Austria

Dutch post Impressionist Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night.’

Painted byDannySetiawan

2010 Daegu International Bodypainting Festival face painting

South Australian artist Emma Hack created a car sculpture involving 17 men and women for a MAC anti speeding campaign

South Australian artist Emma Hack’s painted bodies car sculpture

Danny Setiawan painting of a Japenese koi fish

Australian Body Art Carnivale – Sunshine Coast

Photo Christina Pfeiffer

( consciousnessrevival.com )

Surma Child with Beaded Necklace, Ethiopia

( carolbeckwith-angelafisher.com )

Mudpack Festival 2011 Anton Manso

Mambukal Mudpack festival, Phillipines

Halloween body art – Caravan Music Club

Wodaabe tribal art – Niger, Africa

(Beckwith-Fisher)

Australian Body Art Carnivale – 2013

Textured face make-up

Photo Laura Ferreira

Aztec inspired body painting and headpiece

Photo.Jan Hetfleisch – Getty Images

Theyyam by Rahul Sadagopan on Flickr

Klifordinator digital art

deviantart

Reveller at the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2013

Mayan face painting

avilo on Flickr

Face art – Papua New Guinea

Full body art

TuttoGratis

Body painting photography by Ciucciapunti (Federico-Rossi)

Mask carving -Africa

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Posted in: Creative – 3 Comments

figurative clayart sculptures

April 13, 2012

From the first time Neanderthal man held aloft a lump of clay contemplating what he could use it for, he more then likely posed the question … functional or decorative? ” Will I make a bowl for eating my nuts and berries or should I indulge my creativity and make a clay statue of my beautiful wife. How about a sun-dial so I don’t sleep in. Maybe I could do some raku, but first I have to figure out how to make fire….”
On a more serious note, clay figures have been around for a very long time and I speculate that their earliest use would have been for some kind of idolatry.

The figure sculptures of Greek Antiquity were not naturalistic, for their forms were idealized and geometric. Figurative art is itself based upon a tacit understanding of abstracted shapes.This has been referred to as the ” Egyptian method ” where there was an adherence to that which was already known, rather then what was being witnessed. This idealization eventually gave way to observation, and a figurative art which balanced idealized geometry with greater realism was seen in Classical sculpture by 480 B.C. This reliance on visual observation was known by the Greeks as ” mimesis “. This style of figurative art , characterised by attempts to reconcile these opposing principles, remained until the time of the Impressionists.

A figurine is a statuette that can represent a human form, a deity or an animal, and can be either realistic or iconic. The earliest were made of stone or clay, and later versions were made with ceramics, metal , glass and wood.

This terra-cotta figure is in honor of the goddesses Isis and Aphrodite.

( Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. )

The most common materials for figurines were porcelain and various ceramics.. There are many early examples from China where it originated, which drove experimentation in Europe to replicate the process. The first European porcelain figurines were produced in a process mastered in Germany were known as Meissen ware, after the city where it began.

The ushabti was a funerary figurine used in Ancient Egypt. Ushabtis were placed in tombs among the grave goods and were intended to act as substitutes for the deceased, should he/she be called upon to do manual labor in the afterlife. They were used from the Middle Kingdom (around 1900 BC) until the end of the Ptolemaic Period nearly 2000 years later.
Most ushabtis were of minor size, and many produced in multiples – they sometimes covered the floor around a sarcophagus. Exceptional ushabtis are of larger size, or produced as a one of-a-kind master work.
The ushabtis were servant figures that carried out the tasks required of the deceased in the underworld.

Here is a collection of figurines ranging from ancient to modern :

Kate Gardiner – odyssey-center

Isis and Horus

∞

Lidija Tkalcevic – ACGA ↓

Osirus 2010 – Cheryl Tall

Eel Walker – Mark Newman

This sculpture was eventually cast in bronze.

Artful Ceramics

Charlene Doiron Reinhart

Liz Bryant

the buddhabuilder

Windy by Piotr Konsk

NEW YEARS DIVA 2 by Nicole West

Russianhead

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Patricia Boyd ↓

Tribal Stand

Kindred Spirits 11

Blessed Harvest – Patricia Boyd

” Can you see me ” Adele Macy

Virginia Rigney

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Marina Bauguil ↓

Heart Bird – Marina Bauguil

Group

Tree Spirit

Obsedian ceramic-figure

Fred Yokel

Female Effigy Vessel

Democratic Republic of Congo. Mangbetu. Early 20th century

At the time, elongated foreheads were considered highly attractive. To achieve this look, royal women wrapped their heads with rope and wove their hair into a conical basket structure.

“Dynasty Ceramic Sculpture”

Sherri K McEuen

Ceramic Angel Raku Keramik figure

Margit Hohenberger

Mouseweb – Michelle Hall

Art Deco Figurine

Whisper – Marina Bauguil

Sally Hook – Jongleur noir et blanc

Artist Sally Hook – Jongleur Jeune et Rouge

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Posted in: Ceramics – 3 Comments

French Art Pottery

April 10, 2012

Faïence – Delphin Massier 1908

Rambervillers : In 1903 Alphonse Cytere set up an art studio in Rambervillers which produced ceramics often designed by prestigious artists of the Ecole de Nancy such as Bussiere, Gruber, Jeandelle, Majorelle. Rambervillers specialized in unusual and iridescent glazes on organic forms.

Rene Jeandelle for Rambervillers Art Nouveau iridescent ceramic vase with a relief nude under full blown poppies.

1905-1906 ( Terra Mare Antiques )

Montieres : Jean Barol : (1873-1966) formerly a glaze artist in Clement Massier’s Golf Juan workshop founded the company B.A.C.S. in Vallauris in 1912. In 1917 Barol left B.A.C.S. and with Francois Sicard founded Montieres in the city of Montieres-les-Amiens, in the north of France. Montieres produced iridescent and enameled ceramics similar to Massier and B.A.C.S. Barol was artistic director of Montieres until 1920.

Montieres small metallic glazed match holder with etched flower and leaf designs.

1917 – 1920

Theodore Deck : (1823–1891) was a 19th century French ceramist. Deck moved to Paris and in 1856 he established his own faience workshop and began to experiment with the Islamic and Oriental styles that mirrored his interest in historicism and exotic influences that were popular at the time.

French Art Nouveau Theodore Deck brilliant flambé glazed vase. Signed on base.

Circa 1890

French Montieres Pottery Vase

This French art deco vase of remarkable presence is by Sevres and dates from the mid 1920’s.

” Dancers “

Mougin– Nancy, France

Art Nouveau Vase – Zsolnay

Clement Massier

Clement Massier Cup and Saucer

Alphonse Cytere

French metallic glazed pottery with pewter chestnut leaf overlay.

Eugène Baudin – 1936

Pierrefonds :

The Societe Faienciere Heraldique de Pierrefonds pottery studio was founded in the village of Pierrefonds in 1903 by Count Hallez d’Arros and is renowned for it’s crystalline and flambe glazes

French art pottery Pierrefonds red flambé glazed pitcher with exaggerated spout.

1920’s – 1930’s

Pierrefonds French Art Pottery Double Handled Vase, beautiful blue and green crystalline glaze

Pierrefonds Three Handled Crystalline Vase

Denbac :

Denbac Pottery Vierzon, France was started by Rene Denert, an artist and ceramist who started making pottery in 1908. In 1921 he partnered with R.L. Balichon under the name Denbac. Denbac used the local grey clay and a flame pattern of glazes known as “gres flamme” and distinctive crystalline glazes. The company closed in 1952.

Small Denbac handled vase with scarab beetles circling the rim.

Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat – 1896

V & A Museum

French art pottery vase by Jacques Blin (1920-1995); c. 1950.

Tall earthenware vessel decorated with birds in sgraffito.

A French Art Nouveau ceramic bowl by Clement Massier, featuring an abstract foliate decoration with a brown glaze.

( Macklowe Gallery )

Menelika Suisse

Belgian Art Deco Vase ” Biches Bleues “

by Catteau for Boch Feres – 1925

Adrienne Picard:

She left the school of Fine Arts in Lyon in 1913 to enter the workshop of the glass master NICOD. In 1920, she settled in Paris where she drew sketches for stained glass windows in the workshop of Maurice DENIS, then in 1921 she completed her training as a ceramist at the National Manufacture in Sèvres. In 1922 she went back to Lyon to take over the management of her father’s ceramics workshop, Henri PICARD. Until 1951 she made big stoneware vases mainly meant for urbanism, large fountains, medallions, decorative plates and panels, and pieces intended for garden art.

Adrienne Picard

Léon Pointu

Gilbert Portanier :

Between 1945 and 1948 Gilbert PORTANIER studies architecture and painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1948, he settles down in Vallauris and immediately followed the way initiated by Picasso by founding Le Triptyque with Albert DIATO and Francine DELPIERRE. A year and a half later, he went from one workshop to the other, multiplying his baking experiments, favouring unique pieces, before moving into an old traditional workshop in 1954 where he still is to-day

Gilbert Portanier

Gustave Reynaud

Georges Serre

This French art deco vase in the form of a pilgrim flask was created in 1925 at the Belgian firm Boch Freres under the artistic direction of Charles Catteau (1880-1966).

The ceramic, which is glazed in an Egyptian Faience blue with a craqueleure finish is mounted with a silver metal rim .

Longwy vase with floral motif

vanderleelie.hubpages

Sevres Vase

Paul Jean Milet

Images courtesy of Jason Jacques Inc.

Emile Decoeur (French, 1876-1953)

Images courtesy of Jason Jacques Inc.

Volute Vase by Auguste Delaherche

Images courtesy of Jason Jacques Inc.

Hans Stoltenberg
Decapod, circa 1899

Images courtesy of Jason Jacques Inc.

Edmond Lachenal

Friedrich Goldscheider

In 1885, Friedrich Goldscheider came from the small Bohemian city of Pilsen to Vienna and founded the Goldscheider Manufactory and Majolica Factory. It became one of the most influential ceramic manufactories of terracotta, faience and bronze objects in Austria with subsidiaries in Paris,Leipzig and Florence.

Friedrich Goldscheider

Art Nouveau Vase

Friedrich Goldscheider – Sculptor, Pecheur

( ceramique1900 )

Lucien Brisdoux (1878-1963) :

He succeeded his father Achille in 1905, then in 1927 created his own studio his production was then exclusively dedicated to decorative cast stoneware. He particularly liked metal glazing (gold or platinum) with special casting effects through creosote-blasting, after applying ceramic gold.

Lucian Brisdoux

Rare Art Nouveau Jug – Pierre Adrian Dalpayrat

( the bohemian.com )

(Faience) flattened Ovoid Vase On Heel

André Methey – (1871-1921)

( millon-associes.com )

Mougin Bros Art Deco

Tall vase red ox blood colour – Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat (1844-1910)

( aguttes.com )

Art Nouveau Vase – Clement Massier / L. Levy

( Armin-Cichos.de )

Pierre Adrien Dalpayrat

( aguttes.com )

Mid-Century bottle by Jean Derval – (1925-2010)

Jacques & Dani Ruelland

Iridescent drip glaze vase – Émile decoeur (1876-1953)

Alexandre Bigot

Fernand Lacaf & Françoise Delacourt Lacaf – Large bowl

Eugene Lion -(1867-1945)

Unique vivid orange pitcher – Fernand Lacaf – (1920-1991)

The Jungle – Maurice Gensoli (1892-1972)

Henri Vallombreuse

Slipcast stoneware vase, decorated with glossy and matt patches of rust, cream, brown, purple and black glazes by Léon Pointu, France

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Posted in: Pottery – 15 Comments

Thanakupi – Indigenous Australian ceramic artist

April 7, 2012

” Clay at Weipa was sacred. We only used it for ceremony and each colour had a meaning. Red, black, yellow and white. The men used to keep the clay in a special storehouse and we kids were not allowed to touch it. We used it only for decoration, of our bodies and special spears and woomerahs, not to make things. The idea of having my hands in clay was somehow strange but exciting – it was only much later I realised that clay would be my art, and also my legends.”

Ceramic Story Pot 1982

Thanakupi ( Gloria Fletcher ) 1937 – 2011

Thanakupi belonged to the Thanaquith people and was born in 1937 at the mission town of Napranum ( Weipa ) in the remote far north Queensland. Her strong Thanaquith background ensured a childhood rich in traditional customs and she often returned to Napranum to explore her ancestral past with the intention of capturing its history and traditions with her ceramic art and sculptural designs. As part of her upbringing, her female elders taught her traditional stories and symbols that they drew in the sand. It was these symbols and stories that Thanakupi later modified for her work in textiles and clay. These were interpreted in unique visual symbols and totemic depictions which became an ongoing theme throughout her illustrious career. She basically merged her communities tribal stories into visual narratives using the vehicle of her stoneware creations and she even referred to her work as ” story pots “.

Peetharee Story – Dugong and Emu – Thanakupi, 1980

Hand built earthenware, slip and oxide decoration, incised designs.

The importance of clay as a traditional material

As Thanakupi had been influenced by the use of clay in a sacred ceremonial context, she initially had qualms about using it for other artistic purposes when she began Fine Arts at the East Sydney Technical College in 1971. Thanakupi at this time was one of the first generation of Aboriginal artists to pursue art studies in an academic environment. She eventually returned to Queensland where she set up a studio at Trinity Beach in Cairns, where she continued her commitment to the preservation of her distinct cultural heritage.

The men and women would get wet clay from the creeks, wrap and bake it and put them away in the smokehouses. It was dug out from places all over the ground because it was used for sacred dancing and was important for symbolic uses. The stamping of the earth during traditional dance performances was employed to attract attention from the spirits in the earth. Kaolin white clay was used everywhere including for different ceremonies, like childbirth. The rich maroon red in bauxite also signifies men’s initiation business as it was used for body paint, going back to before time. Oxides and clay slips have a deep link to these ancient body paint designs and the connection to “country”

Drawing inspiration from her background, and its deep connection to the land and nature, her ceramic and sculptural works embodied what she sometimes described as ” creator beings ” . These were usually characterised by spherical and egg shaped forms, with close associations to her coastal homeland with reference to sea and free-form shapes such as sea creatures, native animals, plants and tendrils. The culturally significant forms on which these stories unfolded included the Yam, Emu Egg and Mullet Fish.

Thanakupi’s spherical clay pots explore the theme of the meaning of life through the use of the circle.

The design on this pot depicts the Nguul (Mosquito) Corroboree.

Like Noah’s Ark, the animals attended the ceremony two by two and this pot depicts several pairs of animals.

( Art Gallery of New South Wales )

As an artist, she held solo and group exhibitions in Australia and internationally, and contributed to several significant public artworks. Her ceramics are included in all major Australian art galleries and many private collections. She created public art murals that can be seen in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as those executed when she was an artist-in-residence in Edmonton, Canada and Colorado, United States.
Her professional career spanned more than 30 years and Thanakupi is seen as one of Indigenous artists and Australian ceramicists along with her recognition as a distinguished ambassador, linguist, cultural educator and community elder. When asked what positive outcomes she hoped to see within her lifetime relating to the arts and culture of Cape York she said “Everyone is art. Everybody has it. I hope it helps to develop change and I hope that people see it before it is too late and nothing happens. It can help make you a better person because it makes you believe in yourself and that’s what makes you strong.”

‘Arough the Emu and Kurigan The Brolga’ – ceramic tiled panel by Thancoupie

Left : ‘Guiree, the flying fox’, hand-built stoneware fired at 1240 degrees (oxides and clays)

Right: ‘Thawaal the black and white eagle fights with Cheth the red and white eagle’, hand-built stoneware

Mosquito corroboree – ceramic story pot by Thanakupi

1994

Thanakupi Vase

Eran (River) -outdoor ceramic sculpture – Thanakupi
NGA ( National Gallery of Australia ) Entrance Sculpture

Thanakupi – Ceramic spherical story pot sculpture

Large Stoneware Bowl – Thanakupi

Totem Pole – Thanakupi

Stoneware pot titled ‘The Crab” – Thanakupi

Thanakupi_Man-in-canoe ceramic story panel

‘Man in Canoe’ – Thanakupi

Thanakupi_Man-in-canoe clay sphere

‘Man in Canoe’ – Thanakupi

Chivarri the man paddles in his bark canoe along Hey River looking for the mother and son. She sees him coming round the island and she runs quickly. The mother has been gathering food, shellfish, together with her child. As she ran away her string bag broke, or tore, and some of the shells fell out as she ran along.

Kangaroo Mural – Thanakupi

Glazed stoneware tiles with slip and oxide decoration on incised design.

Love magic pot, ‘Prethem”, (Long neck turtle) – Thanakupi

Handbuilt stoneware, carved, oxide decoration, reduction/ gas fired with ash glaze.

Thanakupi Pots, stoneware, hand built, carved, oxide decoration, gas fired, reduced, with an ash glaze.

Thancoupie,-Gloria-Fletcher,-Untitled-(Vase)-1982

Stoneware Story Vase – Thanakupi

‘The Crocodile and the Blue Tongue Lizard’; Two by Two

Glazed ceramic bottles by Thanakupi

Thanakupi at studio

Thanakupi sculpture – Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal

Thanakupi exhibition

Gathering bush tucker

Kambel the crocodile and Pa’u the blue tongue lizard exchanging teeth.

Legends of Albatross Bay ( Weipa Story)

Mysterious Mountains – Thanakupi

Cairns Airport

Thanakupi story vessel – Stoneware, slip and oxide decoration on incised design.

Thanakupi – Glazed ceramic bowl,- 1979

Thanakupi_Knoolu-mosquito-corroboree

‘Knoolu mosquito corroboree’ – Thanakupi

The mosquito corroboree. The mosquitoes are dancing, singing ‘mmmm, mmmm’. All the animals answered the mosquito people calling them. They travelled to the corroboree ground and danced two by two, dancing all day and all night and all day and all night.

Story vessel – Thanakupi

Guiree – The Flying Foxes – Spherical Raku clay stoneware pot, manganese and iron decoration – Thanakupi

2000

Spherical turtle story pot – Thanakupi

Didgeridoo music and Australian indigenous art :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf0RrQ62jw8&feature=related[/youtube]

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Posted in: Creative – 2 Comments

Michael Sherrill, NC ceramicist

April 3, 2012

Dream of Wildflower – Michael Sherrill

” My desire is to create something that might bring the observer to this same place of wonder. For me to respond to a stimulant and then to make it work is one thing, but its another for that work to make the next step and draw a likewise response from the viewer. “…an extract from Michaels artistic statement.

Gifted ceramicist Michael Sherrill draws inspiration from his rural environment in the mountains of North Carolina where he work and lives. This is elucidated by his observation : ” I am compelled by the sensation of seeing things fresh, as if for the first time: like waking from sleep and being surprised by all that surrounds me. In my case, I see the flora and fauna outside my studio, and among them are discoveries and epiphanies.”

His life-like plant sculptures depict a natural fluidity, texture and detail that breathes subtlety and realism into his flora creations. He achieves this by combining porcelain,moretti glass and bronze in his nature sculptures. Their organically patterned, multicolored surfaces involve a painstaking process of layering and abrading and require four kiln firings. In the interest of “expanding what clay can do” Sherrill has introduced metal into his sculptures: “ “How do I draw with small pieces of porcelain? Metal becomes the backbone for a line or an idea that I want to express.” He has also introduced glass for its color and its heightened translucency

In the example below the leaves are from moretti glass ( a specific type of colored glass rod that is melted to create patterns in glass ), the central stamen is porcelain and the branches are bronze.

‘Night Moderne’

Essentially a self taught artist, Michael Sherrill moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to the Western North Carolina mountains in 1974. His primary influences came from being in the proximity of the North Carolina folk pottery tradition and the community surrounding Penland School of Crafts and the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. Specific individuals who have influenced significantly his development include Cynthia Bringle, Don Reitz and Sid Oakley.

Michael Sherrill

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Along with being an artist, Michael also lectures and is the creator of Mudtools, which was born out of a need to develop a line of innovative clay tools for himself, which he has also made available to other ceramic artists. Maybe this influence came from his father who was a self-taught inventor who patented industrial processes and created machines.

A collection of ceramic works from Michael Sherrill :