51. Amy Clark, large wood-fired vase

 51. Amy Clark, large wood-fired vase 

For Clark, see item 48.

Light gray clay, interior and lip have a gray glaze; exterior slip decorated in brown, with colors from wood-firing. Weight: 1378 g (3 lb). Rim diameter: 5.3 cm (2-1/8 in); maximum diameter: 13.2 cm (5-1/4 in); base diameter: 8 cm (3-1/4 in). Height: 23.3 cm (9-1/4 in).

The pot sits directly on the base, which is only very slightly concave. The pot rises outward and upward from the base in a shallow arc to the maximum width, which is 11.3 cm (4-1/2 in) above the base. The walls then curve inward to the neck, which is about 5.2 cm (2-1/8 in) wide at the narrowest point and about 18.8 cm (7-1/2 in) above the base. The pot then bows outward slightly to the rim. The artist’s mark, “Ocean Fire Pottery York Maine” is stamped in a circle at the bottom of one side, just above the base. The pot sits very solidly on the base.

The interior and the lip are covered with a gray glaze. The exterior walls and base were decorated in curving lines with a brown slip. The colors on the exterior are light browns and reds and come from the wood-firing. One side of the vase has a glossy sheen from natural ash glazing.  The surface of the exterior is much speckled with ash. The surface is alightly rough to the touch.

A satisfying combination of long lines, warm, randomly generated colors from the wood-firing, and a freely executed design. 

Purchased at the artist’s studio, Ocean Fire Pottery, York, Maine, September 2019.