63. Kate McGuire, two small vases

63. Kate McGuire, two small vases

 

McGuire is a Boston-area potter. She writes: “The challenge of transforming a lump of clay into something both beautiful and useful captivates me. There are several stages in the process of making pottery, and the first (creating the form) has always been my favorite. I love the feel of the clay in my hands, and I'm always striving to achieve the perfect line or curve for each piece. . . . I use a variety of wheel throwing and hand building techniques to create my work. I like to incorporate texture, which may come from a variety of objects, but most commonly my ever-growing collection of antique Indian wood block stamps . . . . I also find nature to be a great source of inspiration.”  For more on McGuire and pictures of her work, visit her website: www.katemcguirepottery.com.

The two items in this entry are not related. Long after finishing this section of the catalog, I discovered I had missed a piece by McGuire. I’ve added it here.

63a. Brown clay, glazed in blue; base left unglazed. Weight: 188 g (7 oz). Rim diameter: 5 cm (2 in); maximum diameter: 8 cm (3-1/4 in); base diameter: 4 cm (1-5/8 in). Height: 7 cm (2-3/4 in).

This sits directly on the flat base. “Kate” was incised into the base using a pointed tool dipped in brown slip. The walls curve upward and outward in an arc to the maximum diameter, which is 3.2 cm (1-1/4 in) above the base. They then curve inward to the neck, which is 4 cm (1-5/8 in) in diameter and 6.3 cm (2-1/2 in) above the base. The rim of the pot curves outward directly above this. The body of the pot has been dented with six deep, irregularly spaced grooves, which divide it into six pictures areas. A design of leaves on a twig has been pressed into each of these areas, perhaps using one of the Indian stamps the artist collects. The rim has been fluted at seven irregularly spaced points.

The pot was glazed inside and out with the exception of the base. The deep blue glaze has pulled away from the edges of the rim and the lines of the stamped design, allowing the darker color of the clay to show through.

Excellent, free-wheeling but well-thought-out modeling and decoration.

Purchased at the annual spring sale at Feet of Clay Pottery, Brookline, Massachusetts, April 2018.

63b.  Dark brown clay; thick white glaze over interior and top three-quarters of exterior; bottom part of exterior and base left unglazed. Weight: 146 g (5 oz). Height: 6.3 cm (2-1/2 in); Widths: rim, 5 cm (2 in); maximum, 6.3 cm (2-1/2 in); base, 4.3 cm (1-3/4 in).

This sits on the base, which is very slightly concave toward the center; “Kate” was incised into the base. Above the base, the walls bulge outward in a convex arc to the maximum width at a height of 1.6 cm (5/8 in) above the base. Above this the walls move inward in a generally straight line to the neck, which is 4.7 cm (1-7/8 in) in diameter and located 5.5 cm (2-1/4 in) above the base. The area between the maximum diameter and the neck is composed of a series of shallow horizontal groves and bulges running around the circumference of the pot. Above the neck, the walls move outward and upward in a straight line to the rim. The surface of this is smooth on both the glazed and unglazed sections.

A heavy white glaze covers the interior and the exterior down to the point of the maximum width. The glaze pulled away on the underside of the rim, allowing the clay color to show through and creating a dark brown line running around the pot.

Purchased at the annual winter sale at Feet of Clay Pottery, Brookline, Massachusetts, December 2018.