103. Andrew H.S. Mazzaschi, soda-fired cup with rutile stain

103. Andrew H.S. Mazzaschi, soda-fired cup with rutile stain

Mazzaschi has been making ceramics since 2018. His work explores and experiments with texture—finding forms that complement various textures (and vice versa) and finding glazes that make the textures and forms pop. His latest obsession, faceting pots with a wiggle wire, provides a balance between creating geometric lines and allowing the organic properties of the clay to emerge as it is stretched and rethrown. He has begun experimenting with reduction and soda firing. For more on him and other examples of his work, see his Instagram account @MassPots.

Brown stoneware clay, white shino glaze, with rutile wash. Weight: 398 g (14 oz). Rim diameter: 8.2 cm (3-1/4 in); maximum diameter: 9.8 cm (3-7/8 in); foot ring diameter: 4.7 cm (1-7/8 in). Height: 10.4 cm (4-1/8 in).

This sits on the base of the foot ring. The foot ring is about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) high on both the interior and the exterior. On the exterior, the walls of the foot angle inward to the walls of body of the pot. The artist’s initials, “MHSM” were incised into the center of the ring. Above the foot ring, the walls of the pot rise in a continuous convex arc to the rim. As the walls near the rim, the arc flattens out. The maximum diameter lies 5 cm (2 in) above the base, just below the midpoint. Most of the mass of the pot is located below the midpoint, giving the pot a low center of gravity. The rim of the pot is uneven and dented. The pot was wheel-thrown and then coated in a white stoneware slip containing small pieces of fused silica, resulting in a rough texture.

The interior and rim were glazed in white shino. These areas are flecked with many black spots. The exterior, including the base, was rubbed with a rutile wash, resulting in a range of brown, yellowish-brown, and reddish-brown colors. The pot was soda-fired. The color of the clay is visible only in the marks on the foot ring left by the wads used to separate pots during firing.

Purchased at the annual sping sale at Feet of Clay Pottery, Brookline, Massachusetts, May 2021.