49. Amy Clark, small vase

49. Amy Clark, small vase

For Clark, see item 48.

Light gray clay, decorated with a reddish-brown slip and green celadon glaze; base left unglazed. Weight: 262 g (9 oz). Rim diameter: 4 cm (1-1/2 in); maximum diameter: 6.5 cm (2-5/8 in); base diameter: 5.3 cm (2-1/4 in). Height: 13.2 cm (5-1/4 in).

Hand-thrown. This sits directly on the base. The edges of the base are slightly beveled upward; this created a slight ridge on the exterior of the pot. The artist’s mark, “Ocean Fire Pottery York Maine” was stamped into the base. The pot rises outward in more or less a straight line to the maximum width 8.7 cm (3-/12 in) above the base. It then curves inward to the neck, which is 3.2 cm (1-5/16 in) wide at the narrowest point and 11.7 cm (4-5/8 in) above the base. The walls then flare outward to the rim. The lip slants a bit.

The pot was covered with a reddish-brown slip. The interior and most of the exterior were then covered with a green celadon glaze. The bottom of the pot up to height of about 2.8 cm (1-1/8 in) was left unglazed allowing the slip color to appear.

The contrast between the glazed and unglazed surfaces on the exterior set the pot apart.  Had the exterior been completely glazed, the pot would have been just another example of a glazed vase, well done but lacking interest. A simple design choice by Clark created something special.

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