142. Catherine White, “Night Vase,” wood-fired, ash-glazed, 2021

142. Catherine White, “Night Vase,” wood-fired, ash-glazed, 2021

 

 

 

  

 

White is an artist in Warrenton, Virginia. For other examples of her work and more about her, see her website, www.catherinewhite.com.

Dark brown clay, natural ash glaze, colors from wood-firing. Weight: 2000 g (4.4 lb). Rim diameter: 4.7 cm (1-7/8 in); maximum diameter: 18.5 cm (7-1/4 in); base diameter: 7.6 cm (3 in). Height: 13.3 cm (5-1/4 in).

This sits on the flat base. The letters “KW” and the date 2021 were incised into the base. There are three marks on the base left by the posts that separate pots from the shelves during firings. The walls rise in a wide, continuous convex curve to the neck, reaching the maximum diameter 6.4 cm (2-1/2 in) above the base, or approximately halfway up the sides. The neck is barely 0.3 cm (1/8 in) high. The lip of the pot is about 1 cm (3/8 in) wide and tilts slightly downward to the mouth. The texture of the outer surface varies from smooth to slightly rough in areas of ash deposit. There is a shallow groove around the exterior circumference of the pot above the midpoint.

This was unglazed. The colors come from the wood-firing and the color of the clay and range from a dark reddish brown through dark browns and blacks. The ash glaze melted in some areas, giving them a slight sheen.

A very substantial, solid pot. The shape suggests a drooping heaviness that is borne out by the weight of the piece.

Purchased from the artist in July 2021.

141. Monte Young, large wood-fired stoneware vase, with altered shape

141. Monte Young, large wood-fired stoneware vase, with altered shape

 

 

Young is a potter in Jasper, Indiana. For more on him and other examples of his work, see monteyoungpottery.com or his Instagram account @monte.young1961.

Gray clay, covered with a Shino slip; other colors from wood-firing. Weight: 1938 g (4.3 lb). Rim dimensions: 10.2 x 9.7 cm (4 x 3-7/8 in); maximum dimensions: 15.7 x 13.8 cm (6-1/4 x 5-1/2 in); base diameter: 9.7 (3-7/8 in). Height: 24.7 cm (9-3/4 in).

This sits on the outside edges of the base, which is very slightly concave. The base has been scored in an expanding series of arcs. The remains of the three posts used to separate the pot from other surfaces during the firing are visible on the base. After throwing, the shape of the pot was altered into an oval. The artist’s mark, a raised circle with a design inside, was pressed into one side of the pot just above the base. Above the base, the walls rise in a continuous convex arc to the bottom of the neck, which is about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) below the rim. The wood-firing left a somewhat bumpy surface, especially where the ash deposits are thickest. The white lines visible on the front of the pot are grooves, filled in with the Shino slip. The firing gave the pot a smooth, slick finish.

A Shino slip was applied to the interior and parts of the exterior of the pot, with the exception of the base. The wood-firing created colors ranging from dark reddish brown to black through to a bluish gray in the areas where the ash deposit and carbon capture was greatest. According to the explanation provided by Young, this was fired for 36 hours in a small wood-firing cross-draft kiln. The interior is largely the creamy red of the Shino glaze.

Purchased from the artist, July 2021.

140. Jeff Abney, moon jar, with lid, ash-glazed

140. Jeff Abney, moon jar, with lid, ash-glazed

For Abney, see item 138.

Gray clay, ash-glazed on the exterior, clear glaze on the interior, base and underside of lid left unglazed. Weight: 965 g (2.2 lb). Height (overall): 13 cm (5-1/8 in). Bottom section. Rim diameter: 5.3 cm (2-1/8 in); mouth diameter: 4.5 cm (1-3/4 in); maximum diameter: 12.5 cm (5 in); base diameter: 9 cm (3-1/2 in). Height: 12.3 cm (4-7/8 in).  Lid. Diameter: 8.2 cm (3-1/4 in); diameter of flange: 4.3 cm (1-11/16 in). Height: 1.7 cm (5/8 in).

This sits on the base, which has a very shallow concavity. The walls rise in a continuous convex arc to the neck. The artist’s marks—a torii gate inside a circle and “JA” inside a circle—were impressed into the exterior wall just above the base. The walls exhibit throw marks in the form of shallow horizontal lines around the circumference. The rim is slightly rolled. The lid has a shape like a mushroom with a flatish cap. The underside, a shallow concave arc, is mirrored in a convex arc on the top; the center of the top has been flattened. The flange is about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) high. It is only slightly smaller than the mouth, and the lid fits snuggly onto the base. The surface of this is coarse and pitted.

The interior has a clear glaze. The exterior, with the exceptions of the base and the underside of the lid, was covered with an ash glaze, resulting in colors ranging from cream through yellow through brown dispersed randomly.

Nicely shaped. The randomness of the coloration is very pleasing.

Purchased from the artist, July 2021.

 

139. Jeff Abney, raku-fired vase, with wax-resist decoration

139. Jeff Abney, raku-fired vase, with wax-resist decoration

 

 

 

 

For Abney, see item 138.

Gray clay, cream glaze, with wax-resist decoration; base left unglazed. Weight: 812 g (1.8 lb). Rim diameter: 6 cm (2-3/8 in); maximum diameter: 13 cm (5-1/4 in); base diameter: 8.5 cm (3-3/8 in). Height: 12 cm (4-3/4 in).

This sits on the base. The walls rise in a shallow convex arc to the shoulders, which are 9.5 cm (3-3/4 in) above the base. The shoulders are also the site of the maximum width. Above the shoulders, the walls angle inward at about 45 degrees to the base of the neck, which lies 11.3 cm (4-1/2 in) above the base. The neck angles inward steeply to the rim. The artist’s marks—a torii gate inside a circle and “JA” inside a circle—were impressed into the exterior wall just above the base. This has a variety of textures—smooth over the glazed areas, coarse and dusty-feeling in the unglazed areas.

The interior and the exterior, with the exception of the base, were covered in a cream glaze. The two, dark swooshes on the exterior were formed using a wax-resist technique. The pot was raku-fired in the American style. It was removed from the kiln while still hot and then covered with sawdust and a large metal can. The fumes from the sawdust penetrated the edges of the crackles, outlining them. The glaze over the areas covered by wax fell off, and these areas were similarly colored by the smoldering sawdust.

The glazing and firing techniques left this looking like a victim of mistreatment and rough use over many years. The result is a dramatic piece. It’s not in any sense “pretty,” but it does draw and hold the eye.

Purchased from the artist, July 2021.

 

138. Jeff Abney, yunomi, with Hamada rust glaze

138. Jeff Abney, yunomi, with Hamada rust glaze

Jeff Abney is a potter in Blairsville, Georgia; his studio is called Red Gate Pottery. For other examples of his work, see his Instagram account, @jeffabneypottery.

Gray clay, glazed in Hamada rust glaze, with black accents; foot ring and base left unglazed. Weight: 484 g (1.1 lb). Rim and maximum diameter: 10.4 cm (4-1/8 in); foot ring diameter: 6.3 cm (2-1/2 in). Height: 10.2 cm (4 in).

This sits on the base of the foot ring. The foot ring is about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) high on the exterior. The interior has been hollowed out to about a third of this height. Above the foot ring, the walls slant outward at about a 60-degree angle to a height of 2.4 cm (7/8 in) above the base. At this point, the cup is about 8.4 cm (3-1/4 in) in diameter. The artist’s mark, an image of a torii gate inside a circle, was impressed into this section of the cup. From this, the walls curve in a shallow convex arc to the rim. Just beneath the rim, the walls are concave to supply a place to hold the cup. The rim is rolled. The surface is slightly gritty.

The interior and all of the exterior except the base and the ring foot were covered with the Hamada rust glaze. There are several black lines across the exterior surface.

A bit larger and heavier than most yunomi, but visually a very satisfying piece.

Purchased from the artist, July 2021.