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.