123. Tom Scull, Shino-glazed, wood-fired, teabowl

123. Tom Scull, Shino-glazed, wood-fired, teabowl

 

Scull has been potting for 30 years; he currently lives and works in Canton, Connecticut. For more on him and other examples of his work, see his website cantonclayworks.com or his Instagram account @cantonclayworks.

Light gray clay, Shino glaze with light gray and red colors, pigmented Shino glazes in orange, brown, blue, and yellow; additional colors from wood firing; bottom of exterior walls and base left unglazed. Weight: 324 g (11.5 oz). Rim diameter 9.8 cm (3-7/8 in); maximum diameter: 10.2 (4 in); foot ring diameter: 5 cm (2 in). Height: 7.4 cm (2-7/8).

This sits on the base of the foot ring. The foot ring is about 1 cm (3/8 in) high on the outside. The interior of the base has been hollowed out to about half that distance. The artist’s name, “T T Scull,” and an H(?) were incised into the interior of the base. Above the foot ring, the walls rise outward in a straight line at about a 45-degree angle to a height of 2.3 cm (7/8 in) above the base, where the maximum diameter is reached. From there the walls move in a straight line to the rim, angling slightly inward. The surfaces of the piece are smooth, except in the areas with ash deposits.

The base and the foot ring were left unglazed, as was most of the bottom portion of the exterior walls just above the foot ring (the portion that angles outward). There are a few thin orange-colored squiggles in the last-mentioned area; this same area was colored a light reddish brown by the wood-firing, as was most of the exterior of the foot ring. The interior of the base shows only the natural clay color. On one side of the angled portion, there was a slight runover of the Shino glaze; this section became heavily pitted with ash during firing. The interior of the pot and the exterior were coated in a Shino glaze. There was a fair amount of carbon capture, turning these portions light gray and salmon colors. The exterior was further decorated with Shino glazes pigmented orange, blue, yellow, and brown. The rim has a significant amount of dotting with ash deposits. The bottom of the interior is heavily pitted with ash deposits.

Purchased from Canton Clay Works in June 2021.