223. Andrew Sartorius, Sculpture series no. 25, “Mt. Meru”

 223. Andrew Sartorius, Sculpture series no. 25, “Mt. Meru”

For the artist, see no. 143.

“This series of sculptural vessels explores shape and form allowing each sculpture to emerge through my coiling and carving process of hand building. The sculptures reveal themselves to me in shifting from and merging and meeting lines that lend themselves to focusing on kiln placement and the interaction between clay choice and kiln effect.” (Author's statement.)

West Virginia wild clay with add feldspar and granite chips, tan in color, unglazed, with kiln effects coloring the surface shades of gray to black, with dark reddish brown areas on the sides and terra cotta color on the base. The molten ash pooled inside the piece and vitrified to form a glassy blue-colored layer on the bottom of the opening. Weight: 1208 g (2.7 lb). Height: 14 cm (5-1/2 in). Width: 18.7 x 13.4 (7-3/8 x 5-1/4). 

The body has three sides. This sits on the flat base, a triangle with curved sides. There are five circles marking the locations of the wads separating the piece from the shelf during firing. Each of the three sides is a triangle with curved sides. The edges where the sides meet are sharp, bumpy ridges. The front side contains the opening, roughly 2 cm (3/4 in) in diameter and located beneath the peak of the piece, about a quarter of the way up from the base. The right-hand side has the artist’s mark in the lower left-hand corner just above the base. The surface of this is pitted and scratched. 

This was wood-fired in the lower front of a train kiln for two days. The exterior colors are kiln effects; as noted above, the ash pooled inside the piece and vitrified. The feldspar and granite chips largely retained their white color, speckling the surface. 

Purchased from the artist, June 2023.