178. Andrew Mazzaschi, eight wall hangings, cont.

178. Andrew Mazzaschi, eight wall hangings, cont. (see previous entry).

E. Red clay. Glazed in a dark Tenmoku with white highlights. Weight: 76 g (2.7 oz). Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.6 x 2 cm (3-7/8 x 2.5/8 x 3/4 in).

F. Red clay. Glazed in white, with the red clay showing through, with blue and gold highlights. Weight: 72 g (2.6 oz). Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 2.5 cm (3-7/8 x 2-3/4 x 1 in).

G. Red clay. Glazed in white, with the red clay showing through, with blue highlights. Weight: 78 g (2.7 oz). Dimensions: 11.7  x 7.6 x 2.3 cm (4-5/8 x 3 x 7/8 in).

 

H. Black clay. Glazed in a dark Tenmoku with white and blue highlights. Weight: 86 g (3 oz). Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.8 x 2.3 cm (4 x 2-3/4 x 7/8 in).

 

177. Joseph Bounds, chawan, with Shino glaze, 2022

177. Joseph Bounds, chawan, with Shino glaze, 2022

For Bounds, see item 149. 

Dark clay, Shino glaze. Weight: 344 g (12 oz). Width of rim: 11.5 cm (4-1/2 in); of base: 7.7 cm (3 in). Height: 7 cm (2-3/4 in).

This was shaped by the kurinuki technique this potter favors, with additional modeling by hand. This sits directly on the flat base. The base is roughly circular. The walls are highly irregular, but generally rise in a straight line slanting outward to the rim. The walls appear to have been both carved and molded by the fingers. For the most part the rim is circular, but one side has an inward dent and a pointed and turned over protrusion into the interior, almost like a pouring spout going the wrong way. This pot sits very well in my left hand; the grooves provide easy resting points for my thumb and fingers. It is much more difficult to hold in my right hand. I wonder if Bounds held it in his left hand as he was shaping it. The surface of this is quite smooth to the touch despite the many bumps.

The entire surface was glazed in Shino. During the firing, the glaze cracked and crawled, creating a much crackled surface and exposing the dark clay beneath. There are only a few dabs of the red this glaze can show.

This is very heavy for its size. As with many chawan produced by American potters, it would be difficult to use this in a tea ceremony. It is, however, well-modeled and glazed. Another interesting pot from this young potter.

Purchased from Bounds in February 2022 soon after it was made.

 

176. Ralph Nuara, medium-size bowl with resist decoration

176. Ralph Nuara, medium-size bowl with resist decoration

For Nuara, see item 175. 

Light tan clay. Glazed in black, tan, and red. Weight: 404 g (14.5 oz). Diameter of rim: 14.2 cm (5-5/8 in); of foot ring: 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in). Height: 8 cm (3-1/8 in).

This sits on the inner edge of the foot ring. The outer edge of the ring has been carved off, leaving it beveled inward. The foot ring is about 0.7 cm (1/4 in) high inside and out. The lower part of the body proper is narrower than it is in most bowls. Above the foot ring, the walls are a concave arc in shape to the height of 1.7 cm (5/8 in). The walls then rise outward in a convex arc to just below the rim. There is a break at this point and the walls flare outward to the rim in a straight line. The lip of the rim in rounded. The interior of the body mirrors that of the exterior. The surface of this is quite smooth.

The black rectangular areas on the body were formed using strips of blue masking tape. An undercoating of black was applied first; the torn strips of tape were then distributed over the body. The bowl was then covered in a thin tan glaze, which allowed the black undercoat to show through in many places outside the tape strips. The interior of the ring foot was also covered with the black and tan glazes. One side of the bowl was then dipped in a thin red glaze. During the firing the tape burned away, exposing the black undercoat.

Another example of ingenuity from this potter (see the previous item). 

Purchased from Nuara in January 2022.

175. Ralph Nuara, chopstick rests

175. Ralph Nuara, chopstick rests

 

Nuara is a potter in Minneapolis. For other examples of his work, see his Instagram account @ralphnuara.

Red clay. Slip decorated in white and black with clear glaze; base left unglazed. Weight: 20 g (3/4 oz). Dimensions: 4.5 x 3.2 x 1.3 cm (1-3/4 x 1-1/4 x 1/2 in).

The pair began as a strip of clay used to secure a partially dried pot to a wheel for shaping and trimming. The strip was then decorated, dried, snapped in half, and then fired. There is a groove down the middle to serve as the chopstick resting place.

Slip-decorated in white and black. The top side was then coated with a clear glaze. The bottom was left unglazed.

Ingenious reuse of materials.

Purchased from Nuara in January 2022.

174. Benjamin Eberle, teapot, thrown, with altered shape, wood-fired

174. Benjamin Eberle, teapot, thrown, with altered shape, wood-fired

For Eberle, see item 173. 

Light gray clay. Lining glaze on the interior; flashing slip on the exterior, exterior colors from wood-firing. Weight: 886 g (2 lb). Width: 9 x 17.7 cm (3-1/2 x 7 in). Height: 19.7 cm (7-3/4 in).

The body of this was thrown on a wheel, and the shape was then altered. To this were added a base, four stubby feet, a lid, and a spout. The lid is a cap type secured by an interior flange. The design features this potter’s favorite vertical grooves and seam lines made with a shaping tool.

The interior has a transparent lining glaze. The flashing slip combined with the wood-firing colored the exterior gray and a reddish brown. The gray covers about three-quarters of the exterior; the brown about one quarter.

This and the preceding are pots for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. They can be used to make tea, but do have drawbacks. This one wobbles a bit because the feet aren’t the same height. The top opening on both pots works against using loose tea leaves. The opening is too narrow to reach into. Also the interior mouth of the spout on each pot is open, and loose tea leaves could clog the spouts, making the use of drawstring bags necessary. It’s not ideal, but these are fun pots to use and a joy to look at and handle.

Purchased from Eberle in January 2022.

173. Benjamin Eberle, wood- and soda-fired teapot, thrown with altered shape

173. Benjamin Eberle, wood- and soda-fired teapot, thrown with altered shape

Eberle is a potter in Conway, Massachusetts. For more on him and other examples of his work, see beneberleceramic.com or his Instagram account, @bqeberle.

Light gray clay, lining glaze on interior; exterior colors from wood- and soda-firing. Weight: 1118 g (2.5 lb). Width: 19 x 10.2 cm (7-1/2 x 4 in). Height: 19 cm (7-1/2 in). Capacity: 1 liter (1 quart).

The body of this was shaped on a wheel and then altered into an oval shape. A base, four stubby feet, a spout, and a handle were then attached. The artist’s marked is inscribed on the base. The flanged lid sits on a gallery. The body is creased vertically and scored with the double lines this potter often uses.

The lining glaze is a translucent glaze the color of the base clay. The exterior is mostly the burnt red color of a wood-firing on unglazed clay. There are some darker speckles on the body, and the spout is gray.

Purchased from the artist in 2021.

172. Lauryn Axelrod, three pieces from her “Sheddings” series

172. Lauryn Axelrod, three pieces from her “Sheddings” series

For Axelrod, see item 147.

The “Sheddings” series is about things left behind when they are no longer useful. The series was inspired by fragments of seashells Axelrod saw on a beach in the Galapagos Islands. All the pieces were made from wild clay she harvested in Texas and wood-fired for 48 hours in a train kiln, also in Texas. These were intended to be hung on a wall from one of the grooves on the back side using a screw or nail head. 

 

A. Fine-grained gray clay. Colors from wood-firing. Weight: 354 g (13 oz). Width at top: 13.6 x 12.7 cm (5-1/4 x 5 in); at base: 6 cm (2-3/8 in). Height: 2.8 cm (1-1/8 in).

The flat area on the back side has four grooves intended to be used in hanging the piece. In the center of this area is a small circular stamped artist’s mark, the Japanese character “mori”  森, or Three Trees, the name of Axelrod’s studio. The walls rise in a convex arc to the rim. The rim itself is highly irregular and broken. The interior bears deep circular grooves made by the fingertips as this was shaped. The surface is smooth except on the ridges and edges.

The flashing colors of red and light gray come from the wood-firing. There are four small area on the back where the raw clay shows through, the remnants of the posts used to support the piece during firing. The front surface is gray with occasional glossy areas from melted ash. The back side is red and gray; most of the back side has a glossy finish.

B. A medium-coarse reddish tan clay. Colors from wood-firing. Weight: 392 g (14 oz). Width at rim: 14.5 x 12.5 cm (5-7/8 x 4-3/4 in); at base: 6.3 x 7 cm (2-1/2 x 2-3/4 in). Height: 5.3 cm (2-1/8 in).

The flat area on the back side has four grooves intended to be used in hanging the piece. In the center of this area is a small circular stamped artist’s mark (see above). The walls rise outward in a slightly bowed straight line to the rim. The rim is highly irregular. The interior bears deep circular grooves made by the fingertips as this was shaped.  The texture of the interior is rough; that of the exterior is smoother in most places.

The flashing colors of red and gray come from the wood-firing. The flat area on the back was uncolored by the firing and must have been resting on a shelf or floor. Most of the interior was similarly left uncolored by the firing and shows the reddish tan color of the bare clay; only the edges have gray flashing. The exterior exhibits both red and gray flashing.  There are only a few areas of wood-ash melt, chiefly along the rim.

C.  A coarse dark clay. Colors from wood-firing. Weight: 730 g (26 oz, 1.6 lb). Width at rim: 17.5 x 16.7 cm (7 x 6-1/2 in); at base: 7.5 x 8.2 cm (3 x 3-3/4 in). Height: 5.8 cm (2-1/2 in).

The flat area on the back side has four grooves intended to be used in hanging the piece. In the center of this area is a small circular stamped artist’s mark (see above).  The walls expand outward in a slightly bowed convex arc to the midpoint and then flare outward in a straight line to the irregular rim. The interior bears shallow circular grooves made by the fingertips. The surface of this is very rough.

The colors, black, a dark red, and a few streaks of gray, come from the wood-firing. There are heavy deposits of ash and cinders on all surfaces. The base has a few areas of melted wood-ash glazing.

The three pieces are related in shape and design, but each is still individual. The first is almost a plate; the last one almost a bowl.  Hanging these on a wall would obscure their three-dimensionality. Too much would be hidden if the back side were not visible, and too much of the tactile exuberance of the clay would be lost if it were difficult to handle them.

Purchased from the artist in late 2021.