193. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 4, “The Tower”

 193. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 4, “The Tower”

 

For Sartorius, see item 143.

Wild clay from West Virginia. Gray, black, reddish brown colors from wood-firing. Weight: 426 g (15 oz). Height: tallest side: 11.3 x 9.7 cm (4-1/2 x 3-7/8 in); opposite side 10.7 x 9.4 cm (4-1/4 x 3-3/4 in). Width: sides: 4.7 x 5.8 cm (1-7/8 x 2-1/4 in); bottom: 5.5 x 5 cm (2-1/4 x 2 in).

This is a four-sided column with curved panels and irregular sides. The base is flat, a three-sided figure with sides that curve outward and with curved angles where the sides meet. The base is roughly 4.8 x 2.5 cm (1-3/4 x 1 in). The base does not occupy all of the bottom of the piece. The rest of the bottom curves slightly upward toward the sides. The artist’s mark was impressed into the clay in this area. The opening at the top is 3.5 x 2.7 cm (1-3/8 x 1/16 in), roughly rectangular in shape. The surface is moderately rough and pitted.

This was fired in the lower front of an anagama kiln and was naturally glazed over a four-day firing period with a coating of fine ash particles, which melted and ran down the sides. The sides facing the ash flow became grayer than the other sides, which show up as a dark reddish brown color. There are a few brown spots.

This is meant to sit upright but the base is unsteady, and I position it on its side for safety’s sake.

Purchased from the artist, July 2022.

 

192. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 11

192. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 11

For Sartorius, see item 143.

Porcelain clay, grogged, and coated with a porcelain slip. White, pink, blue, brown, and gray colors from wood-firing. Weight: 1054 g (2.4 lb). Height: 13.2 cm (5-1/4 in). Length: 17 cm (6-3/4 in). Width: 10.7 cm (4-1/4 in).

This is roughly triangular in shape with curved sides. It sits on the flat base, a triangle with curved sides of the length and width given above. Traces of the three posts used to separate this from the shelf in the kiln are visible on the base. As with the other pieces on this series, this was hand-built. All sides are convex arcs, curving inward to the triangular top, which is 13.8 cm (5-1/2 in) long and 7.6 cm (3 in) wide. The top slopes downward from the height given above to 8.2 cm (3-1/4 in).  The front face of the piece has a small circular opening 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter situated to the upper left portion of this side.

Wood-fired for four days near the front of an anagama kiln. In a note, Sartorius explained that the colors seen here are typical of those created by interactions between the porcelain clay and the molten wood ash.

Purchased from the artist in May 2022.

191. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 3, “Wing”

191. Andrew Sartorius, Firebox Sculpture 3, “Wing”

For Sartorius, see item 143.

North Carolina wild clay, a grayish brown color. Natural ash glazing in grays, blues, and creams. Weight: 620 g (1.4 lb). Height: 8.3 cm (3-1/4 in). Width: 7.9 cm (3-1/8 in). Length: 15.2 cm (6 in).

This is roughly cylindrical in shape, formed so that it slants upward. It is weighted and shaped so that it rests on a flat base at one end. The base is a rough U-shape, about 6.4 cm (2-1/2 in) wide and long at the widest points. The artist’s seal is pressed into the underside.  There is a circular opening on the top side near the weighted end, about 2.3 cm (7/8 in) in diameter. The smaller side (that nearer the opening) is a flat line at the bottom beneath slightly more than half a circle. This side bears slightly outward from the vertical from bottom to top. The other side cants upward from the base in an elongated U-shape convex  arc, roughly 9 cm (3-1/2 in) long, that becomes more and vertical as it nears the upper edge.

This was fired in the lower front of an anagama kiln for four days. A continual coating of fine ash particles melted into the surface of the piece. The only unaffected part was the base and one spot near the bottom on one side. The fire was hot enough to form glassy tears on the bottom of the piece. There was a build-up of rough ash deposits on the top near the higher end. The result, as in many pieces in this series, is a multicolored surface that looks like corroded metal with a variegated patina.

Purchased from the artist in May 2022.

 

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190. Caitlyn Kent, small pit-fired vase

190. Caitlyn Kent, small pit-fired vase

Kent is a Boston-area potter. For other examples of her work, see her Instagram account, @caitlynkentpottery.

White clay, colors from pit-firing. Weight: 216 g (7 oz). Diameters: maximum, 7.6 cm (3 in); of rim, 3.3 cm (1-5/16 in); of base, 5.4 cm (2-1/4 in). Height: 8.2 cm (3-1/4 in).

This sits on the flat base. The letters “NFS” were incised into the base. also incised into the base is an indecipherable squiggle. The walls rise in a shallow convex arc to the shoulders about 5.7 cm (2-1/4 in) above the base. The maximum width is about 0.7 cm (1-4 in) below this. The walls then slope inward to the neck, which begins 7.6 cm (3 in) above the base and is 3.2 cm (1-1/4 in) in diameter. Above the neck, the walls slant slightly outward to the rim. The letters “VIII” (Roman numeral 8?) have been incised into the side of the walls just above the base. The surface of this is smooth with the exception of a few small bumps from the pit-firing.

When I purchased this, Kent told me this was pit-fired in a backyard barbecue loaded with a pile of wood.  A banana peel was wrapped around the pot, which was then enclosed in an aluminum-foil saggar. The colors range from light and dark grays, through browns and reds.

A nice exploitation of the potentials of pit-firing.

Purchased at Feet of Clay’s annual spring show, 2022.

 

189. Kari Wojtanik, small wood-fired vase

189. Kari Wojtanik, small wood-fired vase

 

For Wojtanik, see item 91.

Gray clay; colors and glazing from wood-firing. Weight: 338g (12 oz). Width (maximum): 8.8 cm (3-1/2 in); of rim: 4 cm (1-5/8 in); of base: 5.4 cm (2-1/8 in). Height: 13.3 cm (5-1/4 in).

This sits on the flat base; the artist’s name “Kari” has been incised into the base. The walls rise outward from the base in more or less a straight line to the maximum width, which is 8.8 cm (3-1/2 in) above the base. From there they rise in a shallow convex arc to the neck, which is 3.2 cm (1-1/4 in) in diameter and begins 11.3 cm (4-1/2 in) above the base. The neck flares outward in a concave are to the rim, which is fairly wide. The interior of the vase mirrors the exterior. The exterior walls have a series of horizontal bands.  The texture of the portions covered by the ash glaze is smooth; those areas less affected by the wood-firing are slightly rough to the touch.

This was fired unglazed. The base color of the clay is visible on the bottom. The walls range in color from tan to brown to gray. There is a deposit of gray ash on one side at the shoulder. The mouth, rim, and the rest of the shoulder were covered with a melted ash glaze and are quite glossy and glassy. Some of this melted glazed flowed down the sides almost to the bottom, creating darker brown, lightly glazed patches.

A well-shaped, well-fired pot.  This was fired at a seminar on wood-firing in Maryland. Wojtanik is expanding her firing skills.

Purchased at Feet of Clay’s spring sidewalk sale, 2022.

188. Karatsu sherds

188. Karatsu sherds

Twelve sherds from the Karatsu kilns (唐津焼, Karatsuyaki) in western Kyushu.  According to the seller, these came from a rubbish dump near a kiln that flourished in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Three of the identifiable pieces are spouts from katakuchi, two are portions of a small teacup; three appear to be from the same flattish dish with curved sides; and the rest are portions of bowls of some sort.

Purchased in April 2022 from Art and Antique 28, Gifu City, Japan.

 

187. Jōmon sherds

187. Jōmon sherds

 

Jōmon pottery (縄文土器, Jōmon doki) is a type of ancient earthenware pottery made during the Jōmon period in Japan. The term "Jōmon" (縄文) means “rope-patterned” and describes patterns often pressed into the clay. Jōmon wares date from 10,500­-300 BCE, although pottery fragments from an earlier period that may also be Jōmon wares have been found.

The seller had no information on these particular sherds but thought they came from “northern Japan.”

The clay contains minute sparkling fragments, perhaps mica or quartz. Each piece is about 0.7 cm (1/4 in) thick.

a. Red clay; the interior and much of the exterior are blackened, either from soot or dirt. Weight: 122 g (4.4 oz). Dimensions: 9.5 x 13.3 (3-3/4 x 5-1/4 in).  The top left shoulder and the center of the top are the original rim on the pot; all the other edges are broken.  The vertical squiggles and the horizontal bands were coils of clay attached to the main body. The other decorations were incised or pressed into the clay.

b. Brown clay, with much blackening from soot or dirt. Weight: 18 g (0.6 oz). Dimensions: 8.7 x 4.5 cm (3-1/2 x 1-3/4 in). All the edges are broken. The central band was formed from a coil of clay attached to the main body. The other decorations were pressed into the clay.

c. Tan clay, with much blackening from soot or dirt. Weight: 160 g (5.7 oz). Dimensions: 10.2 x 11.3 cm (4 x 4-1/2 in). The upper edge is part of the original rim; all other edges are broken. The handle(?—perhaps an arm of a figure?), was formed from a separate strip of clay and attached to the main body. There is no open space under the handle; there is plug of clay on the inside of the handle closing what would normally be an opening). All the decorations were incised into the clay.

d. Gray clay, with reddish colors on the exterior; the interior is blackened. Weight: 86 g (3 oz). Dimensions: 8.3 x 7.9 cm (3-1/4 x 3-1/8 in). The upper edge is part of the original rim; all other edges are broken. The decorations were incised into the surface.

e. Tan clay. Weight: 160 g (5.7 oz). Dimensions: 12.7 x 11.7 cm (5 x 4-5/8 in).  The upper edge is part of the original rim; all other edges are broken. The design at the center top was from coils of clay attached to the body of the pot. All the other decorations were incised into the clay.

Purchased in April 2022 from Art and Antique 28, Gifu City, Japan.