Pottery Projects: Week Nine

Week Nine

Photograph by Michelle Andrews

My first collection of vases has been bisqued and I am now painting them with underglaze. I love blue and white pottery and it is very exciting to make my own. I am painting delicate florals, reminiscent of chinoiserie, which is in keeping with my general aesthetic. I have applied white underglaze in a rough manner to make the pieces look old or vintage -some of the original clay shows through.

I am actually taking great care with this painting - takes a very steady hand. I am looking for a very delicate, intricate result.

I am inspired by the work of Avatil Sheffer and, although I can't possibly achieve her exquisite forms, I like the way her pieces have all-over pattern on a pale background and include text. Her vessels for me have a strong textile reference, some are anthropomorphic and even remind me of garments. In her artist statement, she states: " I am interested in the frayed edges of mythologies and language, where dialogue and cross-fertilization between cultures takes place." Sheffer (n.d.)

This resonates with me because I am also fascinated with the homogenization of culture and the faded stories and customs of displaced people and diaspora. I like the power of motifs and patterns which can carry a culture across the world, and the irony of some cultural patterns that are pure fantasy in origin, but, through dispersion, have become historical symbols of a particular place or time, eg. blue willow pattern.