assignment #3

Source: This piece is for sale at etsy.com; http://www.etsy.com/listing/23951381/hand-built-porcelain-balloon-bowl-pure.

Technique: The description says that the bowl is hand-built using the slab method. The clay is porcelain with a clear glaze.

Critique: I was initially surprised to see that this was slab-built; the walls are so thin and delicate it seems that it would be difficult to maintain stability of the piece, perhaps that is why the artist left the folds as they are (rather than smoothing them out). The dotting along the folds may have been made by a ribbing tool. I think without these dots the piece would look less polished.
The choice to leave the bowl in its colorless form accentuates the folds more than a colored glaze would. I think sometimes the beauty of the clay itself can be overshadowed by an eye-catching color that might as well be on a piece of paper rather than a three dimensional form. Leaving the clay as it is--white-- was a great choice, as it is a wonderful contrast to the dark shadows created by the folds.
The overall presentation seems to be one of "simple" beauty; however there is much detail in this piece. The grooves and lines made by the inner folds of clay are accentuated on the outside as well, which indicates the true form of the piece (folded slabs of clay). I think the choice to accentuate some of the inner folds adds to the effect of the piece much more than if it had been smoothed to look more like something else; for example, a flower pedal.

CG ceramics assignment #2

Source: The vase I will discuss was recently purchased by my husband at a garage sale across from our house. He actually bought two vases: one vase is factory made with delicate white geese that remind me of my mother and the second was thrown in for free. Although I do not know the maker of this piece, it does have a mark (see above).

Looking inside and at the symmetry of the vase it appears to be wheel-thrown rather than made using hand-building. There are decorative grooves on the outside that seem to have been made while on the wheel (likely by fingers).
What is striking about the vase is not its form but rather the application of the smoky-blue glaze. There are no brush strokes so I would venture that it was dipped; however, the glaze is not evenly dispersed. The glaze may have actually been dripped onto the piece. The glaze is also very thick and appears to have ran off the piece at the bottom creating a puddle that was fired separate from the clay. Was this intentional? I could see that maybe the artist was experimenting with glazes/glaze mixtures and maybe it was a mistake but the drippings at the base were fired, which indicates to me that the glaze application style was purposeful.
Whether purposeful or not, the vase is visually interesting even from a distance because of this glaze application; if it had been smoothly glazed it would be more conventional and therefore would probably not have captured my interest for this critique as it has.