Paulus Berenson

This is a different kind of post... but it's what I love about writing this blog - discovering new artists and learning more about them) I've been drawn to the artwork on the cover of Red Bird by Mary Oliver ever since I bought the book last summer on a visit to Portland, OR. So, I thought I'd do a post on the artist but came up with only nebulous information about him. No bio could be found on the web... just a book he wrote in 1997, Finding One's Way with Clay: Creating Pinched Pottery and working with Colored Clays. (available at amazon if you're interested)

I think this looks like a woven or quilted piece... but it could also be a 2-D relief clay sculpture. What do you think? Anyone who knows more about Mr. Berenson... please feel free to leave a comment. I'm very curious now!

Diane Kempler

Root Maidens (earthenware) glazed and unglazed

detail of Celebrations

Celebrations of the House

Ceramicist, Diane Kempler, likes to work mostly with human form and enjoys its connection to nature. Thorn, root and leaf forms are often combined with the figure. She first encountered ceramics while working at a crafts center in MA, (a native of New York) after college, and found it was what she wanted to do with her life. She stopped working as a studio artist for a while and took a job as director of a puppetry arts center museum while she continued to teach. But after 8 years she returned to ceramics with a new vision and energy. Her work is all sculptural and focuses mostly on the abstracted human torso. She often uses elements of nature such as tree forms, root shapes, or other green growth. (Tommy Simpson and William Bennett Seitz)

Polychrome: A term meaning painted, printed, or decorated in many colors. It is most frequently used in relation to sculpture, especially pre-Renaissance, much of which was originally colored. In the Renaissance white marble, in imitation of the antique, became the dominant material. A strong tradition of polychrome sculpture survived in religious art produced in Spain and Naples in the Baroque era and polychromy continued in the art of the Rococo in southern Germany and Austria. (Michael Clarke)

Raku Ceramics

Raku: Japanse pottery made for the tea ceremony, usually of an irregular shape and texture. It was fired at a low temperature and covered with a thick, usually dark, colored glaze. The name derives from the Japanese word 'enjoyment', which was adopted as a seal by the family of potters who first made this ware, circa 1580. (Michael Clarke)

These beautiful Raku tiles were made by Spokane artist, Chris Nylander. She also makes raku sculptures of women's faces that are breathtaking. I bought these at a yearly show called 'Inland Crafts' (formerly Inland Craft Warnings).

Chien Yao

2 Vases (1895-1910) by Emil Arnold Krog and Knud Valdemar Engelhardt. Porcelain, multicolored underglaze and crystal glaze. Made by Den Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik, Copenhagen.

Chien Yao: Shallow Japanese tea dishes that in earlier times were produced in China. Their glaze recalls rabbit fur, bird's feathers, turtle shells or oil spots. The predominant color tones of dark blue, brown, and green pan out from the center or form cloud-like patches. The glaze is applied in several layers which are fired several times. The result is that, as the light striking the surface varies, the color apparently keeps changing. (Gabriele Fahr-Becker)

These vases are made by Danish designers of the Art Nouveau period who were inspired and influenced by Asian ceramics and techniques.