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Thursday, November 05, 2015

If only I didn't dislike getting my hands dirty ....

I'd be tempted to take a pottery course, and no this post is not inspired by the Great British Pot-off!

There is something about ceramics that can make the hairs on the back of my neck tingle. The ability of a potter to create a simple form then, using skills I can only guess at, create a surface that ranges from the most simple to almost peacock like (I'm thinking raku firing!) leaves me feeling quite humble.
On a recent visit to Cambridge I had a brief opportunity to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum. I'd intended to view their contemporary art collection but didn't get that far! Once I'd seen the ceramics rooms I was a lost cause and right at the end of my time there I came to some pieces by Jennifer Lee that had an impact that I can't really find words for. Alun Graves, V & A Curator can do the waxing lyrical:

"Confronted by Jennifer Lee’s new group of pots in her south London studio, I am at once  struck by their quiet but insistent beauty, their unassuming elegance, their balance and poise. Caught between movement and stillness, their fine, standing forms appear simultaneously rooted yet weightless, both silent and exerting considerable presence, holding within themselves a concentrated energy."

Suffice to say, her work made the hairs on the back of my neck tingle ...

1 comment:

The Idaho Beauty said...

I share your feelings for ceramics. You've shown an exquisite example. The simplicity & balance of the form is breathtaking. I want to cradle it in my hands, feel the shape and the surface.