Wesley Rolley on sat 22 dec 01
I have been discussing this subject with Charles Moore off line and I it=
=20
sparked enough thinking that I thought I would ask a few questions on=20=
line. Our off line discussion began because I remembered that Charles=20=
had written an article on the subject and I had just borrowed an=20
exhibition catalogue from the public library that had a few surprises fo=
r=20
me. The exhibition was "American Arts and Crafts: Value in Design" at=20=
the Los Angeles County Museum of Art back in 1990-1991.
The catalogue showed a few items from two highly regarded studio potters=
,=20
Binns, Ohr and Robineau. It also had the standard art pottery offerings=
=20
from Rookwood, Fulper, Van Briggle and Newcomb. In addition, there were=
=20
many artists (Frederick Hurten Rhead) and companies (Redlands Pottery,=20=
Buffalo Pottery, California Faience) that I had never heard of.=20
The conclusions reached by the curator were that "While striving to=20
elevate craft, the movement's legacy to the art world was the value of=20=
design." This sound like it could have come from Jonathan Kaplan. Much=
=20
of the work was molded. When it was thrown, it was often done so by a=20=
nameless craftsman (unisex as these workers were often women) and=20
decorated by someone else whose signature might appear on the pot. =20
So, I site here wondering how many feel that they are working in this=20=
tradition. Are there any contemporary potters who are strongly=20
influenced by this movement?
--=20
Wesley C. Rolley
wrolley@refpub.com
"I find I have a great lot to learn =96 or unlearn. I seem to know far =
too=20
much and this knowledge obscures the really significant facts, but I am =
getting on." -- Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Kurt Wild on sat 22 dec 01
At 05:36 PM 12/22/01 +0000, Wesley Rolley wrote:
> Are there any contemporary potters who are strongly=20
>influenced by this movement?
While I am not directly influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement, I can say
that my work may appear to some to relate to it.
Also, a number of Arts & Crafts period pottery collectors have purchased my
work, probably in part, for that reason. I buy bisqued pots from four
different potters and then glaze, sgraffito and soluble salt decorate the
pieces which I then reduction fire to cone 10. Most of my decorations are
stylized nature forms (birds, fish, butterflies, bugs, etc.) but I also
have done some basically geometrical designs as well.
In signing my pieces I acknowledge the thrower by including a letter
designation for that person's name when I sign and date the bottom of the
piece. My web site also acknowledges those potters.
My web site is as follows: http://wwwpp.uwrf.edu/~kw77/
Kurt Wild
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