white; thin-walled; soiled from, with some small spaces between coils; conical shape, flaring outward from flat base; wrinkled near bottom and leaning to one side

%C2%A9 Cheryl Ann Thomas

Vessel 80, 2007

Not on Viewexpand_more

Cheryl Ann Thomas, a ceramic artist living in Ventura, California, has pushed the artistic and aesthetic standards for porcelain for several years, with her tall, slumping vessels. One of the first questions viewers might ask when seeing works such as Vessel 80 is "What is it made of'". Subsequently, the viewer may then question their own assumptions about porcelain, e.g. "Can imperfection be a goal with porcelain as a medium'"

Thomas constructs tall vessels by meditatively layering tiny rolled coils on top of one another, and firing these pots until the point of near or partial collapse. In this way, she deliberatively welcomes serendipity, and subverts centuries of striving for perfection in porcelain. Ironically, these imperfect, sometimes nearly collapsed pieces are prized by collectors.

Details
Title
Vessel 80
Artist Life
born 1943
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2008.16
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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white; thin-walled; soiled from, with some small spaces between coils; conical shape, flaring outward from flat base; wrinkled near bottom and leaning to one side

© Cheryl Ann Thomas