Out of the Mouths of Pots

Once upon a time, when I was learning about ceramics and making vessels, I heard someone talk about the "mouth of the pot." Instantly, I had a mental image of a pot with a pair of lips. As is often the case, I wasn't able to banish that image from my mind until after I'd manifested it into real life. The result is the "mouth of the pot" series:

Talking Pot, 2002 ceramic and wax 6" x 6" x 6"

Talking Pot is one of the first pots I created for the "mouth of the pot" series. It wasn't until I finished the pot that I realized that it appeared to be talking, or at least frozen in mid-sentence. I burnished the surface of this pot with a smooth stone. It took many, many hours and left the pot with a smooth, glassy finish. Not wanting to hide the beautiful color of the clay, I applied wax to the surface once it had been fired. Clay comes in many colors. Humans come in many colors. Both are so beautiful in their natural state.

Pomegranate Pot, 2002 ceramic and wax 7" x 6" x 6"

Initially, this pot was going to be called Bette Davis Eyes, after the popular song. But as it evolved, it took on a mind of its own, and became the Pomegranate Pot, instead. That happens sometimes. Actually, that happens a lot. I'll start out with an idea of what something will look like, but art sometimes does what it wants to do, and there's no use arguing. It's best just to go along with it. This pot was burnished with a smooth stone (agate is my personal favorite), and then I finished it with a progression of waxes.

Say "Ah" Pot, 2002 ceramic and wax 3.5" x 5" x 5"

After my initial mouth pots, I started considering the different things we do--different expressions, etc--with our mouths. At least once in each of our lifetimes, we've gone to the doctor and he/she's told us to "say ah." So, I stood in front of the mirror, saying ah, while forming the mouth of this pot. As with the other pots in the series, Say "Ah" was burnished and then waxed, to allow the natural beauty of the clay to come through.

Kissing Pot, 2002 ceramic and wax 6" x 6" x 6"

Kissing Pot is purely sculptural, but I could hardly do a series of mouth pots without making at least one into a kissing pot. It was burnished, and then finished with wax.

Mona Lisa Pot, 2002 ceramic and wax 6" x 6" x 6"

Clearly, Leonardo da Vinci's La Gioconda (Mona Lisa) has one of the most famous smiles in Art History. This was another mouth expression that I couldn't ignore. Because she is slightly turning to the side in the original painting, I had to capture the mouth the way that I saw it, hence the slight asymmetry. Mona Lisa Pot was burnished prior to firing, and is finished with wax.

Whistling Pot, 2000 ceramic and wax 4.5" x 5" x 5"

The smallest of the mouth pots, Whistling Pot, is also my favorite. I wanted to show some diversity in the pots, so I used a wax that contained dark pigment. It doesn't completely hide the color of the clay, though, which is good.

Sometimes a tea pot will whistle, so that adds another meaning to this particular work.

A few of these pots, and others that are in the works, will be available during the Abiquiu Studio Tour. Mark your calendars for the first weekend in October!