Monday, January 17, 2011

No Question of Worth


I saw this bowl made by Trent Burkett at a ceramics sale on the UOP campus last month. It was one of those rare joyous finds that instantly gets under your skin… Throughout the day I found reasons to wonder back through the event 3 times before heading home for the night. I woke up at 1:30 in the morning seriously deep in thought about the piece. I know it’s just a bowl… a very, very beautiful bowl, a potter’s pot… asymmetrically thrown on a kick wheel using a clay body with feldspar chips wedged in, rope textured, slipped and wiped, sprigged, a hand cut deep narrow foot, signed with an distinctive chop over the curve of the foot ring, soda fired, and finished with a subtle red enamel accent … like I said, a potter’s pot, but it had me hooked.

It is so many things that my work currently is not… I woke-up the next morning at 5am and stopped by the grocery on my way into work to pull out $25 in hopes of seeing it again… lucky enough it was still there and since then, it’s become a very familiar friend.  I’m even more taken by it than when I first saw it. I love the feeling of wonder I get every time I use it… 

It’s an excellent example of the evolution of the Minnesota Minge Movement.  A quiet object that is amazingly complex and subtle in its approach to surface and form while beautifully serving its function. Work at this level is made by very confident hands and it shows…
Totally worth every penny spent and I know I got a bargain.
Thank you Trent… I love it!

6 comments:

D. Michael Coffee said...

Really nice piece, no wonder you were smitten by this bowl...thanks for posting. Nice thoughts...

cookingwithgas said...

the one that did not get away- lots of joy in that pot.

Tracey Broome said...

you are so right, that is just one of those bowls. If I had it, I would carry it around with me everywhere just to be holding it! How do some pieces get that thing that is so intangible but so amazing!

carter gillies said...

Thanks for sharing that! What a great story to go with that wonderful pot. I can't imagine being a potter if I hadn't also been captivated by the work of other potters. I feel so lucky that as a novice I was in the right place at the right time and was surrounded by so many talented and inspiring artists. Falling in love with these little gems that others have made adds so much to my passion for clay. Thanks again for sharing!

Unknown said...

This is indeed a wonderful bowl and a bargain to boot. I love how you articulated your thoughts, I recognize the feeling of waking up in the middle of the night obsessing about it.

jim said...

hi joel, that is one sweet bowl... beautiful. i can see why it haunted you.