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!
