Friday, March 9, 2012

FROZEN FALLS


For a number of years while living in Plattsburgh, I was involved as a docent and research assistant at the Rockwell Kent Gallery at SUNY, Plattsburgh. I was enamored with Kent's painting/prints and style as well as the adventurous life he led. Among my favorite paintings are his winter landscapes and among those, FROZEN FALLS is my favorite. The balanced vertical element of the frozen falls against the horizontal motion of the clouds just appeals to me on a number of levels. For anyone who has been around dense vertical ice flows, like the one depicted in the painting, the color of the ice is striking and etches itself into your subconscious.


Since the image is copyrighted, if you wish to see the FROZEN FALLS painting, here is a link to it;    


Recently, I was able to handle a striking vase form by Iga master potter, Kishimoto Kennin. What immediately struck me was the resemblance it had to the FROZEN FALLS painting by Kent. The vase, made of wonderful Iga clay, is balanced with areas of hi-iro and the face of the piece displays a running stream of bidoro in its own way, a frozen fall created by the intense fire of an anagama rather than from canvas and oils and a vivid imagination.