RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL

Illustrated is a pair of Rapunzel pots, a large wall bowl and a simple cottage style teapot both made of thrown terra cotta, various underglaze slips and a thin clear glaze. Each piece is decorated with a stylized Rapunzel nude and her flowing hair, vivid sunflowers and a dark, almost alien and distant  background of swirled purple clouds. Meant to be somewhat whimsical and obtuse in its portrayal it can be challenging fitting the decoration to the three dimensional form but it is also just another of problem solving with a pencil and brush in the hand. Like many fables and fairy tales and beyond the Brothers Grimm, there is a lot of hidden meaning and sub-text to these stories which is why over the years I have used a wide array of such myths, fables and stories to decorate my pots as it allows a greater degree of discovery beyond just the obvious. Lastly, I decided long ago to depict Rapunzel free and clear of her imprisonment, enjoying the sun and forest floor for a change, not usually how she is portrayed after all it is the 21st century.