REMINDERS

When I first saw this covered box form, I was struck by what seemed to be a rather complex geometric puzzle composed of well intersecting planes and angles. Over time I have actually come to realize that like much of Bruce Cochrane's pottery, there is an enticing simplicity where form and surface are the principle players in a thought provoking play, part drama, part comedy and purity of visual message. The wonderful angles of the box are well complimented by the strong, solid base which imitates the form in a slightly exaggerated scale while the piece tilts outward from base to the top where the extremes of the lid and foundation are almost of equal proportions. The top of the lid terminates in a seductive and full curve that breaks up the angulatiy of the form and is a perfect surface for the Shino glaze which was applied very thin and has some areas of flashed iridescence to catch the eye. While a good deal of Bruce's work is devoid of actual decoration there are reminders within the surface of how the clay was constructed, rasped, scraped and sure formed to allow the distilled forms to speak for themselves, cloaked in minimal glazes and wood fired surfaces where if there was ever a more apropos use of the expression, "where less is more", I am not sure I am aware of it.