CAST A SHADOW

A while back I was rummaging throw some big, blue tuffy(s), looking for a tiny Japanese teapot and I came across this pot which immediately brought me back to Cleveland by way of Akron, Ohio. I cleared off a shelf and apparently decided to take a few photos at exactly the right time, using only natural light, this hand-built vase cast a shadow that is just a perfect companion for this Bob Yost pot. As I mentioned this vase was handbuilt in Bob’s rather unique, even quirky style where the posture and attitude become the central theme in a multipart play about vessels. The piece was glazed rather casually though I suspect by some experienced design in Dave Shaner’s red to yellow which seemed to be all the rage in the early 90s in the Ohio area though this application is near to perfection for the form. Perhaps the most engaging feature of finite details is the small lugs looking like some pre-historic appendages and adding movement and whimsy to the overall presentation. Without waxing nostalgic, I miss my decade long sojourn in Cleveland and it is these moments that give comfort and a constant reminder to the years spent there, enjoyed to the very fullest with lots of clay in all forms along the journey.