especially: an
Italian ware of this kind (Merriam & Webster definition)
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I realize this
isn’t the best photo but wanted to share this from the “early days”, maybe it
was 1992 or 1993. For some reason, I had become a bit obsessed with this really
chaotically decorated tin glazed majolica with oxide pigments which also lead
me down the road of doing reduction lusters as well. This assemblage of
decorations was called, Who’s Who and was illustrative of the people and places
encountered on my bus and train ride into Cleveland proper seven days a week. There
was never a dull moment and I think this decoration makes that abundantly
clear. Thrown out of terra cotta, the pieces were glazed over in a slightly
off-white majolica glaze and then each one was painted in series or
individually depending on the piece. At the time, most every form I was working
with including the leaning tower of Piza jars (not shown), were employed but
here you have covered jars, teabowls, cups and saucers and small, one-person
teapots that I was having fun making. I am not sure if it is clear or not but
the cups and teapots all have pedestal feet, something I had started doing on
porcelain pieces a short while earlier and I liked the feel, look and
sometimes, the challenge. At any rate, I do remember this group of two dozen
pieces coming out of one kiln load and though there is some level of cringe
now, being in clay for a short while at the time, I was slightly pleased with
these way back when. (I should note that I have Alan Caiger Smith, Dick and
Patty Schneider and Linda Arbuckle to thank for pushing me down this particular rabbit
hole.)
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