Jars & Lids Journal Entry by Iling Lai

Mike Jabbur

Porcelain.

Cone 9/10 Reduction.

6” x 6” x 9”

It’s a very interest piece, and the color light green and white match well. I like how it looks simple but have sense of design. I read him statement, and knows that he said “Reveling in the expressive potential of clay’s materiality—its willingness to glisten and stretch, fold and fissure—I draw connections between the ceramic vessel and the human body to sanction a means of understanding, a postern to the familiar. The body is a wonderfully complex structure, limitless in opportunity for investigation from the micro to the macro, the corporeal to the conceptual.  Dynamic movements expressed by the human body also inspire my sense of form; my pots bend and twist, wriggle and dance.  Such gestures further the associative phenomenon regarding our means of understanding.  Concurrently, these gestures—especially dance—recall the human act of celebration.  A metaphorical connection is drawn between colloquial perceptions of human celebration and the metaphysical celebration that occurs when actively engaging in acts of eating and drinking.”

KyoungHwa Oh

Porcelain.

8” x 11” x 11”

These pieces are very amazing! She creates ceramic objects that reflect traditional Korean culture and western contemporary style. And her work consists of functional and sculptural carved porcelain ceramics. It has been strongly influenced by the element of nature such as water, flower, and space. And nature is the unifying subject in her carved porcelain vessels. She use graceful flowing lines to reveal a harmonic balance in her work.  

Michelle Erickson

Virginia (Front).

Earthenware.

18” x 9” x 14”.

This piece is so cool. Her work is based in historical reference technically and conceptually and is narrative in nature dealing with the human experience through a social, political and environmental landscape. And he said “his broad repertoire of authentic reference allows me to recreate in a contemporary context the long historical tradition where ceramic objects are used as tools to instigate social and political change, communicate ideas as well as document the extremity of the human condition.”

Ayumi Horie.

Monkey and Bird Jar.

Earthenware.

8” x 7” x 7”

This piece is so cute that the monkey and bird. All her work revolves around the idea of comfort, both physical and psychological. I read her statement and know that she said “By using material generously and by having a sense of soft gravity in the walls of the pot, I hope to impart a feeling of quietness and contentment. Finger marks and dents are unconcealed and even celebrated, because what could be more comforting than the handmade? I want my pots to be poetic; the sag at the base of a pot may counterpoise a thin, articulated lip or glazed yellow sprinkles around a bird may suggest excitement. I love drawing animals and being engaged in their dramas.”

Lidded Vessels

Ancient Egyptian Canopic Jars and the Four Sons of Horus.

     Canopic jars were stone and ceramic vessels used for the burial of the viscera removed during mummification. Canopic equipment is found in Ptolemaic tombs but stopped being used by the Roman period. The last known royal canopic jars belonged to après        (589-570 BC)

 

 

 

 

 

      This lidded vessel was placed as a cache during a building-dedication ritual. It portrays a deity from the Palenque triad known as GI, whose characteristic features include a central shark's tooth and fish fins. A mythological bird rests on the deity's head.

Cache Urn, Guatemala, AD 250-450Ceramic  

 

     " Elegant long-necked cormorants raising fish from the surface of the water " are a common theme on Early Classic vessels. This particular vessel rests on four naturalistic peccary heads, another aspect of such tetrapods.
Guatemala 250-400Cermaic with slip   

 

          Moche (Mochica) ceramic pot vessels are photographed in the form of a group of five. These seated Moche warriors are from the La Mina site in the Jequetepeque Valley of Northern Peru. The Moche culture began about 200 B.C., lasting to about 1000 A.C. inhabiting the North Coast of Peru. The Moche artists produced the only realistic or naturalistic fine art sculpture visual art in pre-Hispanic or pre-Columbian South America. Much Mochican clay pottery survives, often painted with red and white slip.

 

 



Historic Jars (with Lids) by Amanda Hanson

So for this assignment I decided to look up jars, or even lidded vaces, on The Metropolitan Museum of Art website. I went through a lot of pages and found several that I liked for different reasons, here they are.

(Above) Large storage jar with floral decoration - http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/100030336

I chose to look at this storage jar because, for this assignment I'm more interested in trying out different slips and stencils to decorate my pieces. I liked the sharpness that the floral decoration had, and that it was only on the top section of the jar, rather then all the way down the piece.

(Above) Large Baluster jar with figure of hawk on lid - http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60019975

I chose this piece because I've always been drawn to Asain art. I just love the amount of details that can be seen in it, there is just so much to look at (seriously click on the link and go to the full screen mode for it.) I just wish that the picture could be in color; I used the description of it on the website (Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration, overglaze enamels, and gold) to find similar examples online, and it lead me to the two images below.

This jar, even if it is a little busy color wise, is by far my favorite jar out of everything I've seen so far. It's from the Ming dynasty, and the fish illustrated on it are carp. Here's a link to a website with more images of it, and even more links to jars like this http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2012/07/26/24778439.html

The way that the carp have been illustrated is what got to me, since I illustrate fish in a similar manner. Aside from that I love the use of white space on this jar, as well as the curve of both the lid and the jar itself.

 

(Below) Jar depicting three spirited peacocks - http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/140008333

Another lidless jar that I found. This time I chose it because of the very strange and stylized peacock painted on it.

(Below) Jar with lid, from the Qing dynasty - http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/60019472

Once again I tried to find a colored image of this piece, or of a similar piece, but no such luck this time. I really wish I could see what it actually looked it. My favorite areas on this jar are the sections of repeating patterns by the foot of the jar, and below the neck of the jar. I wasn't sure about using patterns on my own jars, but this is convincing me otherwise.

 (Above) Jar Qing dynasty - http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/60021495

You know how a minute ago I said that the carp jar was my favorite? Well I've changed my mind, I somehow just managed to fall in love with a piece of porcelain. The line work, the intricate pattern all over the jar, the delicate shading on the flowers. It's all amazing, and I just found a ton more of these, none of them are in color which is breaking my heart. Please go look at all of these, I've been in an artists slump for a week now, and I'm finally inspired to work again, off to the studio!

Lidded Jars

For this Blog post I decided to go "off the grid" and take a look at other artists.

Jon Oakes

Raku finishing is not yet in Wikipedia, but what a great effect. From Pinnacle Gallery: "The colors and designs of Jon Oakes' vessels and plates with Raku finishing have made his work very popular with interior designers and ceramic collectors. From beautiful 6" lidded pots to spectacular vessels over 4 feet tall, he attains brilliant colors that rank his Raku pieces as the best we've been able to find anywhere."

Natalie Blake

I think it's nice when people find their "thing" and make it a success. From Pinnacle Gallery: "Natalie Blake is a widely respected ceramic artist who is best known for her urchin-topped vessels. Her pieces exhibit fine details in sculpted designs that portray an organic feel."

Tania Rustage

Sugar-fired vessel with driftwood handle. It almost looks like fine stone, glass or amber.

Hsinchuen Lin

These birdhouses are really great and I bet they are fun and easy to make. Here's a vessel with a unique handle on the lid that caught my eye.

Barbara Dunshee

Just a bit of the whimsy. She must have had fun throwing the lid on the wheel, or did she?

Lidded jars

Unknown maker

lightning 1880's

Mason 1850’s

Atlas 1880’s

Kerr 1900’s

Ball 1880’s

For this lidded project I chose to look at different types of canning jars and their progression over the years. The pictures I have chosen to display are of the mid to late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. The photo of the brown ceramic jar is an example of what was used before glass jars came into circulation. The rest of the jars are from different competitors trying to control the market with the “best” jar. They are all very similar with few minor differences, with most of the differences affecting form and not function. Before rubber gaskets were put into place, sealing wax was used which can still be found if you look for it. Rubber has become the preferred method because of its ease of use and lack of clean up. Overall this was an interesting topic to look through. If I had more time I would look into how the metal is attached so I could try it with some of my lids.