The Frank Lloyd Gallery presents a group exhibition that demonstrates the tactility and intimacy of the ceramic vessel, from hand-held Japanese tea bowls to large-scale vases. All 17 of the works in the show are intimate aesthetic objects, made by hand. The show is inspired by a quote from New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl:

"Painting exercises the eye; sculpture echoes the body. Ceramics express and are addressed to the hand. They acquire their full meaning within arm's reach—the ambit of embraces—where the sovereignty of sight blurs into that of touch."

Bounded by this human scale, and formed by direct eye-hand coordination, the work of these artists reveals both the nature of the material and individual vision. Richard DeVore, a well-known American master, is represented by three works in the exhibit. One is a shallow open bowl form with a central opening that reveals multiple layers. Another is a tall, dark vessel that simultaneously alludes to the botanical and corporeal. In each of the works, DeVore's multiple firings produce a subtle veining on the skin of the work. Wayne Higby, another recognized American master, is represented by a large bowl form that reflects his interest in landscape.

Satoru Hoshino, in a muscular and direct way, imprints the thumb and forefingers in the walls of his towering coils of clay. His works, from a series called "Spring Snow", are made by the oldest process of forming clay vessels: coiling and pinching rolls of clay, into a spiraling form of rugged and primitive nature. In contrast, the tradition of Japanese tea ceremony objects is represented by the work of Goro Suzuki. His tea bowl, made in the tradition of the Shino style, is from the highest Japanese aesthetic ritual of Cha-no-yu.

From the world of Mexican ceramics, another richly civilized tradition of ceramic art and pottery, the work of Gustavo Pérez shows the delicacy of incised line, a well-planned geometry that circumnavigates the vessel. His inventive patterns and punctures on the surface of the vessel demonstrate the hand of the maker in a more calculated use of the circumference of the pot, yet clearly make use of the plasticity of the material.


Please click on the image link below to view the digital catalogue for the exhibition: