beautiful pottery at garth clark gallery

One of the people who influenced me early on to get involved with clay is my old friend David. We met when I was just out of high school and he was already pursuing a degree in clay at Philadelphia College of the Arts. He lives in New York City now and works out of the Greenwich House Pottery. When I am in town, we always tour all the galleries and museums together. This afternoon we popped into Garth Clark Gallery on 56th Street. I love this gallery; it's a small gem of a space and they always have an outstanding pottery exhibition. I was inspired by the exhibit today of Gwyn Hanssen Piggott. She throws these beautifuly delicate bowls and cups, with thin rims and soft glazes that remind me of the colored eggs araucana chickens lay. My friend Bronwyn happened to give me a collection of eggs from her araucana hens that she raises in her backyard in West Oakland right before I left for New York, so the colors have been on my mind.

Many of Gwyn Hanssen Piggott's vessels have a different colored glaze on the inside, which creates a very soft and delicate mood. I always love the contrast of a different colored glaze on the inside of vessels. Along with the cups and bowls were sturdier bottle forms. The pieces were assembled as a still life, which was a lovely way to see everyday functional objects. It made me stop and think again about that tension between "art" and "craft". I would write more about what I think on that subject, but it's been another busy day in New York City for me, and I'm off to bed!