Art Stop: A Critique of Ceramics At first when walking through the front door at Art Stop, I mentioned I was

a student at the University of Puget Sound. Every employee immediately knew the ceramics program. A short tour around the shop led me to identify certain pieces of work that I specifically enjoyed and was fascinated with for different reasons. The first piece that caught my attention was a work by Louise Schollaert that was untitled. It looked like two shallow bowls had been turned on to one another to form the shape of a clam. The clam had cylindrical teeth. I was specifically drawn to this piece because of how the two bowl shapes rested on one another. At first, the piece appeared to be a clam. However, the top and bottom bowls did not meet on their edges. What I most enjoyed about the work was how two different forms came together in a nonsymmetrical fashion. Throwing a piece relies on symmetry when building. However, even if these two bowls were thrown, I liked how they came together, complimented one another, and became something more than the fact that the whole piece was not symmetrical or geometrically focused. My only critique of the piece was its lack of robust color. The teeth of this clam were a metallic gold color. Besides the teeth, the beige color did not stand up to the form of the piece. I would have appreciated the piece more, as a whole, if the decoration matched the uniqueness of the form. Another piece of ceramics that I found particularly interesting was a work by Sue Rose, titled A Mask for Goldilocks. The piece was a form of a caricature of a bear. However, it was the fur that grabbed my attention. The muzzle of the bear was

smooth. However, soft cylinders representing its furs covered the rest of its head. I expect that this piece was hand-built. I did not think the form of a bears head was especially spectacular. Still, it was the creativity in designing the fur. There was no need for bright glazes or decorative patterns on this piece. Instead, the pattern of three-dimensional fur standing straight up gave this piece a more realistic yet imaginative appearance. I think the piece was surrounded by glass because of the temptation to feel the piece. I admire how the artist added a simple idea of

incorporating common three-dimensional shape to make the entire piece extraordinary. I noticed a third piece made by Marguerite Goff. It was titled Journey Home. At first, I walked right past this work. The form was commonplace. It was a tall cylindrical jar that became square towards the top. However, what brought me back to the piece was its glaze. This was a raku piece. The entire piece was uniformly covered with a single glaze. It was iridescent with shades of red, blue, and purple. The pattern of colors was inconsistent. I think a common theme throughout the shop was imperfect forms. Bowls were not perfect circles and cups were not perfect cylinders. Still, my favorite piece in the shop was not because of the form. My favorite piece was because of the decoration. Standing on multiple sides of the piece yielded different exciting colors and reflections. I think I was drawn to this piece because it was a raku. In my head, I want to make a piece with the glazed finish of the Journey Home. The glaze seemed effortless. The colors seamlessly melded into each other.