Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

 

 

 

‘Minnow from Earth’ series by Michael Lucero

artnet

 

 

Revering the Earth

 

Most ancient cultures practised rituals that displayed a reverence for the earth. This usually took the form of celebrations that ritualistically encouraged healthy crops for the coming year and the earth being praised as a good source of sustenance. The Green Corn Ceremony (Busk) is an annual ceremony practised among various Native American peoples associated with the beginning of the yearly corn harvest. The ceremony was marked with dancing, feasting and fasting and religious observations. Likewise, the Pagans and Druids liked to worship mountains and sacred trees along with  various Earth Goddess figures.

In the East, the Earth Element was revered for its ability to balance all elements and heal, exemplified by the Chinese emperor exclusively wearing yellow, (symbolic of Earth). The Japanese favoured anagama ceramics for their tea ceremony, due to the fact they were fired in kilns built into the earth and experienced longer firings which strengthened the Earth element. They believed this extended exposure enhanced the quality of the Earth as this element was nourished by the Fire element

In Hebrew, the name Adam suggested the colour red, or “red earth” and is related to the Hebrew word “adama” 0r earth. It was believed that the first man came from earth, taken from the red soil. According to the Tanakh, Bible, Quran, the Hadith and other writings, Adam was formed from clay, and then life was breathed into him.

Shape and appearance also influence an earthly perception. Vessels of a symmetrical form with balance give the impression of being more grounded, as do earthy palettes and shapes that are bottom heavy with a low centre of gravity. Squat shaped pottery and objects tapering to a large base also convey an earthly appearance of being grounded. Solid, heavy pieces made from dense materials also have this effect, as do rougher textures (more yang). Yang chi moves in a downward direction towards the earth.. Horizontal lines also allude to being grounded and support earthiness.

The imagery presented here is a rumination of  the terrestrial diversity of earth and its related creative products.

 

 

‘Mud hut with a view’  —  Traditional tukul house, Ethiopia

 

 

Raku sculpture – ‘Flow of Time and Space’ —Anita Feng

 

 

Mayan Aztec maize Goddess plaque/mask

Maize/corn has an earthy fragrance and was honoured due to this connection to the Earth and was regarded for its healing powers.

 

 

 

‘Three Peaks’ – Dolomites

Italian Alps

 

 

Earthenware Platter – Sandra Blain

River Gallery

 

 

Pottery vase — Fired Earth Ceramics- Southern Africa

 

 

 

Two abstract ceramic vessels — Carol Zee

Earth Meets Fire Show

 

 

‘Earth’ sculpture by Sylvia Simon

bronze, height 48cm

 

 

Ida Sahmie mother earth rainbow tile

King Gallerie

 

 

 

Gaia Earth Goddess with Europa relief

GAEA (Γαία) was the Protogenos (primeval divinity) of earth, one of the primal elements who first emerged at the dawn of creation, along with air, sea and sky.

 

 

Large Peter Rushforth  drip glaze Blossom Jar

 

 

 

Rare vintage Italian Bitossi pottery vase, designed by Aldo Londi in the 1950s.

 

 

Earthquake cracks – Golden Gate Park, 1906

 

 

Shozo Michikawa

 

 

Black granite Song Version 5 — John Isherwood, UK

height 60cm

 

 

The name Kuan Yin translates to ‘Earth Feminine’

Photo by Kowit Sitthi

 

 

 Le Corbusier- ‘Water, sky, earth’

1954

 

 

Mid Century Modern TOYO black glazed ceramic ikebana vase

 

 

Large glazed ceramic plaque with nude — Waylande Gregory

USA

 

Eric Astoul vase – La Borne, France

 

 

 

Diala – Digital interpretive aerial  landscape art, NT, AUS

 

 

 

Guido Gambone  Glazed Earthenware Jug, Italy circa 1960

Harter Galerie, Nice, France

 

 

Gilbert Garcin – ‘Life is a theater’

 

 

Acu-terrestial ceramic Totems – hillside installation – BYUH Sculpture

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bitossi Alondi vase with earthy tones, Italy

 

 

Jean Derval — ‘Warrior Sculpture Earth Box’

 

 

‘Earth Festival’ — Festino della Terra (Alaraagbo XIII), Jelili Atiku Street performance

Palermo, Italy

 

Rosanjin Kitaoji anagama bizen ware plate

 

 

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. -Khalil Gibran

Waddesdon Manor Gardens, UK

 

 

‘World Mandala’ by Neil Tetkowski has 188 different clay samples collected from each country represented by the United Nations.

 

 

Vintage Paul Morris Art Pottery Salt Glazed Earth Tone Stoneware Charger

 

 

Baden fountain, Austria

 

 

Vicki Grant  — ‘Windows to Earth Series’

 

 

Fish shaped earthenware jug  —  Vallauris

 

 

Sculpture of Hina, the Tahitian Goddess of the Moon, and Te Fatou, the God of the Earth.

 

 

 

‘The Messenger’ – from Andrew Rogers ‘Rhythm of Life’ land art project

China 2006

 

 

Tatsuzo Shimaoka

 

 

Stan Bitters  —  ‘Salt of the Earth’ ceramic wall plaque

60’s

 

 

 

Inca Storage Jar (Aryballus)

 

 

 

‘Talking Earth’ by Steve Smith

 

 

Carl Peverall stone sculpture

 

 

 

‘Of the Earth’ by Lysa Gruzauskas

 

 

 

‘Ochre Earth Totem’ Sculpture by Jacques Barbier, 1990

Artocarpus – Galerie Riviera – Saint Ouen

 

 

Nang Talinee, Lao Earth Goddess

 

 

 

Vintage Art Pottery Royal Haeger Earth Wrap Jug

 

 

 

Earth Vessel 1—Pit Fired Clay—Tundra of Chugiak, Vicki Gubter

 

 

Jessie Mooy Vase – ‘Eva in the forest’ – earthenware, 2013

Villebois Lavalette gallery

 

 

‘The earth and the moon’  —  Jorge Oteiza, 1955

 

 

Jemsen Pottery terra siglillata (sealed-earth) vessel

 

 

Lilian Wessels – sculpture bust, NL

 

 

 

“Lost Paradise”  — Eve sitting, holding an apple — Edouard Cazaux

 

 

 

 Large, open-mouthed, flattened spheroidal vase stained a parched earth colour and dipped and trailed in shades of blue, white, red and black – Mark Reid

1985 Bemboka

 

 

Grayson Perry – ‘Bullfighter’

 

 

The dove of Minerve —  Jean Luc Séverac

1962

 

 

‘Danu’ by Maxine Miller

Danu is the Irish earth Goddess, mother of the Tuatha Dé Danann

 

 

Dianne Coulter ‘Earth Force’ series 3  — Seventh Palmer sculpture biennial

South Australia

 

 

Christine McKay — ‘Sisters of the Earth’

 

 

 

Susan Musi — ‘Earth forms’

 

 

Claude Cavin – seated woman raku sculpture

 

 

‘Cheeky Peas’ –Anthony Turner

Asthall Manor

 

 

Christine Remy — Gallerie Ecusson

 

 

Annie Peaker  — Earth & Fire 2014 Exhibiton

 

 

 

Anna and Krzysztof Brzuzan ceramic bust

 

 

 Joan Miro and Jose Llorens Artigas

Nasher  ‘Return To Earth’ exhibition

 

 

‘Mother of Earth’ – Nicholas Roerich

1937

 

 

Temple Garuda sculpture, Candi Dukuh. Indonesia

 

 

Joan Miro sculpture – Return to Earth exhibition

 

 

‘Hall of the Earth’ – The Temple of Damanhur

Northern Italy

 

 

Ken Mihara Multi-fired stoneware vessel with cinched waist, horizontal score at center and surface colorations

2012 Unglazed  14 inches height

Joan Mirviss Gallery

 

 

 

Monumental “Desert Breath” installation by Alexandra Stratou, Stella Constandines & Danae Stratou

Sahara Desert

 

 

 

Charles Daudelin, ‘La Cavalière’, 1963

 Quebec National Museum of Fine Arts in Quebec City