Author Archives: jtwalthier

Small votive plaques made of terracotta in Tibet and other Himalayan areas are known as as tsha-tsha. Typically, they were made in molds and carried by pilgrims to place in portable shrines or to be inserted into large commemorative monuments known as “stupas” as a ritual practice. Placing a tsha-tsha into a stupa was believed toContinue reading “Tsha-Tshas: Terracotta Votives”

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Terracotta is a coarse, porous clay used in as a sculpture medium, popular for its low cost, durability and versatility. Terracotta has been used widely in different locations and eras, including ancient China, Greece and Mesopotamia. In 18th – 19th century France, terracotta was widely used for figurative sculpture. Many examples remain with us today,Continue reading “French Terracotta Portraits”

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The David Collection is located on Copenhagen, Denmark. The museum is within a 19th century building once owned by the museum’s founder, Christian Ludvig David. Mr. David was a prominent Danish lawyer, investor and art collector. In 1945, he donated his art collection to a museum open to the public. The David Collection consists ofContinue reading “The David Collection”

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I can’t remember where I first saw Sarah Anderson’s Sgrafitto work, but having some personal experience doing Sgrafitto, I was immediately smitten. Sarah has an impressive assurance of hand. Carving confidence is difficult to achieve when working on curved surfaces; Sarah has mastered it. Sarah also incorporates a smart graphic sense and popping color intoContinue reading “Sarah Anderson – Artist Profile”

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I recently saw some floor tiles designed by Gio Ponti in the recently renovated Denver Museum of Art (the only example of Ponti’s architecture in the United States). Gio Ponti was an Italian architect, industrial designer (in ceramics and furniture), professor, painter, editor and journalist who strongly influenced international design for over 50 years inContinue reading “Gio Ponti’s Floor Tiles”

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Dating back to the days of ancient Greeks and Romans, large clay jars have been used to store and age wine. I found a number of these clay vessels throughout Spain, repurposed as ornamental containers for plants in urban gardens. The scale of these vessels is impressive, as can be seen in the image below,Continue reading “Clay Jars Used In Wine Production”

I’ve had a wild-haired idea to beef up my artist profiles with in-person interviews and photographs of artists working in their studios. I’m testing out Soundslides, a software platform that allows users to couple photographs with audio tracks to create web-based slideshows. The software has been used by BBC, NYTimes and Washington Post journalists asContinue reading “Equipment & Software Test”

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Here is a link to a 1955 film I recently watched on Japanese pottery production. The first 22 minutes show how stoneware clay was mined, wedged, formed, glazed and fired. The latter 8 minutes documents porcelain manufacturing. It’s mesmerizing, especially the application of decorative motifs. The film is posted on the Met’s website.

Grayson Fair’s sense of gooey material caught my eye and kept my attention as I looked through his website. As I have worked a bit with slip trailing, I found Grayson’s “Slipstack” series in particular very arresting. The more I look at Grayson’s work the more I find to relish and enjoy, particularly since GraysonContinue reading “Grayson Fair – Artist Profile”

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A final note while in this hard land, from the city of Toledo, Spain. We spent two very enjoyable hours at the Museo de Santa Cruz which houses, amongst other decorative arts items, the impressive collection of ceramics from the collection of Vincent’s Carranza Escudera. The Carranza Ceramics collection is housed in a relatively smallContinue reading “The Collector’s Cabinet”

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