Author Archives: jtwalthier

One of the objectives of this blog is to highlight innovations and new developments in the world of ceramics. Ceramics are used widely in technology, medicine, construction materials, etc. Given my personal interest in aesthetic and artistic uses of ceramics, the focus of this blog will always be on creativity and innovation within the artContinue reading “Frontiers of Ceramics”

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My wife and I went to Granada, Spain primarily to experience the Alhambra, which is a vast, sprawling site consisting of multiple gardens and buildings from different eras. The Alhambra is amazing and well worth a visit, and that visit can consume a couple of days. We took another day to explore some sites inContinue reading “Granada – Outside Alhambra”

I won’t attempt a fully researched post here as I’m on the road, digesting as much as I can after a full day walking around the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. I will just attach a few images of the ceramic tile work that I’ve seen. Just gorgeous. The tile work is amazing, of course. ButContinue reading “Tiles of the Alhambra”

Kudos to the Phoenix Airport for displaying the work of multiple ceramic artists. One group of work stands out for its monumental scale: a collection of large-scale sculptures by Jun Kaneko entitled “Dangos.” They are dated 1991. Here are a selection of images showing these objects. These sculptural objects remind me of Neolithic standing stonesContinue reading “Jun Kaneko’s Dangos”

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Pináculos de azulejos are ceramic finials that decorate rooftops of many buildings in Seville, Spain. They are delightful, usually colorful, fluffs of decoration that surround rooftop edges. I’m told by a local ceramics expert that these types of ceramic decorative pieces were made in large numbers in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when ceramicContinue reading “Pináculos de Azulejos”

Wandering through the Cathedral in Sevilla, Spain, this week, I came across a remarkable ceramic relief sculpture of a woman with a baby in her arms entitled “Our Lady of the Cushion.” The work is attributed to the workshop of Andrea della Robbia. Andrea della Robbia was an Italian Renaissance ceramic sculptor who flourished inContinue reading “Sevilla Cathedral”

An exhibition entitled “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts” has just closed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Although I wasn’t able to attend this show, I did uncover some very interesting virtual resources relating to the show. French Rococo ceramics were prominent visual references in many Disney films.Continue reading “Ceramics Inspiring Disney Films”

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Eddie Dominguez is Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, who does a significant amount of creative work with members of the community (or, I should say, members of different communities). I first encountered one of Eddie’s pieces when travelling through the Phoenix airport a month ago. The piece is entitled “Collaboration” andContinue reading “Eddie Dominguez – Artist Profile”

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Five years ago to this day I was in Kiev, Ukraine. Two things struck me even then. First, the enormous suffering that has visited – and continues to visit – Ukraine through modern history. In the downtown area by my hotel was a long wall holding hundreds of photos of men who had recently diedContinue reading “Ukraine”

The Smithsonian Museum has posted part of its Bristol-Myers Squibb European Apothecary jars collection online. The online collection is nicely done, as would be expected from the Smithsonian Museum. Clicking on any particular object displayed in the overall grid leads you to more detailed textual information on the particular object. Clicking on the photo inContinue reading “European Apothecary Jars”