Lee Hazelgove
Tribute Vessel
Thrown and Assembled White Stoneware, Saggar Fired
20 x 9 x 9"
$325
Tribute vessel relates to long time inspiration Hans Coper.
Artist's Statement:
As a studio Potter for over 30 years much of my fascination and exploration has centered around that elusive duality in ceramics, between the form and how it relates to surface, and how that relationship dictates the success or failure of the vessel. As a young man, after spending several years exploring traditional glazing at a variety of temperatures I came to understand that the aesthetic I was searching for would require a more primitive and perhaps random surface to compliment the shape and form of my pieces. Over the years I have explored dozens of alternative firing methods including Raku, pit firing, horse hair firing and barrel firing. But most recently I have become absorbed with and dedicated to an investigation of Saggar firing.
One of the greatest gifts a studio artist has, is the opportunity to explore the self, the inner life, through the creation of the tangible object. The exploration of beauty and the search for transcendence in our work often goes hand in hand with understanding who we are, and how we relate to the world. The peeling back of the layers of foil has come to represent for me a peeling back of my own layers, allowing the truth of what lies within to reveal itself more and more. Sometimes the vessel holds a sense of grace, delicacy, integrity and truth. But sometimes it's just black all over and nothing came out right at all...so we start all over again, and keep trying.