Hunter Smith

As a maker of objects, I believe that the variations and human irregularities of handmade things give them a renewed relevance in our post-industrial world. Working with clay allows me to engage my own fascination with tactility and form, while creating pieces that elevate spaces or confer a kind of ritual status onto otherwise mundane moments. In making vessels I am able to explore and reference a variety of ceramic histories and traditions; yet my work carries the imprint of my own hands. It is my hope that my work will convey a sense of intimacy and heighten the viewer’s appreciation for and awareness of the temporal moment. I am particularly interested in atmospheric firing techniques – particularly using wood. The resulting surfaces are an expression of the process itself - allowing us to visualize the path of the flame as it rips through the kiln, as well as the metamorphosis that materials undergo as they cycle between fixed and plastic states.

My intent for this show was to emphasize the process of wood firing within my body of work. However, due to the restrictions put in place in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was not possible to complete such a firing in the weeks leading up to the show. Therefore, the pieces on display here represent only a fraction of the work that I have made in anticipation of this exhibition. It is my intention to upload additional images once circumstance allows me to complete the remainder of my pieces. 

Hunter Smith signature

Thesis Committee Members:

  • Robert Long (chair)
  • Critz Campbell 
  • Dylan Karges

Gaiwan

A three-part vessel for steeping tea – consisting of a saucer, a bowl-shaped cup with an outward-flaring lip, and a lid with a knob. The exterior surfaces have some slightly abrasive ridges and texture from the stretching of the clay during throwing. The slight roughness contrasts the delicacy of the vessel (evident in the apparent thinness of the rims of the cup and saucer), and the glassy glaze.
Three-part vessel for steeping and drinking tea. Blue celadon with spontaneous red blushing. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Blue celadon on porcelain. 4 3/8” x 4 3/8” x 3 5/8” Price on request.

Gaiwan

A three-part vessel for steeping tea – consisting of a saucer, a bowl-shaped cup with an outward-flaring lip, and a lid with a knob. The exterior surfaces have some slightly abrasive ridges and texture from the stretching of the clay during throwing. The slight roughness contrasts the delicacy of the vessel (evident in the apparent thinness of the rims of the cup and saucer), and the glassy glaze.
Three-part vessel for steeping and drinking tea. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Blue celadon on porcelain. 4 3/8” x 4 3/8” x 3 7/8”. Price on request.

Sake Set

Three small saucer-shaped cups, and a vase-like bottle. The interior surfaces of the shallow cups (guinomi) are smooth while the exterior bottom portions of the cups have a texture that might almost feel jagged like chipped stone. The bottle (tokkuri) has a squat almost barrel-like shape with a neck that is narrow at the base and flares out at the lip. While the neck and shoulder of the bottle are smooth, the body portion of the vessel has some the same stretched clay textures as the exterior of the cups. The glaze is glassy and relatively smooth, though thin cracks can be seen in the glaze (crazing).
Three small cups + a vase-like beaker. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Blue celadon on porcelain. Bottle: 4 3/8” x 4 3/8” x 4”. NFS

Porcelain jar

A lidded jar with a somewhat irregular orb-shaped body, a shallow ring-shaped foot that flares out at it’s base, and an irregular dome-shaped lid topped with a sort of twisting textured finial. The jar itself has the open texture of stretched clay. The lid and finial have ridges that spiral around their forms and show some stretching/cracking at their edges. The glaze is glassy.
Small lidded jar with textured exterior, rounded profile, indented foot, and glassy blue glaze

. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Blue celadon on porcelain. 6 3/16” x 6 3/16” x 7 3/16”. NFS
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Porcelain Jar

A lidded jar with a barrel-shaped body that is wider than it is tall. The body of the pot has nearly horizontal raised lines wrapping around it that are slightly abrasive to the touch. The lid is bell-shaped, but its profile is irregular due to the cutting into and stretching of the exterior surface. The lower rim of the lid is unglazed and smooth, while the upper portion and the knob toping it both have the texture of stretching and breaking clay. The glaze covering the piece (with the exception of the rim of the lid) is glassy.
Small lidded jar with tire-tread-like textured exterior and glassy blue glaze. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Blue celadon on porcelain. 6 3/8” x 6 3/8” x 6 5/8”. Price on request.

Porcelain Jar

A similar shape to the one previously described, the textural element on the bottom of the jar is much more pronounced. While the shoulder of the piece is smooth and nearly flat, the body of the jar has a texture that might resemble a craggy rockface or even something akin to the tread on a dry-rotting tire. Like the other porcelain pieces, the glaze is glassy and relatively smooth.
Small lidded jar with textured exterior and glassy blue glaze. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Blue celadon on porcelain. 6 3/16” x 6 3/16” x 6 ½”. Price on request.

Stoneware Jar

A jar with a pronounced rounded belly, a trimmed foot, and a lid that is shaped like a conical hat and is topped by a knob. The stoneware body is groggy and more course than the porcelain. The surface has been textured with slip so raised ridges spiral around the body of the jar as well as the exterior of the lid. Over this, a wood-ash based slip has been sprayed causing an uneven fluxing. The resulting surface has portions that feel drier while others may be smooth to the touch. The foot and the funnel-shaped knob are unglazed.
Small lidded stoneware jar with rounded profile and dripping ash on exterior. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Wood-ash slip on stoneware. 6 ¼” x 6 ¼” x 8”. Price on request.

Stoneware Jar

A very similar jar to the one previously described but with a squatter profile. The edge of the lid comes closer to touching the shoulder on this jar as well and the neck is totally obscured. The ash seems to flux a bit more actively on this pot (likely due slightly to thicker application) in some spots the fluxing ash has formed into drips that have flowed down the side of the pot.
Small lidded stoneware jar with rounded profile and dripping ash on exterior. Wheel thrown, gas fired to cone 10 - reduction. Wood-ash slip on stoneware. 6 ½” x 6 ½” x 7 3/16”. Price on request.

 

 

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