Russell Akerman Ceramic Art Hand Thrown & Hand Decorated Abstract Slipware Studio buy Pottery Tea Bowl

I have spent many years working on the look of my pottery, primarily with the theme of creating pieces which are inspired by a buy classical sense of shape and form. What I particularly wanted to do with this range was to use the form of the traditional Japanese Tea Bowl as a backdrop upon which a formless abstract decoration could be applied. There is much more that I want to say about the artistic ideas behind this piece but I feel that it is important to stop here and let the work speak for itself. In relation to this, the legendary mythologist Joseph Campbell had some interesting things to say about art. He felt that it was not the job of the artist to explain the inspiration behind the work and if this was overly done it actually took something away and robbed the viewer from intuitively finding their own meaning. Whether you agree with this idea or not, I will leave it with you, hoping that when you look at these pieces they open a window through which you can see something timeless, something that personally resonates with you.

Regarding technique, all my pottery is individually hand thrown on the potters wheel using a smooth white earthenware clay body. Once they have dried for a day or two the vessels are ‘turned' to give the right aesthetic look and flow to the profile of each piece. They are then decorated by applying layers of coloured slip using fan bristle brushes to create movement and tone until I feel that each piece is complete. Once the final kiln firing has taken place at a temperature of 1125 C. the decoration is then vibrantly brought to life and captured forever beneath a clear gloss glaze. This technique of painting multiple colours also adds another dimension to the piece by producing a gentle organic feel to the glazed surface. I leave the interior of these tea bowls white as this contrasts well with the rest of the decoration.

If you are interested in learning more about my ceramics please visit the Russell Akerman Ceramic Art Facebook page where you can see hundreds of archive photographs and read about the ideas and inspirations behind my work.

Being individually hand thrown and hand decorated every piece is unique.

For authenticity this tea bowl has been hand signed under the foot ring.

The height of this tea bowl is 8.5cm by 11cm wide.

'I hope you enjoy my work as much as I have enjoyed creating it.' - Russell Akerman.