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Gordon Hutchens- photo by Fireweed
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Tradition and innovation blend together seamlessly in the hands of world-renowned potter Gordon Hutchens. Inspired by the famous Edo period wood-block prints of Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, recent works by Gordon evoke the turbulent beauty of foam-crested waves rolling across stormy seas.
To achieve this stunning effect the artist begins with a light-colored clay body. Each pot is coated with dark blue slip containing iron oxide and cobalt. Eventually, a much thicker porcelain slip, or ‘engobe’, is applied in sweeping gestures with a coarse homemade brush over the entire surface. In the magical chambers of the potter’s resident ‘anagama’, or wood-fired dragon kiln, cobalt bleeds through the thinner areas of the white engobe to create dramatic shading effects in a color range spanning deep sea blue to oceanic black.
