PMA Craft Show 2015

This is the third year I've visited and blogged about the Philadelphia Art Museum Craft Show.

There were new ceramics exhibitors, and some returning from previous years. Here, spread over two posts are the ones that to me personally were the most interesting and/or loved (not always both). At the end I will write about my favorite.

Sandra Beyer's porcelain hand built miniatures

I loved Sandra Beyers little porcelains, so delicate and carefully pinched and subtly carved. She described the long process of gradually thinning the walls over the course of days. Her approach seems to me both patient and mindful.

 bowl from Thomas Harris

Thomas Harris' sliced and reconstructed forms stood out as colorful and unusual in a field of frequently white and austere vessels in this year's show. I think the photo shows that. In person I did not love them, but I appreciate their novelty and flamboyance.

amazingly large thin porcelain bowls by Larry Spitz

Another I appreciated, but that did not stir feelings of adoration were the impressively large, thin and consequently light-weight porcelains in Larry Spitz's display, "The Science of Clay."

He enthusiastically described his process of making his thicker black slip pieces on the wheel, where the thick slip spreads across the bowl with rapid spinning. Interesting, but not to me very beautiful. The black and white pieces are a bit more attractive to me.

basket like ceramics are by Candone Wharton

Candone Wharton

Ancient baskets it would appear, are the inspiration for Candone Wharton's often large pieces, made with carved coils of clay. Some look as though they are softly undulating like bendable fiber baskets, creating an illusion of being not what they really are - fired clay.

I love baskets, I love clay, of course I love Candone's work.

Erica Iman is one of the young explorers of the clay medium present at the show, testing clay's capacities in all directions.

How thick can it be, what can I add to texture the clay, how can I make an object that looks like it came out of the earth untouched by human hands? These might be some of the things she is thinking as she makes her crusty, earthy ceramics.

Erica Iman displayed cups and thick, heavy ware and sculpture

Ahrong Kim's surreal work 

I came across this young artist's overwhelmingly busy and inventive work in the 700 aisle, that is near the end of my tour of the PMA Show. Despite its impressive workmanship, I was not moved. Perhaps I was too tired. For me, interesting is the word. I put the photo below on my screen saver so I can study it more. Maybe I will like it more in time, or else not.

Ahrong Kim was present, but she was restrained and so, like her work, remained illusive and mysterious.

brown and white dolls heads on vessels - a little spooky

More to come in the next post...