Commissions There are so many possibilities for making things with special meaning, which I enjoy doing. All items are one of a kind, have been sold, and are never exactly duplicated in the future, because of the nature of the materials and firing. Click any item below to go to it's page, where more information
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| Commissioned by a Bates college graduating student for his professor. He provided the sediment and the sea glass. | | | "Dark Cemetary" glaze, sand, seaweed from Cape Cod shores, coordinates from favorite places, colors reminiscent of nature's seasons from green grass to blue sky -- and words coalescing alongside materials transformed by fire. | ||
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| A braided tail, some mane hair, chopped horse hair in pocelain burned out, cracks to string hair like a bow -- memories and metaphor -- transformation by fire . . . a collaboration. | | | Monterey Bay, Ceara Rise, and permission to play within a narrow range -- a collaboration. | ||
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| 12"wide x 4" high Center of sea glass framed by eel grass seaweed framed by sediment from Charleston Bump sediment from and R/V Oceanus cruise. Glazes on foot, back, and rim were assembled from refined materials. | | | 16" wide Seven ships, seven seas, sea glass and more. | ||
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| Norway fiord material. Commissioned by a Bates college graduating student for his professor. He provided the sediment and the sea glass. | | | Made for her mother's night table to hold her father's cremains -- made from materials of birthplace, journey's together, schists and basalts and glass -- every material has personal meaning. This is part of the urn story: "I am stepping away from my academic position to take some time to craft a new direction for my life. And I will be spending quite a bit of time in France next year tending to my mother and her failing health. Working on the urn made me realize, I needed to tend to this issue and not go through missing spending time with her like I did with my dad." | ||
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| I enjoy being approached with projects for those folks who have everything. Herb is a professor of art and an accomplished artist who is well known to have more then what he needs. His brother-in-law was given Herb as the recipient of a Christmas gift done by their family's lottery system. After seeing a book of Herb;'s beautiful paintings called "Veronica's Veil," I made these for Herb. One I put ion a hot spot, one in a cooler spot. I had zero idea what they'd look like. | | | From farms where they lived inn Iowa and New Jersey, click again to see the warmth emanating from this couple. | ||
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| I enjoy being approached with projects for those folks who have everything. Herb is a professor of art and an accomplished artist who is well known to have more then what he needs. His brother-in-law was given Herb as the recipient of a Christmas gift done by their family's lottery system. After seeing a book of Herb's paintings called "Veronica's Veil," I made these for Herb. One I put in a hot spot, one in a cooler spot. I had zero idea what they'd look like. | | | Many samples, lovingly described, with meaningful provenance, this is the test piece before making an urn for Dad's cremains. These samples are from rocks ground by a geologist for this purpose -- all hands on were in the family. | ||
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| Places page on The Soft Earth website details what I know about this sediment which came from a Ballard cruise, and either the wreck Tanit or Elissa. This was made as a gift from me to Harvard Professor of International Entrepreneurship, Daniel Isenberg who was using Phoenician history in his course, and who offered to offer my business as a possible field study for students. I hoped that if the reward came first, it might bless a good outcome. Time will tell. | | | Bride and groom's name and date of wedding plus coordinates of the meaningful spot where vows were spoken. bermuda rise sediment glaze on interior. | ||
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| Sometimes the parts become new wholes . . . | | | Two fish swimming about is often chosen as a friendly image for a marriage. Bride and groom's name, date of ceremony, and the coordinates of their seaside celebration are written on the back. Sediment from Bermuda Rise made a branching pattern on the interior. Other glazes were assembled from refined materials. | ||
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| I was asked to make these for President Charles Vest to use as travel gifts. From Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Atlanic at Bermuda Rise. | | | The photo of orange sand against a blue sky from the environment where this originated inspired use of blue glass. Some sands melt, but this just lost it's color. | ||
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| If you bring me special sea glass pieces, I will make what you want with the piece or pieces you give me. | | | Two of the three sediments used Clare researched for her thesis. I made the piece by request of her fiance. | ||
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| Clare's thesis on East Pacific Rise and Kane Megamullion are included, as well as some extraterrestrial dust in another layer. Off it went before I thought to photograph it after firing. Center is blue sea glass. | | | In process, a request by someone who cares, and who clarified his wishes, which enabled me to translate wishes into form. | ||
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| This was made as a gift for a woman who later wrote me this, "The fact that the glazes came from different places on earth and produce these wonderful effects is amazing. My 8 year old son and I spent many happy moments looking up all the places the sediments on the cups and teapot came from on his globe. I love the idea of it." And, "It is not only the most touching and beautiful thing that I own, it is also functionally gratifying to use." | | | Celebrating rites of passages with names and dates. | ||
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| 10" wide x 2" high "As the ship was sinking, I jumped into the sea." Commemorating a grandfather's story, made as a gift by family members for family members, using sediment from the Indian Ocean, where the ship went down. More story written on the back. | | | This example is unfired. Pieces can be made for awards, retirements, marriages, graduations, and other occassions. Lead time of 6 weeks may be needed. Lower prices below are for patterned sediment inside (with latitude longitude and depth) and a smooth Pacific one outside (no coordinates, just general area named.) How much detail, how many materials, and what materials influence pricing. | ||
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| 10" wide x 2" high "The ship went down, bow first, and I was left with my meditations." A gradfather's story lives on through these artifacts. | | | Personalizing . . . a thesis on this whale, from near it's habitat, commemorating the person's sustained effort, the gratitude of the parents, the friend who carved the whale's tail . . . all in one piece, which also celebrates Earth. | ||
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| Commissioned by a grandfather for an exterior house sign. The high-fired stoneware doesn't absorb water and therefore will withstand freezing. Grandchildren who like beach glass collected samples which I used in wells in the clay to personalize this tile which names a family's summer haven. A translation of "wamesit" is, "All are welcome." Click on side image to see pre-fired tile. | | | Bermuda Rise sediment glaze interior, Pacific exterior, lavender rim. | ||
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| Bermuda Rise sediment glaze and lavender matte. | | | Boston Harbor mugs made for people who have been working with this sediment. First I tested it and later someone commissioned this grouping. | ||
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| Bermuda Rise sediment needed a drip ledge to be applied heavily enough to make patterns, but not so heavily that it became attached to the kiln. Other glaze is lavender matte. | | | 6.5" x 4.5" Made of porcelain, glazed with sediment from Mediterranean where the Rhone River exits, and some sediment from Boston Harbor on the foot, with information about the materials on a bands above the foot . . . click to see photo collage of other views. | ||
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| 3" x 2.5" Rock found among riprap stones on CapeCod shoreline, became object of wonder - will it melt or not? It did . . . see the rock here, photographed before and after firing to about 2300 degrees fahrenheit. | | | Bramsfield Straits, Deception and Elephant Islands. Exterior has sediment from Lau Basin. Other glaze used is celadon, assembled from refined materials. | ||
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| Sometimes I do things for other people, sometimes for myself, but this was a message from and for Universe to express my love. I made this small series after watching underwater video footage of erupting vents and hearing the scientists in the submarine's voices. Go to the mug section to see more about this and others of this series. | | | Stella, who traveled alot, came to my studio with a list of all the places, and we tried to get her 12 plates that came from as close as possible to places she's been. Prices on sets are negotiable depending on rareity of sediments used, design details and the time they require to execute, and time of year. Winter is the best time to approach me about commissioned work. The underside, on the foot, sometimes adds specific information. Mediterranean at Exit of Rhone River Gulf of Mexico Brazil Margin Sediment Hawaiian Black Sand Emerald Basin (off Nova Scotia) Antarctica Pacific (Santa Barbara Basin) South Pacific (Lau Basin) Indonesian Seaways Costa Rica Indian Ocean Bermuda Rise | ||
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| From Cruise Knorr191 that tested long coring equipment. About 27" high, glazed with sediment taken at Bermuda Rise in 1998 (neck area) and September 2007 (belly and bottom areas.) The impulse to make this came from two feelings: first, that I want the communal nature of discovery to be celebrated in as many forms as possible and secondly, that my history with Bermuda Rise sediment proved that it's beautiful glaze. So I offered to make this so people on the ship could celebrate their own work, with the materials and processes that are my work. It takes so many stories to tell the whole truth. | | | CELEBRATING Mud Scraped from Rocks Dredged at 36° 45.661' North, 122° 03.18' West DEEP-SEA TRAWLING TRIP ON POINT SUR This is stoneware clay glazed with marine sediment from Monterey Bay, sea glass, and concoctions assembled from refined materials that were fired to about 2350° fahrenheit. The brown glaze on the chatter patterned area came from scrapings off rocks from the first beam trawl in about 600 meters of water. It was my first trip on a boat afloat above sediment I’ve melted. It was a happy occasion for me, so I made this gift to the Point Sur. Thanks to John Klusmire for inviting me aboard on November 15th, 2007, to Karen Close for sending sea glass and hanging this artifact, and to all who made the day memorable and alive with enthusiasm and discovery. Thanks to Alan Burr Steinbach M.D., who carved the fish stamp I used in the center, and to everyone who sees how similar artists and scientists often are. | ||
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| Special request for sweetheart -- woman who commissioned this carved into it herself. Lid keeps liquid warm longer. Atlantic and Pacific sediments, seaglass and eel grass -- reminiscent of places they visited together. | | | 12" wide x 4" high "It's the Whole Cosmos," said Satish Kumar . . . and most people see it without being told. | ||
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