Marks Matter in the Material World
Akio Takamori
Cornwall Bridge Pottery
MS ? MS?
ONE, TWO
THREE,FOUR
Matthew Metz
Lisa Orr
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
The matter of marks, figuratively as well as literally.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
It would be great if every potter left her mark, literally.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
Especially, when you want to enjoy the work over time and observe how it developed, and
she grew over time.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
Then, you’d know so much more than you would otherwise.
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Alas, most times, it seems, potters don’t work this way.
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Check-her-out, anyway: she’s wonderful.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
I’ve mulled-over this conundrum and concluded that many potters want us to imagine what might happen next.
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Here is a vignette of one such potter, (whose work is utterly different, today.)
And here is a vignette of another potter’s work, equally glorious and
changing gently over time.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
And here is why the lack of a mark may not matter at
all!
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And check-her-out again, albeit in another medium.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
So, in this imperfect -- but beautiful-- clay world, I recommend developing your own marking system.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
Here’s one.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
And here’s another.
Not for reproduction without written permission from Rebecca Sive.
While you celebrate the potters who do make it easier for us to enjoy and know their
work.
MarksMatter
“There is no need to sign,
people will attribute my best pots to me and the bad ones to someone
else.” - Shoji Hamada.
themarksproject.org
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