Vintage Keith Stewart Handmade Taylor, Mississippi Clay Studio Art Pottery Bowl Artist Signed - August, 1991  

Excellent Condition - No chips cracks or flaws!

Measurements: 6 3/4 wide x 2 1/2" Tall  Please see all photos to view item's condition and measurements.


Artist's Biography:  "I began working as a full-time potter in 1991 in a studio that I built behind my home. However, my roots in clay go back much further, as my family has been in pottery since 1888. I use the same vein of central Mississippi clay that my family has always used and, in the Southern folk pottery tradition, I stand rather than sit at the wheel.As a child, I worked as an assistant to my great uncle Gerald Stewart in his Southern folk pottery shop. His retirement in 1982 prompted a decision that would direct the course of my life. My father and I decided it was a shame for so long a heritage to end and built a pottery shop at his house in 1983. After the completion of my father’s building and equipment, all of which he made by hand, I developed a serious interest in mastering the craft of clay work. I enrolled in the art program at the University of Mississippi and received degrees in Art History and Fine Arts by 1988.In studying pottery and art history, I began to be influence by forms and decorative techniques outside the Southern folk tradition. These range from the work of my instructor, Ron Dale, and visiting artists, to the work of other students and ceramics of antiquity. I was impressed by the subtle delicacy of oriental pottery and was encouraged to develop finesse in forming my wares. The rugged spontaneity of medieval European pottery resonated with me and helped me to glaze in an uninhibited way with splashes and controlled drips of different color glazes across the surface of my forms. My Southern folk pottery background enforced my commitment to functional ware of pleasing design with technical integrity. Medieval Arabic pottery and Bronze Age Celtic design influenced my use of brush and underglaze to produce flowing calligraphic patterns.Aside from historical, family, and contemporary influences, most of the design and form of my work comes from noticing subtleties involved in the process of producing forms and applying glazes. I work in multiples of the same form at one work session and will notice some variation and try either emphasizing or diminishing it in subsequent pots. I also experiment with how glazes and their components react in varying combinations in the firing process. This is the primary way that I develop new form, color and texture variations. Artist Statement Overall I restrict my work to functional vessel forms. Restraint and subtlety are foundational to my personal aesthetic. I tend not to indulge in any sort of drastic alteration of curve or flow of line. I seek to invest common utilitarian objects with a quiet unassuming beauty that I hope will enrich the daily rituals of my patrons. Though understated and often unrepresented in the art world, it is my opinion that utilitarian objects that become intimate components of people’s daily lives are the most communicative of all the visual arts. The charm of knowing that my pottery becomes integral in people’s domestic landscape and the endless unfolding potentials of clay, glazes and fire are so rewarding and intriguing to me. I hope to work in clay for the rest of my life. Quote: "My objective as a potter is to establish a reputation of superior quality studio pottery accessible to our regional economy and to help educate the public about process and quality in ceramic arts." 

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