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Betty Keller
Sechelt
My potting experience began with wheel-throwing classes with Pat Forst in 2001, but having always been drawn to more primitive work-particularly that of the American southwest, Mexico and West Africa-lately I have concentrated on hand-building with sculpture clay and paper clay.
I began creating large pots layered with sculptural forms, then small garden fountains in the form of 8-inch hollow balls with holes that allow water tubes to be inserted. These balls are crowned with lizards, frogs and flowers. The next step was the creation of whimsical versions of creatures that could reasonably be expected to be found in a garden-turtles, frogs-but the fauna quickly became mixed with flora so that, for example, the carapaces of my turtles are generally decorated with flowers.
My Japanese-style garden lanterns are in the standard yukimi-gata or snow-viewing tradition with broad round roofs (kasa). Some have four-legged bases; others are designed to be placed directly on the ground. The traditional decoration on top represents the unopened bud of the lotus, but on mine the lotus is replaced with other flora and fauna, especially lizards and frogs.
All examples are fired to cone 9 in oxidation.
My potting experience began with wheel-throwing classes with Pat Forst in 2001, but having always been drawn to more primitive work-particularly that of the American southwest, Mexico and West Africa-lately I have concentrated on hand-building with sculpture clay and paper clay.
I began creating large pots layered with sculptural forms, then small garden fountains in the form of 8-inch hollow balls with holes that allow water tubes to be inserted. These balls are crowned with lizards, frogs and flowers. The next step was the creation of whimsical versions of creatures that could reasonably be expected to be found in a garden-turtles, frogs-but the fauna quickly became mixed with flora so that, for example, the carapaces of my turtles are generally decorated with flowers.
My Japanese-style garden lanterns are in the standard yukimi-gata or snow-viewing tradition with broad round roofs (kasa). Some have four-legged bases; others are designed to be placed directly on the ground. The traditional decoration on top represents the unopened bud of the lotus, but on mine the lotus is replaced with other flora and fauna, especially lizards and frogs.
All examples are fired to cone 9 in oxidation.
