Lisa Graf, coiled, burnished, smoke-fired vessel; stoneware, 6"
Philadelphia Introductions:
Lisa Graf
by
Andrea Kirsh
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May 31, 2007 Lisa Graf employs the simplest of means with her ceramics; her method is found in ancient artifacts across several continents. All of her pieces are hand-built from coils. After an initial firing they are covered with fine slip, burnished with a piece of plastic or stone, then re-fired, in a technique called terra sigillata (known colloquially as terra sig). It’s the same technique the Greeks used for black and red-figured ware and the Romans for their fine Samian ware; perhaps the most prominent contemporary practitioner of hand-built, terra sigillata work is the Kenyan-British Magdalene Odundo. Graf works with a white stoneware; lately she has added a paper fiber to the clay, which burns away during the initial firing and produces a lighter body. She sometimes stops after the initial firing, leaving the pieces an even, creamy white, or occasionally tints the white clay with Mason stains. Terra sigillata involves a coloring layer of slip (clay with enough water that it becomes liquid), but does not involve glazes, which are compounds that form vitreous surfaces when fired. Burnishing the dried slip aligns the platelets of kaolite crystals in the clay, and results in a softly-glowing surface. Graf creates mottled effects on some of the pieces by firing them in contact with various metals or through smoke firing, which produces black or brown surfaces and black patches. The effects of smoke firing are not entirely predictable; the potter works cooperatively with the kiln. Occasionally Graf enhances the shiny surface with a final coat of wax. Graf was trained as a printmaker and works as a graphic designer. Ceramics came later. Her work does not begin with a fixed idea or with drawings; rather, the forms evolve in the making. She works in series, which began with bowls. These are small and resemble basic eating equipment found in most cultures, ancient and modern. Next Graf turned to vases, sometimes with multiple necks. She then began a series which she calls triads; these consist of vase-like forms with flaring lips that nestle together in groups of three, in various configurations. Sometimes the bodies of the vases move in one direction and the necks tilt in the other; other times the necks move towards each other, like a vocal trio. It is impossible not to anthropomorphize them. All of the triads have even surface effects, some colored with stains, others left the white of the clay. With the white triads I could not help but think of Al Capp’s Shmoos; fortunately Graf was good-humored about the association. Next came a series of vases, some as large as 18 inches,
and here Graf produced work of real stature. Some of them are slender,
others have full, rounded forms and all have very distinctive necks. Graf
has perfected a neck of her own design: it ends with a flare and an encompassing,
convex curve, rather than the usual flat or folded-back lip, and the aperture
is usually at an angle. The vases recall gourds and their necks resemble
the flower heads of certain Jack-in-the-Pulpits. Some of the vases look
like creatures raising their heads. The implication of motion probably
comes from the fact that they are never entirely symmetrical in the round,
but cant slightly to one side, have asymmetrical profiles, or necks placed
slightly off-center. Graf has also produced a number of diminutive vases
(two or three inches, the size of ancient cosmetics jars, which they resemble)
that end in a large lip which projects at an angle in one direction. After the vases Graf began a series of work which she describes as coiled; the forms reflect the spiraling architecture of seashells. Some are highly complex, with multiple spiraling chambers, parts of which are cut away to reveal interlocking voids. Others grew out of multiple vase forms whose lips flare out to fuse with one another then curl further outwards, forming flanges which wrap back around to meet the bodies of the vases. The term serpentine line seems an appropriate description for many of them; they have contours which trace the curving ripples of force moving through water or air. I think the most successful is the simplest: a single spiral, sized to fit perfectly between both hands. Holding it reminded me of my reaction to seeing a life-sized cast of the Venus of Willendorf; in photographs her expansive breasts and encompassing hips imply monumentality, but at only 4-5/8", she was clearly fashioned to be cradled in the palm. The intimacy of holding Graf’s hand-sized, coiled piece provoked wonder for both her art and the natural forms which inspired it. Many of the surface effects in Graf’s smoke-fired work suggest burial and long exposure to minerals in the earth. The fortuitous results of the kiln evoke the equally-accidental effects of time. And the blacks, browns, and terra cotta hues are the most basic colors of earth and its interaction with fire. She occasionally uses stains to tint the light areas of the smoke-fired pieces; with other work Graf produces an entirely different effect by coloring them evenly with subtly-colored stains. These produce elegant surfaces like dyed eggshells, and rather than resembling archaeological finds these pieces are clearly products of the modern studio. They have some of the elegance of Scandinavian ceramics of the 50s and 60s and the monochrome Chinese porcelains that inspired them. While all ceramics derive from prehistoric traditions, Graf’s work manages to draw from the broadest chronological range of her predecessors and contemporaries. Back to InLiquid's Commentary section index See Lisa Graf's InLiquid artist page © 2007 Andrea Kirsh and InLiquid.com; image copyright © LIsa Graf |