Thinking of George Orr While Making Pinch Pots

A potter whose work I much admire was George Orr. Much of my own work is complex and requires several steps and assembly of myriad parts to complete. But looking at George Orr’s subtly altered wheel thrown pots reminds me how evocative a streamlined minimally embellished form can be. Although my ceramic vessels are all pinch and coiled pots, I took inspiration for my recent set of these from Mr. Orr. Some of my pinch pots were rounded and traditional but others were slightly altered into oblong shapes that veered to the right or left. One of these had just barely noticeable feet carved seamlessly onto the base. The one shown at top was made from the bottom piece of clay that had fallen out of the vessel posted in my previous blog. It was just enough clay to yield a small pinch pot. I treated the surface with a terra sigillata glaze that I made from pigment that was harvested from the Tarne Gorges in the South of France - local clay with a touch of France in it! The altered pinch pot at right was made with the last bit of buff colored stoneware I had remaining at the bottom of a barrel - also just enough to make a small vessel. Both of these came out of my recent pit fire.