Thomas Hoadley, Vase in Brown and White, 1981, colored porcelain, 9 1⁄4 x 5 3⁄8 in. (23.5 x 13.7 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 1997.109.5
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Vase in Brown and White
- Artist
- Date
- 1981
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 9 1⁄4 x 5 3⁄8 in. (23.5 x 13.7 cm) diam.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- colored porcelain
- Classifications
- Object Number
- 1997.109.5
Artwork Description
Thomas Hoadley used the Japanese technique of nerikomi to create the delicate lines of color in this vessel. He stacked thousands of thin layers of colored clay to create a "loaf," then cut the loaf into thin slices and assembled the pieces to create the bowl's final form. Hoadley started using this labor-intensive technique in the early 1980s, and feels that it creates an "organic union of pattern and structure." His pieces from this period often comprise three colors, and exhibit spirals, stripes, or checkerboard compositions. In Vase in Brown and White, Hoadley created a pattern that evokes feathers or shells, whose organic form inspired many of Hoadley's later artworks.