Adam Frew
I love ceramics. Not so much the decorative kind or the paint-your-own-pottery kind, but the functional, conventional kind. The kind that people use.
Can’t be certain what it is exactly, but uniformity made by hand (with just enough human touch that you can TELL it’s made by hand) is, to me, the most beautiful craft. I have collections of plates and cups handmade in Japan, stacks of mugs made by this incredible Irish potter – Adam Frew – and an insane number of tiny one-off pieces that I’ve collected for 15 years from craft fairs and boutiques all over the world. It may technically be an addiction, but first I’d have to admit I have a problem, right?
I especially love Adam’s mark-making on his otherwise jade, utilitarian forms. The ultramarines and bright oranges sparkle on the work just enough that I still believe its practicality, without tipping too far into the decorative. (Of course, Adam does make beautiful decorative pots and vases, but I prefer the simple over the flashy.) The abstraction and painterly strokes of contrasting glazes, with mostly hard edges of jade containing many organic, rough, sometimes drippy and wet naturalizations of blue and white, are such a fresh take on a classic combination of Asian coloring.
When I work with young designers in my classes at The Creative Circus, I always tell them that editing OUT is just as important as putting IN. That might be a no-brainer to some, but when I was starting out at Martha, it was so important for me to study how spaces left white (or empty) influenced the calm, sophisticated vibes on the pages of her magazine versus how much information was crammed into a spread. I tended to cram, if we’re being honest.
There’s a lesson in there somewhere. Like, knowing which parts of the pot to leave jade is just as much of a skill as painting the parts that are blue.
Anyway, Adam’s having a sale and I just bought some small pieces (not exactly small prices...merp) so if you like what you see, you can partake.
