Bonnie Staffel

Charlevoix, Michigan, USA

Title: Ancient Vessel

Year of Creation: 2008

Glaze: Pit fired, no glaze

Clay Body: Low fired stoneware, handbuilt and oxides

Dimensions: Height 8 inches, Width 8 inches

Artist's Statement: I felt destined to work with earth, flame and fire in my quest to be an artist. Pit firing is a way of using nature's materials from the earth, subjecting them to the fire and wind. They all come together to create a vessel depicting this interaction. With imagination, one can envision the ancient peoples who first discovered a way to form clay into a useful object. one can accept the gift of the fire, or return it to the earth as a shard.