The Claywork
Click on thumbnails to view larger images of claywork. 

 
The Storyteller  This clay storyteller doll is based upon the style of the Hopi . The kernels of corn, the husks and other symbols prevalent in their culture are integrated into its design. This sculpture is hand built using the coil method and hand painted with matte glazes and then fired.  It is part of my personal collection.
 
Thistle Thistle plants grow along the side of Route 110, the state road which runs through our town.  One day, I picked some and used it as an inspiration for the shape and design of this pot.  Stoneware clay was used to hand build this piece using the coil and welding method. The piece was then smoothed and the clay was incised with a design and clay of another color was forced into the open design. Then the entire piece was smoothed over and fired.  This method of incising the clay and filling it is called "mishima".  There is no glaze on this pot and its naturalness seems at one with the earth.

Autumn The clay for this stoneware vase was rolled flat on a table and the sides were raised by hand before welding it to its base.  If you run your hands up the sides, you can still feel where my hands lifted the clay.  Twigs and foliage were pressed into the clay before firing the piece.  It is a stoneware vase. Before the second firing it was dipped in glaze and rubbed off the outside. 

Waterfall This hand built vase was made using the slab method as well.  It is a smaller piece than the one above and is glazed both inside and out.  My pottery teacher in college, Mary Lou Alberetti, made this glaze herself and it has a special quality which makes it look as though the glaze is running down the sides of the vase.  It was made in two pieces and the base was welded on with slip and a coil.  It's not much good for flowers, but stands on its own, I think.

The work represents the power of a waterfall cascading downward, eroding the earth in it's path to make a place for itself. The elemental relationship between earth and water is played out in both the creation of the work and the finished piece itself.


Circle of the Star   The pinch pot pictured at the left was fashioned in red clay and reminds me of the time I have spent in the state of Arizona and especially the red rocks of Sedona.  The clay feels courser in my hands than the white clay and is more closely tied to the earth.  The pot is small (as, by necessity, are all pinch pots), but very strong in its aura. 
 
Gecko  I had never seen or known about a gecko until I visited my daughter in Arizona.  I was sitting outside and saw them scampering up the wall by the pool.  They were fascinating and I have carried that memory ever since.  I think it was the motivation for the design of this red clay pinch pot.

Spider in the Lake  Spiders have always frightened me as have other members of the insect family.  I think it has something to do with the way in which they move and the configuration of their bodies.  I also don't particularly like looking into their eyes. 

When I created this red clay pinch pot and painted the design, I envisioned a spider floating on top of the lake.  The outside of the piece depicts birds flying over the mountains with a hint of the water below.  Even though the pot is somewhat lopsided when viewed from above, its story is still the same.
 
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Doris H. David Originals
info@dhdoriginals.com
Israel Hill Studio
Monroe, Connecticut

 
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