Blue and white porcelain plate, 11 inches in diameter, with a dragon image, handmade by Blue Heron fan Michael Scanlon.
Fair market value: $200
Minimum bid: $150
Artist Statement
My first thought, whenever one is requested, is: about what? It must be about life. About growth, about geometry perhaps? I am an old fashioned sort of person, in this wise, this somewhat Neoplatonic manner: That all life has a structure of some sort, and all the structures are related. And they all effect form, and movement and through them, appearance. Sometimes I design environments, sometimes I design graphics, sometimes I make pots. It is all the same to me, all looking for structures and relatedness. This search, when carried out with integrity, seeks honest manifestati
on of process, materials, and function. When I participate in these things I find it very satisfying. The struggle can be turbulent, the result, however, is peace.
Clay is an old interest, but a new adventure. Age is a tough bargain. One gains in experience but there is a toll on one’s senses; eyes, nerves, hearing. After long years of studying the history of clay as an art form I was casting about for new challenges that didn’t involve the eye strain of staring at a computer screen. The actual stimulus was physical therapy for hand problems, kneading rubber balls! I started kneading clay instead, and I find that having the tactile contact with the work is very important to me; having the user hold the work even more so.
Oh! And there be dragons!
Michael Scanlon
