Work

Leah Jensen

Summary

A white porcelain vessel form of classical form with a flared top with a finely detailed carved pattern consisting of a network of geometric facets or planes cut into the surface. The pattern is finely delineated and so preciseand intircate that it appears to have been made by digital printing. The complexity of the pattern varies with some areas of the vessel more densely pattterned than others. The vessel was made by coiling. Whilst the clay was still slightly moist, Jensen pinned images of Ford Madox Brown's painting Work all over the outer surface, pinning at visually significant points in the image. She used hundreds of pins. She then removed the pins and the paper prints and carved the intricate surface desingn using the pin holes to dictate her design. The carving took 130 hours and had to be completed in less than 2 weeks, before the clay dried. This vessel is the first one that Leah has made completely in porcelain - she usually combines porcelain vessels with scorched oak e.g. lower part in oak and upper part in porcelain.