Mystery Pot 34 Maker Thomas Hoadley

Mystery Pot 34 Maker Thomas Hoadley

Thomas Hoadley Brown Florentine Bowl from the Bailey Collection of Contemporary Ceramics

"I think of my patterns as being a collaboration between my imposed structure and the clay's wise alteration of that structure." - Thomas Hoadley

Thomas Hoadley, creator of the "Brown Florentine Bowl" in the Bailey Collection of Contemporary Ceramics, is a master of the Japanese art of Nerikomi. In 1979 when our Mystery Pot 34 was made, Thomas Hoadley had completed a degree in Studio Art from Amherst College, traveled extensively in Europe, apprenticed with Karatsu style wood fired potter Malcolm Wright, and completed a Masters degree in Ceramics from Illinois State University. The young family moved to the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts after graduate school and Thomas set up his own pottery studio. 


TH954
2010
colored porcelain, gold leaf
8 1/2" x 14" x 8"
Photo credit: Thomas Hoadley.com

Hoadley's colored porcelain Nerikomi work has been perfected over the following decades. His mastery of this magical manipulation of clay creates a wide variety of unique patterns that he joins together in work that has the feeling of fine fabrics lovingly stitched together. You can find his work in many collections including the National Museum of American Art, Museum of Fine Art in both Boston and Philadelphia, and the White House Craft Collection (now at the Clinton Library). 


TH920
2009
colored porcelain, gold leaf
6" x 7" x 6 1/2"
Photo credit: Thomas Hoadley.com

The Hoadley Gallery in Lenox, Massachusetts, was opened in 1985 by Stephanie and Thomas Hoadley. They offer, not only Thomas's ceramics and paintings, but also a collection of the best in American handcrafted art with an eye for innovative contemporary design. 


TH962
2010
colored porcelain, gold leaf
5" x 8 3/4" x 5 3/4"
Photo credit: ThomasHoaley.com


TH965
2010
colored porcelain, gold leaf
6 1/4" x 7" x 6 1/2"
Photo credit: ThomasHoadley.com

To learn more about Nerikomi, the process of creating patterns by laying with different colored clays, read "You Say Neriage, I Say Nerikomi…" by Jennifer Harnetty on Ceramic Arts Network.

(link: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/pottery-making-techniques/wheel-throwing-techniques/you-say-neriage-i-say-nerikomino-matter-what-you-call-it-mixing-colored-clays-makes-for-gorgeous-pottery-surfaces/)

Other links:

http://www.hoadleygallery.com/

https://thomashoadley.com/




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