Ceramic artist Barbara Mann presents a colorful collection of whimsical, nature-inspired vessels and lamps. Enjoy and visit her website to learn more.
Poppies! Poppies! Lamp, clay and paper, 24″ h
I’ve been throwing pots for more than 40 years. I tend to make my forms clean with little texture to receive a very painterly surface of matte glazes and slips. This is my main body of work.
Koi Vessel, clay, 8″ h x 12″ dia
Some pieces have a botanical or aquatic theme. Others incorporate a play of color posturing hues against each other for vibrant, striking contrasts.
Coneflower Jar, clay, 13″ h x 7″ dia
My bachelor’s degree is in Biology with a concentration in Botany. I’ve always had a fascination with flowers, not only their beauty but also their transiency. I love to capture the fleeting moment of a bloom forever on one of my pots.
Red Gingko Lamp, clay and paper, 23″ h
Of the flowering plants, the blossom is the unique way we identify a plant as of a species. A flower is the means for the plant to really get the message to its pollinators. This is her “come hither” move.
Blowfish jar, clay, 19″ h
A subset of this body of work are my lamps – which serve to bridge my nonfunctional surfaces to a practical use.
Coral charger, clay, 16″ dia
Beyond making the lamp bases, I get to pair each base with another layer of color for its lampshade. This extends the interest as light passes through fibrous, pulpy papers.
Fern Leaf Lamp, clay (primitive fired) 24″ h
I am working on a new line of primitive-fired pieces that also use plant life to place a mark on the pot. Using various chemicals like iron, copper, and silver within a saggar, I can coax ghost markings from leaves and other organic matter to brand the pieces.
Bamboo Jar, clay, 12″ h
While these pieces tend to be far more subtle, it is the excitement of the firing process that keeps me experimenting with this process.
Barbara Mann invites you to follow her on Facebook.
Hi,
I saw the email blast sent by Artsy. I also make work but, I clicked through just to see everything else on your site. It’s really fantastic. I love it. Especially the ginkgo lamp with yellow shade. I wanted to drop you a note to tell you how very much I like your work. It’s such a lovely combination of peaceful, interesting, organic and gorgeous. Wow!
All the best,
Sandy Gerding
Thank you, Sandy. How nice!
Love your work and would like to see more, as well as prices..
I’d like to contact Barbara Mann about her ceramics
How do I contact her?
Susan, there is a live link to Barbara’s website in the lead-in sentence of the article. Click that and go to her website, where you can contact her.