Ben Jensen

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA

Title: Dimpled Red Vase

Year of Creation: 2011

Glaze: Copper red glaze and soda ash from firing

Clay Body: Stoneware

Dimensions: Height 12 inches, Width 7.5 inches

Artist's Statement: I make specific choices in my work in order to make pots that convey a feeling of warmth and comfort as a counterpoint to a world filled with manufactured objects. I decide to touch the materials at every point of the piece's creation. This touch begins before the pot is every begun. I formulate and mix my own clays and glazes, I design, build, and fire my own kilns, and I often design and build my own tools. I do this to enhance the feeling of the human touch. During the forming process of each pot, I try to leave the marks of that pot's making. Irregularities left by the hand, a dented rim, an off-round bowl, an imperfect line are reminders of the work that the hand has done.