The Warmth of Clay
This little girl came home with me the other day from the thrift store. As she was priced $2.00 I did not “look her up” on Google Image Search as I didn’t care. She was charming, I could tell she was vintage, and knew she would fit right in on my bedroom fireplace mantel. Once I got her home, I noticed the bottom was signed “Johan Krukmakaren”.
Unfortunately, as a “signature” this is fairly worthless. “Johan” is John in Swedish. And Krukmakaren simply means “potter”. John Potter is not much to go on. Might as well be “Mary Painter” for all the good it will do. While there are a myriad of similar pieces for sale all over the internet, they’re all claimed to be made by “Johan Krukmakaren” as though that was his name, and with no detailed information about our potter Johan. After a great deal of searching, I learned quite a bit about Swedish potters in the 1960s and 1970s, a boom time for art pottery in Sweden (see prior blog: https://www.ericasheirloomquilts.com/ericas-heirloom-treasures/letting-go). Unfortunately, I was unable to locate a Johan whose work resembled this little girl. She is made of dark brown clay, fired at a high temperature, making her a “stoneware” piece. The artist then added color glazing for the child’s blond hair and orange teddy bear. She has scuffed knees, but being a little girl who quite often had cuts on her knees, I could relate. She has a charming button nose, slight indents for eyes and adorable naked bottom.
That evening I put ointment on my sore hands (climbing) and picked her up to show her off to hubby. As I did, I began rubbing her, and discovered the joy of holding an item made of unglazed clay. It is warm! And the process of “oiling” her with my hands covered in cream seemed to bring her to life. She had been charming, but when warm and imbued with oil from my hands, she fairly glowed. To be honest, it was also remarkably soothing to rub the charming sculpture in my hands. Holding a small curved clay figure that fits nicely in your hand is a novel sensation. Much art we don’t “touch” as we worry about fragility and damage etc. But I suspect she was meant to be enjoyed through touch.
As there are a number of other old sculptures on my mantel, I decided to “oil” them as a comparative exercise. The young girl and goose statue (see blog post: ericas-heirloom-treasures/composing-in-triangles) was carved of wood circa 1930, and while rather dusty, it did perk up quite a bit when I added some “oil” to it. Honestly it did not “feel” quite as soft and comforting as my clay girl, but the wood looked much better after its spa treatment. Nearby is the cast metal sculpture of a woman by Paul Herzel, and I confess it was most jarring. While the statue seemed happier to have a bit of oil shine it up, it most certainly was not sensual – more anti-sensual if there is such a thing. Harsh, cold, and very unforgiving. In this case, the tactile sensation of holding a warm and rounded item made me recognize that potters must enjoy the warmth of clay as they create. I heard the local community college offers pottery classes – might be in my future!