Jim Whalen (Horse Shoe, NC) Paradox Pottery Vessel

Contemporary, wheel-thrown raku pottery, squat ovoid form with meteorite pattern, inscribed "PARADOX" to underside.

9 1/2 x 12 x 12 in.

Jim Whalen owns and operates Paradox Pottery in Western North Carolina. He describes his unique approach to his craft, "My pots are wheel thrown, burnished, and coated with terra sigillata. After bisque firing, patterns and images are created with wax resist. The pots then go through a two stage firing process:
The first is a low temperature salt firing; the second a sawdust firing. Both firings produce random chaotic markings on the surface of each pot. The wax resist separates the effects caused by each process into distinct areas giving definition to the patterns without losing the vitality of chaos. The patterns are like songs, each pot, a live performance. The songs are about the mystery and magic of the paradox, the great void and the creative impulse and the membrane of imagination. My subject matter is not of this world but rather where and how it’s created."

Whalen's work can be found in several collections across the country including the Mint Museum (NC); City of Mesa (AZ); and the Rocky Mount Art Museum (NC). He received a BFA in Ceramics from East Carolina University where he also completed a teaching fellowship from 1970-1972.

Good overall condition; a couple small minor marks to body; small nick to foot.