Top:
Creation of a People,
1995, wheel-thrown,
low relief, sculpted
chain and fluted top,
etched wood-grain
motif, electric fired,
stained then glazed,
2oVi x 11 x 20 in.
Bottom:
Endangered Species/
Global Warming,
2008,
coil-built, low relief
and etched stoneware,
Ben’s green glaze,
10 x 19 x 8V2 in.
became one people, hence the title. Chains link two spouts, the
taller representing the male, the shorter the female. Portholes from
the ships were carved into the piece. The form also combines the
Native American ceramic wedding vessel with the European balus-
ter vase. A brown Mason stain was applied to the carved surface
and it was glazed again.
During our conversation about their pottery, Winton said,
“If you notice, I’m more earthly. One guy came out here when
I first started and told me my work was political. That’s Jesse Jack-
son and A
1
Sharpton. I ain’t doing that. I want people to have a
pleasant experience. I don’t want people to be all angry. Rosa was
more political than I was. She was more abstract. I always wanted
to do it so people could understand.” Rosa interjected, “concrete”
to which Winton agreed, “Yeah, concrete.” He went on, “Rosa
comes along and abstract came out—no faces on people, no identi-
ty—it’s just a whole human concept of society and civilization hav-
ing the same problem—no different than the problem between
black and white, really.”
Concept pieces develop out of the numerous ongoing conversa-
tions between Winton and Rosa about current events or ideas
that Rosa wants to address or the theme for an upcoming exhibit.
The two talk things over and decide what should visually happen
in a piece. Since she began coiling in 1996, it is Rosa who, more
often than not, creates the large sculptural forms. Regarding the
piece
Bending Over Backwards,
Winton states, “You have to do it
to get along and sometimes to keep your job.” Rosa adds, “You
have to bend over backwards to get along. This piece is really talk-
ing about the freedom of speech. When you bend over you can
only bend so far. Then it suppresses your freedom of speech. Ev-
erybody should be able to say whatever he or she wants to say.
I would tell people the point-blank truth. People don’t want to hear
the truth. I’ve had to work on being more diplomatic.” Rosa pushed
the limits of the grog-heavy clay in creating an off-centered form.
Winton populated the organic form with faceless, symbolic people
who are bending over backwards. Stretched and pulled, these peo-
ple—like the clay itself—do not reach the breaking point. The lus-
trous coppery-bronze surface provides a sharp contrast to the off-
white grout used to outline figures that are reminiscent of Keith
Haring’s energetic line drawings.
While the exterior of the Eugenes’ studio is barnlike, the inte-
rior accommodates the needs and preferences of the potters. The
walls—an array of bright orange, buttery yellow and green—are
adorned with artwork collected during the Eugenes’ travels—photo-
graphs and paintings from artists in San Francisco, paintings by
Winton, as well as African masks and Caribbean metalwork. There
are cabinets filled with glazes, plenty of counter space for setting
work out, scales and jars, and a large sink for measuring and clean-
ing. A waist-high wall provides a place to display work while creat-
ing an area for Winton to turn and decorate. Winton now uses an
electric wheel. Aided by the efficiency of an extruder, which lines
the far wall, Rosa creates coiled vessels of various heights and
shapes. The back wall of the studio is painted with an underwater
scene—colorful fish and water spirits inhabit the kelp. These spirits
look like masks from the Ivory Coast. Similar images made their
way onto
Endangered Species
/
Global Warming,
with its relief
images of the water spirits, turtles, other animals and trees.
Behind the orange wall is the kiln room, where three electric»
aug/sep 10 american craft 055
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