catherine white

Catherine White's exhibition reveals the
work of an artist extraordinarily sensitive to
surface, color and texture. Some vessels are
explicitly functional. Others contain a more
overt cultural message about the nature of craft.
White is most successful when she is least self-
conscious. Many vessels retain the character of soft
clay. The surface of a tall vase is black and gauzy; the
white porcelain shows through to make the piece seem
softly dyed. White adds abrasive materials to the
clay which tear into the work, leaving behind
lines and scars that change both shape and surface.
Accidental marks are often enhanced by fingerprints
and stresses. A white bowl has an irregular surface due to
finger marks and a casual glaze-dipping technique; there is a
shallow crudeness to the foot which rocks slightly; some clay
pieces trimmed from the base linger. Despite these
qualities which might suggest an asymmetrical
and meandering grace, the bowl retains a stillness
and rigidity that interferes with the softer approaches
to the surface. The rim is overly defined so that
some applied swipes seem ungainly and hardly
incidental. The foot retains deliberate carved marks
that look like the result of an effort to relax the piece.
One of the strongest pieces in the exhibition is a black
cup and saucer in a greenish box. The green fabric on
the outside of the box is reflected in the greenish-white
swaths of color that break through the black glaze of the
cup. The box unfolds: a bead and tassel closure opens,
the sides slip out of their sheaths and the cup is presented
in a flattened environment full of its own reflections.
Drawings in india ink and acrylic paint grace the three
internal walls of the box. These sketches, lyrical and
free white line drawings scratched through a black
background, portray moments in the life of a cup--impressions.