Joel Edwards (aka Joel Edward Epstein)

American
(1924–2018)

Jar
circa 1981

Stoneware
12.5 x 7.5 x 7.5 in. (31.75 x 19.05 x 19.05 cm)
Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
1984.23

Known for producing work in a wide variety of forms, Joel Edwards’s signature style is found in the decorative surfaces of his functional and monumental ceramic work. Jar is a wheel-thrown stoneware vessel with a slightly narrowed foot that gently curves into the cylindrical body. The upper rim of the main body, the foot, and the lid are glazed in a rich satin black, while the center of the body is a satin cream color with swirled motifs of brown. A novel aspect of this piece is the way that the negative space of the handle is echoed in the flowing brushwork of the decorative panel, unifying form and surface.

Born in 1923, Edwards studied at the Brooklyn Museum School in Brooklyn, New York, as well as at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. Due to the influence of such mentors as Shoji Hamada, Peter Voulkos, and Marguerite Wildenhain, Edwards was equally known for his functional tableware and for monumental works with intricate surfaces featuring abstract floral sprigs, sgraffito, and brushwork. These rich surfaces were often inspired by abstract expressionism, and his functional forms were frequently used as ikebana ware for Japanese floral arrangements.

Ayla Murray

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This object has the following keywords:

• black

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

• Unearthed , 8/23/2022 - 5/14/2023

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