NEHMA | Collection

Richard Fox

American, b. 1947

Jar
1982

Stoneware, wood and cord
8 x 14 x 13.5 in.
Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
1984.733

Made in 1982, in the early years of his independent studio practice, Richard Fox’s Jar is a wonderful example of his functional work before he began pursuing representational sculpture. This storage vessel has a narrow foot, with walls that angle steeply outward before abruptly stopping to mirror the angle back toward a narrow rim on which the lid sits. The matte-white glaze emphasizes the ridges left from the throwing process, while the dark stoneware clay body is exposed by the fluid, wax-resist linework that plays across the shoulder of the pot. The addition of wood and cordage provides a simple yet secure mechanism to hold the lid firmly in place.

Richard Fox was born in Key West, Florida, in 1947 and, after a self-proclaimed “unremarkable childhood,” he moved to El Paso to study at the University of Texas. As is the case with so many ceramic artists, Fox’s first encounters with clay during his academic career profoundly affected the direction his life would take. After receiving a bachelor’s degree with a major in ceramics, Fox moved in 1977, establishing a home and studio in the idyllic region of Mount Shasta, California. His practice has evolved toward representational sculpture depicting various animals, while he also works as a coffeehouse manager, carpenter, ski lift mechanic, and welder.

Ayla Murray

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string, wood