NEHMA | Collection

Ken Harju

b. 1952

Urn
1982

Porcelain
15 x 10.125 x 10.125 in.
Gift of the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation
1984.1058

Made in 1982 while working as a production potter in Seattle, Washington, Ken Harju’s Urn exhibits a high level of precision gained through years of constant throwing practice. Composed of fine porcelain, the piece is glazed in two distinct horizontal sections; the lower in rich brown hues, and the upper a subtle green with a small circlet containing a landscape of wavy tan grasses. The vessel has a wide, stable base that expands slightly into the body of the form and gracefully curves inward from the shoulder to the rim, where small loops provide a secure means to attach a lid.

Like so many potters, Ken Harju’s story with ceramics is: “Once you’ve played with clay, it never goes away.” Harju spent several years as an independent studio ceramist producing his own work before he was hired as a production potter in 1976 at Studio 5 in Seattle. While there, his raku and pit-fired work, as well as high-fired stoneware and porcelain, sold at galleries and stores throughout the West Coast region. After ten years in Washington, Harju moved to Costa Mesa, in Southern California, where he established his own studio and continues his pottery practice today.

Ayla Murray

Keywords
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This object has the following keywords:

botanical, grass, plants