"On their shoulders" #017
This is part of the Ice series in porcelain.
L 6" x W 4" x H 8.5"
On Their Shoulders presents a poised porcelain vessel elevated above a rugged, geological base, articulating a quiet tension between fragility and endurance. The thin-walled cup, refined in form and restrained in surface, appears almost weightless as it hovers above the textured mass beneath it. Its softly irregular rim and translucent body suggest vulnerability, containment, and stillness, while the pale blue interior evokes depth—an interior landscape held in suspension.
A fissure traced with luminous turquoise glaze runs down the vessel’s exterior, recalling a mineral vein or a fault line. Rather than signaling damage, this mark becomes a site of transformation, allowing light, color, and movement to pass through the form. The vessel’s apparent perfection is gently interrupted, emphasizing impermanence and the quiet acceptance of change.
The sculptural base is expressive and erosive, referencing natural formations shaped by time, pressure, and accumulation. Glossy blue glaze cascades through its folds like water carving a path through stone, visually anchoring the vessel to the ground while reinforcing the relationship between support and burden implied in the title.
Together, the elements form a contemplative balance—refinement and rawness, stillness and flow, precision and chance.
On Their Shoulders reflects on reliance, inheritance, and the unseen structures that hold us upright, inviting close viewing and a meditation on resilience, emergence, and the strength found in precarious equilibrium.