Becky Strickland
Becky Strickland’s wheel thrown pots are decorated with a combination of sgraffito and mishima techniques which result in images of carved lines and contrasting colors on the vessel’s surface. The decorated pots are glazed on the inside and fired in an atmospheric gas kiln with a soda finish. The resultant tableware is warm and rich with a variegated surface revealing images of birds, cathedrals and trees.
Available Pieces
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No Longer Available
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Becky Strickland at MudFire
Providing ongoing representation
Gallery group show Fur and Feathers, April 2013
Gallery group show Mugs for Jugs, October 2011
Gallery group show Creatures of the Night, August 2011
Gallery group show Damn Right I Got the Blues, June 2011
Gallery group show Put a Lid on It, May 2007
Becky Strickland Artist Statement
I make porcelain pottery for everyday use. The forms of my pots are simple with a generous sense of volume, and the surfaces are decorated with colorful carved, drawn or sculpted images. These images include forms from nature such as birds and plants, landscapes, and abstract patterns. These images reflect the joy and comfort of memories from my north Florida childhood, such as watching mockingbirds and redheaded woodpeckers in my grandmother's yard, exploring a neighbor's magical forest of camellias and pine trees, riding in the countryside and dreaming of living there one day, and reading illustrated books set in faraway places. These images also reflect my love of drawings and prints, medieval art and architecture, and the work of artists such as Walter Anderson and Samuel Palmer. My hope is to make pots that have grace in form, surface and function, pots that bring pleasure to the viewer, pots that bring a similar sense of comfort and quiet joy to the user.
Becky Strickland Process Statement
Each pot begins with a wheel thrown form. I alter that form and add handbuilt features (handles, knobs, spouts, etc.). After coating a pot with colored clay slips, I decorate the pot by combining elements of centuries old techniques. "Sgraffito" involves carving lines and images into the pot through the slip to reveal the porcelain clay beneath. "Mishima" involves staining those carved lines and images a contrasting color. Sometimes I "slip-trail" images on the surface of the pot instead, squeezing raised lines of colored slip or glaze onto the pot through a thin needle attached to a soft bottle. I often add more color to the images, using stains and glazes as paints. Sgraffito carving is done when the pot is leatherhard. The other decoration usually is done after the bisque firing. The decorated pots are glazed on the inside and fired in a gas kiln. At the optimal temperature, soda dissolved in water is sprayed into the hot kiln. The soda, clay, slips, glazes and flame of the fire react chemically with each other, with the result that each pot emerges from the kiln with a wonderfully varied and unique surface.
