Julia Galloway ::: Utilitarian Pottery

Dwell – verb (used without object), dwelt or dwelled, dwelling.
1. to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside. 2. to live or continue in a given condition or state: to dwell in happiness. 3. to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing (often followed by on or upon): to dwell on a particular point in an argument.

In this exhibition have decorated my pottery with images from my own home. I am particularly interested in objects or areas of my house that have the most intense sense of domesticity and personal or family history. For example, like most people, I spend most of my time at home in the kitchen, making coffee, chopping veggies or answering emails at the kitchen table. For me, the kitchen has always been the heart of my home. I didn’t straighten up my house before drawing it – if so, well, it just wouldn’t be my home. On several pots I have a wicker chair, often with a window or a light. This was my grandmothers chair – “the 5 O’clock chair, where my grandmother would ‘take off her face’ at the end of the day, or, where she would sit when making phone calls. I love the idea of using pottery that has a home on it – metaphorically getting nourishment from where I live.

A special Thank you to Sandy Simon for hosting this exhibition at her Gallery “Trax” in Berkeley, California. She has represented my work for many years with the upmost respect and consideration for my work. She exhibits the best utilitarian pottery in California, and her gallery is not to be missed.

All pottery is made from porcelain clay, fired in a soda kiln to mid-range temperature, cone 6, with blue and black inlay slip. A second very low glaze firing using platinum and gold lusters is common. The pottery is of an average and useful size, cream and sugar sets around 3x4x5 and pitchers 7x8x12. 2016