IllustratedClayworks

Uniquely manipulated, carved, and illustrated ceramics.

Columbus, Ohio On Etsy since 2017

41 Sales | 5 out of 5 stars

IllustratedClayworks

Uniquely manipulated, carved, and illustrated ceramics.

Columbus, Ohio | 41 Sales

5 out of 5 stars

Shop owner

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Announcement    Welcome, welcome to this place of "Enchanted Forestry." Wade in: The koi don't bite. Wander around: The flowers don't have thorns. The birds are mostly skittish, but still, you might discover something to treasure or share.
These illustrated clayworks are all created as one-of-kind objects here in my studio in the foothills of the Appalachians. Thrown on the wheel, manipulated by hand, heavily incised with a sgraffito technique, and finally hand-painted and -glazed.
I'm also an author and poet of many, many books, and an illustrator for magazines ranging from The New Yorker to Gourmet. I love translating my passion for nature into clay's three dimensions. Please write with comments or questions or even commissions. All good wishes...and happy holidays ahead! MJR

Announcement

Last updated on Nov 1, 2017

Welcome, welcome to this place of "Enchanted Forestry." Wade in: The koi don't bite. Wander around: The flowers don't have thorns. The birds are mostly skittish, but still, you might discover something to treasure or share.
These illustrated clayworks are all created as one-of-kind objects here in my studio in the foothills of the Appalachians. Thrown on the wheel, manipulated by hand, heavily incised with a sgraffito technique, and finally hand-painted and -glazed.
I'm also an author and poet of many, many books, and an illustrator for magazines ranging from The New Yorker to Gourmet. I love translating my passion for nature into clay's three dimensions. Please write with comments or questions or even commissions. All good wishes...and happy holidays ahead! MJR

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41 Sales
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Michael J. Rosen

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Michael J. Rosen

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About IllustratedClayworks

Sales 41
On Etsy since 2017
  • Chant, the resident cattle dog, posing next to some drinking vessels (this is a Greek form called a rhyton).
  • Ever since my ornithology classes in the early 70s, birds have been beacons in the world I know.
  • The studio wall with works-in-progress and finished pieces. For a small space, I have mastered the art of packing it in!
  • Ready to bisque, a limited set of 12 sculpted drinking vessels for the Columbus Museum of Art, holidays. Cardinals.
  • A new series of tiles more allied to my 2D style of illustration. This is the resident heeler overlooking the creek.

Illustrated Clayworks by Michael J. Rosen, author and illustrator of some 135 books for readers of all ages.

Inspired by the flora and fauna here in the Appalachian foothills of Central Ohio—
even if some are exaggerated—each vessel, plater, pitcher, bowl, or mug is an original improvisation. That is the pleasure in making for me: Not duplicating a work over and over, but allowing each work to become an original expression of form, illustration, and color.

Nearly all works are thrown on the wheel and then manipulated to create concavities or ribs or bulges that will add further dimension—further “hand feel”—to the object. After each has hardened a bit, I begin the real pleasure: puzzling out the surface composition. How will the branches or the water ripples travel across the piece. What creatures should fit where? What sort of leaf shape?

As I draw and then carve these visuals into the clay body, I’m also concentrating on creating a surface that will afford the greatest tactile pleasure. The pleasure of holding in your hands an object built in my hands.

Shop members

  • Michael J. Rosen

    Owner

    I've written, illustrated, edited, or photographed over 150 books in a long career. Ceramics have always been a passion. And now, at last, the chance to apply my love and knowledge of natural history and my illustration techniques to clay surfaces.

Shop policies

More information

Last updated on Jul 6, 2017
Frequently asked questions
Custom and personalized orders

Sure. I'm happy to create a work based on your favorite bird, cat, dog, or flower. We'd simply have to work out the particulars in terms of timing, price, and objective. I'd need reference images. I'd share a preliminary sketch. And, after that, we'd need to commit to the project. You'd be leaving it to me to create what it is that you see I do: The "likeness" is that you "like" what I do...and how I create that likeness is what you're accepting as my "style." Happy to think along these lines with you!

Care instructions

Nearly everything I create is food-safe and happily hand-washed or tucked inside the dishwasher. The only exceptions are those that have gold-leafing as part of the decoration. Those are more sculptural pieces, not particularly suited for covering in Spaghetti Carbonara or Mom's Favorite Potato Gratin. I've noted this on the few pieces so you should feel comfortable with the durability and safety of all the ceramics offered.

Sizing details

So my vessels are significantly warped and crimped and bowed after throwing on the wheel. And then they're heavily incised in order to bring forward the leaves or birds or fish, allowing the background to recede. Even the bottoms of each piece have carving, decoration, or some more organic foot on which to rest. As such, some of my pieces do not sit exactly flat on a table. Some mugs, with their narrower bases and the fuller handles, are slightly asymmetrical or have a base that's not fully flush with the surface. These are the qualities of handcrafting and, sure, the kiln's fickle properties, that I actually desire. I don't offer any works that can't hold their own on a table. Each piece welcomes you into the journey of its making.