The image of a skull may, to many, conjure morbit thoughts of feelings of fright and dread, but to many others, it is an object of fascination and even contemplation. This piece is based on the historical concept of the "memento mori", the image of the skull to prompt contemplation on death and mortality... i, however, inscribe my skulls "memento vitae", an invitation to contemplate life and how we are living it. The sad truth is, we shal all die someday, but the upside is that we are living every day and would do best to remember that and live it the best we can. 
This piece began where they all do, in the earth. It is made using local wild stoneware clay which i dig and process by hand which is quite a process before i even begin. The form has been carefully wheel turned as i would a cup or jug but closed entirely into a roughly egg shape. After a day or so i have trimmed the back round, and begun to sculpt through a combination of precise denting and then adding and detailing coils of clay until the form has come to shape. The cheek bones have been pulled like handles, before carving in accents like the sutures of the skull and hand carving each individual tooth. The piece is carefully inscribed with my trademark latin inscription "memento vitae" urgind us to remember the life we have. 
This piece has been left unglazed to glorify the natural beauty of my wild stoneware clay, i have however applied a clay slip stain rich in the mineral rutile which yields an earthy golden luster. The piece has been wood fired to over 2350f in a traditional catawba valley "groundhog" kiln leaving a beautifully organic glossy patina on the surface as the wood ash settles and melts into a natural glaze
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