Walter Dexter

Canadian, b. 1931

Bottle Neck vase, 2007

earthenware

54.6 x 38.1 x 12.7 cm

Collection of the Winnipeg Art Gallery; Acquired with funds from the Winnipeg Rh Foundation Inc.

2007-125

Categories:

Ceramic, Studio

This substantial bottleneck vase, constructed from coil-built processes and multiple-firings, is a form and size that Walter Dexter has been investigating since 1995. Dexter, recipient of the prestigious Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in Fine Craft in 1993, treats the broad surfaces afforded by the scale and form of this vessel as a canvas for painted decoration. The surfaces provide him with a vehicle by which to experiment with glaze application and layering, surface/textural manipulations, and firing techniques. The cross, prominent in the decoration of this vessel, has been a recurring element in Dexter’s work. The artist enjoys the motif not for its symbolic or philosophical associations, but for its strong formal considerations: its bold and graphic presence.