Big Bug Jar

Kirk Mangus (b 1952)

Mangus works have been described as borrowing the sensibility of early Asian ceramics and volumes from the classic Greek vases. The carvings are multi layered and contemporary giving them an irreverent and insolent. After carefully selecting the clay that is critical because of the surface needed to achieve his results, the artist used a wood-fired kiln which he built into the side of a hill on his parent's farm in western Pennsylvania where he can get just the result he wants. The artist can control the effects by monitoring the length of firing and the arrangement within the kiln. He cannot control the unpredictability of the Raku glaze. Big Bug Jar is a basic jar form, wheel thrown and reaching 29” where the artist carves deeply enough to perferate the vessel wall in several places which becomes part of the design. The vibrant calligraphic lines are grouped rhythmically. Kirk Mangus teaches at Kent . His work has been His work has been shown in solo and group exhibits in this region and throughout the United States including the Seattle Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C.