Object Details
- Luce Center Label
- Curtis and Suzan Benzle created Synthetic Blues by cutting pieces of colored clay and methodically piecing and rolling them together before gently placing the completed slab into a bowl-shaped mold to be fired. They used a special clay body that contained only twenty percent clay, the remainder being a combination of plasticizers, feldspars and flint, making the finished product as translucent as possible. The interlocking patterns of colorful stripes and playful red hearts evoke the image of a handmade patchwork quilt, which may have been inspired by Suzan's experience in textiles and weaving. The vessel's white lip creates a visible boarder, a signature feature of pieces the Benzles worked on together.
- Luce Object Quote
- "We want to create art that enhances life and makes people feel better about themselves, their society, and their environment." Curtis Benzle, quoted in A Life in Crafts, 1988
- Data Source
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Artist
- Curtis Benzle, born Lakewood, OH 1949
- Suzan Benzle, born Dayton, OH 1950
- Date
- 1981
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Thomas E. Simpson
- Medium
- porcelain
- Dimensions
- 4 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 6 1/2in. (11.3 x 19 x 16.5cm)
- Type
- Decorative Arts-Ceramic
- Crafts
