Object Details
- Luce Center Label
- Ron Kent's chosen medium is Norfolk Island pine, an evergreen indigenous to Norfolk Island, a small island in the Pacific Ocean between Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. The wood can be gold, orange or black in color. Kent exploits the natural translucency of the pine by making his pieces as thin as possible. The gold tones in Footed Vessel are amplified by its thin walls, which allow light to shine through, and the dark grain and knots. As with many of his pieces, Kent did not plan the shape of Footed Vessel beforehand—he allowed the wood's characteristics to dictate its form as he worked.
- Luce Object Quote
- "My mission is to create and select the silhouette that best interacts with the natural characteristics of each log, highlighting the intrinsic beauties that nature had provided, seeking a harmonious blend." The artist, quoted in "Ron Kent: American Artist in Context," 2003
- Data Source
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Artist
- Ron Kent, born Chicago, IL 1931-died Honolulu, HI 2018
- Date
- 1994
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist
- Medium
- Norfolk Island pine
- Dimensions
- 9 1/4 x 10 1/4 in. (23.5 x 26.0 cm)
- Type
- Decorative Arts
- Crafts
