JAY KVAPIL Chaos and Control

Couturier Gallery is pleased to present JAY KVAPIL: Chaos and Control, an exhibition of ceramic vessel forms of intentional intensity and drama. The large-scale thrown vessels in the form of bowls, vases and bottles, clothed with Kvapil’s invented vibrant and subtle glazes, strike remarkable balances between two strong opponents, control and chaos. It is the careful marriage of form with surface texture and color created by the ceramist’s steady hand and the fire of the kiln. The public is invited to the Artist’s Reception on Saturday, November 7th , 6-8pm. The exhibition will continue through December 23, 2015.

The glazing and firing stages of Kvapil’s process give birth to the active surface textures which command ones attention. The painterly and fluid glazes set the scene for his interpretations of portraiture and landscape, with crater surfaces or molten lava drips, creating works of great life, character and movement. Kvapil is constantly experimenting in his studio with clay, glaze and kiln to produce new effects, new colors, new textures. Not all of his pieces make it thru the process, many are lost, but those survivors find the balance between chaos and control giving birth to vehicles that express life and death.

“With these new pieces I have intentionally increased the intensity and drama of each piece. Risk taking in forming, glazing, and firing has increased as well, meaning many pieces were lost in the process of producing these. I do not see these pieces as bowls or bottles, but as paintings, landscapes, and portraits.” —Jay Kvapil

Jay Kvapil’s work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions includingAmerican Porcelain, New Dimensions in an Ancient Art, Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C., 1980; Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan, 1985; On and Off the Wall: Shaped and Colored, Oakland Museum, CA, 1983 to 1985; Satellite Exhibition, Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA, 1990. Additionally, his work may be found in the public collections of the Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA and the San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA.