Karen Karnes (1925, USA)  

Untitled Sculpted Vase
ca 1998
Wood-fired stoneware; ht. 10, wd. 13, dp. 8.75 in. 
Artist KK stamp at foot.

Karnes is best known for her earth-toned stoneware ceramics. Born in 1925 in New York City, she attended art schools for children. Her garment worker parents were Russian and Polish immigrants. Karnes was influenced in many ways by her parents' philosophies and has great respect for working in small communities. When Karnes was in her mid-twenties, she and her husband David Weinrib moved down to North Carolina to attend and work at the Black Mountain College. One of her friends at the Black Mountain College was Merce Cunningham, and she lived with his partner John Cage. While in the Carolinas, Karnes was introduced to potters such as Bernard Leach, Shoji Hamada, and local Americans Malcom Davis and Mark Shapiro. Karnes decided to live the rest of her life on a farm, working with clay and using old firing practices such as wood and salt firing. In 1998, her house and studio burned to the ground because of a kiln fire. With the help of donations from a large pottery sale, Karen rebuilt her country house and studio. She received a Graduate Fellowship from Alfred University, and more recently won a gold medal from The American Craft Council. Her work is displayed in numerous galleries and permanent collections worldwide.  

Provenance: Purchased from the Garth Clark Gallery, NY