Thomas Bohle: Selected works, 2021

Thomas Bohle: Selected works, 2021

I have been working with clay for over thirty years. The happy crafting, the shaping of the vessels with my hands, fascinates me as much as the change that takes place during the firing process. I mold my works as double-walled vessels from a single piece of clay. This calls for a special power of imaginaton because I throw my works upside down. With double-walled vessels the drying phase and firing process are very critical because the outer and inner walls dry differently. I try to accentuate the shape of my pieces by creating a contrast between the outer and inner forms. My choice of colors underscores my choice of shape. The vessels possess optical weight, but by virtue of their slender bases, clear proportions, and the hollow spaces within, they also convey lightness. Asian glazes, such as ox blood, tenmoku, celadon, and ash glazes, have fascinated me from early on, and this passion is also reflected in my own glazes. To achieve a particular color scheme, I fire my work in a gas reduction kiln at 1280 to 1300 degrees. I draw my inspiration from ancient artisanal pots, from forms in nature. Architecture inspires me likewise, as do sculpture, music, and other arts.

The X-Rays series was inspired by a Japanese journalist who took an x-ray of one of my works and then published it in a magazine.