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Heart of Glass - Blenko Glass

Blenko Glass is a West Virginia treasure that spans generations. Nothing symbolizes the state of West Virginia better or more beautifully than Blenko Glass. We will discuss current and former craftsmen and designers and how important it is that Blenko and West Virginia glass be appreciated and valued by the younger generation.

Monday, July 05, 2010

More photos from WV Janis


Dear Hillary:


Another photo to share. Here we see a Mexican black on black pottery piece paired with an orange glass decanter. I don't know the origin of the decanter and it is missing the original stopper. I am pretty sure it was made in WV. The decanter has a bumpy texture, like the driftwood pattern produced by Seneca Glass in Morgantown, WV. This piece, likely was a second as the base has a large non-translucent slag-glass swirl in it. I love the way it looks with the black pottery piece. This pottery was made famous in the early 1900's in Mexico by Maria Martinez and her husband. The finish gets the color and sheen from the natural materials used in firing in combination with the lack of oxygen.


The pairing reminds me of Winslow Anderson, not in form but the fact that he designed both pottery and glass in his lifetime with one medium influencing his designs in the other.
WV Janis

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you sure the pottery is that of Maria Martinez? It doesn’t look like it. She was not from Mexico, but the San Ildefonso Pueblo about 20 mi. northwest of Sante Fe, NM. Her work typically is burnished and then has a matt slip decoration painted over it. This jug looks incised. It may be a rare piece of her work that I am unfamiliar with, but I suggest you research it further.

WV Janis said...

Dear Hillary:

It is so helpful to learn about the BLENKO and WV Glass pieces from readers and to get their personal stories about the glass. Also, it is fun to get people's reactions to the photos that I share. They give me inspiration to do more photography. Your blog has the potential to be a great forum. Please get the comments published. Lucky for me, MOUNTAIN RITA's comment got through otherwise would have never learned that my decanter is likely Seneca glass.

No MTN R, mine is not signed :(

If there is any way to get the comment section up and running, it would really boost enthusiasm and blog traffic.

For me, providing photos is a way to reconnect with your readers and to get feedback on my work. Since I am only an amateur photographer, I'll have to admit:

WILL WORK FOR COMMENTS..................

Love to you all.

WV Janis

Anonymous said...

My Mom has several pieces of MM incised and one is pierced from 20 years ago they are also signed.
Sol

westvirginiajanis@yahoo.com said...

Dear Anonymous: I only meant to say that the black pottery is similar to the pottery of Maria Martinez. This piece is probably not valuable. It reminds me of the "Made in Mexico" pottery I saw with a Target label not too long ago. The piece has no signature or other markings to identify. I don't resell glass or pottery. I just buy it in the after market to use to photograph and to decorate. Knowing the true value would only make me nervous when I carry it outside to photograph!

If anybody has a website that shows the difference between pierced/incised/and non-incised pottery, I'd love to learn about it! Thanks everyone. Glad some comments are starting to come through again!

Thanks All!

WV Janis

lewisphddvm said...

Orange and Black it doesn't get better than this.
Beautiful compositon.