Casserole
Artist
Rosser, Carol
Production date
Circa 2013
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Object Detail
Title
Casserole
Production date
Circa 2013
Medium
wheel-thrown, natural ash and applied Shino glaze, wood fired in Anagama kiln
Measurements
18.5 x 23 x 22 cm
Object type
Interpretive text
Arthur and Carol Rosser were a husband and wife duo who practised in North Queensland (Townsville and Mackay), quietly dedicating their careers to the production of wood fired pottery. Masters of their medium, they are recognised as part of a dispersed community of artists that contributed to the revival of stoneware pottery in Australia, a movement that slowly gained momentum from the late 1950s.
Over forty years the Rossers’ created a prolific body of work. Often self-sourcing and mixing clay bodies from local deposits, they built and experimented with their own kilns suitable for salt and later, long wood firings. This included an Anagama kiln (from Japanese for cave kiln) and their hybrid design Oztrain kiln. Over their careers they mastered salt glazing and developed their own natural ash glazes. Earthy red, brown and subtle green dribbles, minimal decoration, and robust, functional forms became the signature aesthetic of their oeuvre. In their later years they pursued pure wood firing—exploiting the natural, random effects of ash in the kiln to allow for unexpected decorative effects.
This casserole was created during the later part of the Rosser's career when both artists were focusing on pure wood firing. It's flashings of bright oranges and reds indicate the mastery over wood firing that the artists had developed by this stage in their careers.
Artspace Mackay 2023
Over forty years the Rossers’ created a prolific body of work. Often self-sourcing and mixing clay bodies from local deposits, they built and experimented with their own kilns suitable for salt and later, long wood firings. This included an Anagama kiln (from Japanese for cave kiln) and their hybrid design Oztrain kiln. Over their careers they mastered salt glazing and developed their own natural ash glazes. Earthy red, brown and subtle green dribbles, minimal decoration, and robust, functional forms became the signature aesthetic of their oeuvre. In their later years they pursued pure wood firing—exploiting the natural, random effects of ash in the kiln to allow for unexpected decorative effects.
This casserole was created during the later part of the Rosser's career when both artists were focusing on pure wood firing. It's flashings of bright oranges and reds indicate the mastery over wood firing that the artists had developed by this stage in their careers.
Artspace Mackay 2023
Credit line
Mackay Regional Council Art Collection, purchased 2023.
Accession number
2023.55
