Patti Warashina (American, b. 1940) "Freeing the Bird", USA, 1979

Low-fire clay, underglaze, glaze, wood and acrylic vitrine
Seven glazed human figures and two glazed bird figures (the left-most attached with glue by the artist to first human figure, the right-most suspended)
Signed on the vitrine base: "M Patti Warashina '79"

H: 55 7/8, W: 54, D: 10 in. (overall, including conforming plinth)

Artist Biography

American ceramicist Patti Warashina was born in Spokane, Washington in 1940. Both a graduate of and a longtime professor at the University of Washington, Warashina was a key figure in the development of the Seattle ceramic scene. Celebrated as an important contributor to the medium, Warashina is internationally renowned for her sculptural, low-fire clay works that “use the figure in voyeuristic situations in which irony, humor, absurdities portray human behavior as a relief from society’s pressure and frustrations on mankind.” She received National Endowment for the Arts grants in 1975, 1986, and 2013, and was honored with 50-year retrospectives at the American Museum of Ceramic Art and the Bellevue Art Museum in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions and is in the collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among many others.

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist

Property from the Robert L. Pfannebecker Collection