B Y J O D Y C L O W E S

o v e r the past 26 years, John Glick has maintained a quiet formal and surface possibilities. His willingness to "keep
presence as one of America's best known and most respected opening doors," to relax his intent sufficiently to welcome new
studio potters. As he describes it, he has been "hiding out"' ideas, has fostered a self-propelling evolution, each sequence
at his studio in Farmington Hills, Michigan, since he began nurturing the next.
working there in 1964, steadily filling his showroom with the Glick continually renews his vocabulary of form and glaze
fruits of his explorations, responding to t h e challenges of treatment by recycling and overlapping shapes, gestures,
commissions, and periodically pausing to follow new inspi- patterns, textures and color values through each series in
ration. Glick's thoughtful articulation of what it means to work t u r n . I t is a n unpredictable, a t times uncomfortable, pro-
in clay, promulgated through regular demonstrations, lec- cess. His recent wall pieces-investigations of landscape and
tures and articles in publications such as Studio Potter and a delineated horizon on thickly glazed slabs-mark a radical
Ceramics Monthly, has had a defining impact on the field. His departure from t h e layered, calligraphic color field of his
pots have been exhibited, collected and published exten- mature pottery. This development has brought him both an
sively, and salient works, notably his large platters, have been overwhelming elation and regret a t having moved away from
included in nearly every major exhibition of ceramics since familiar territory. Despite the internal conflict and discom-
the late 1970s. fort provoked by these changes, Glick is philosophically com-

The prolific, divergent and experimental approach that mitted to pursuing them, and describes his gratitude for the
characterizes contemporary studio pottery challenges us to surprising manner in which "something you know so well gives
consider not only individual masterpieces but the potter's more than you had imagined."
larger context of theme and variation, repetition and digres-
sion, movement and r e t u r n . Glick's achievement i s best ~ rup in Detroit,
~ Glick ~studied ceramics
i and~ metal- ~
understood through the lens of his long, dedicated and play- smithing in high school, and received his B.F.A. in 1960 from
ful relationship with a way of working-a relationship that Wayne State University. He was uncertain of his direction as
has engendered objects of profound depth and uncommon an undergraduate, and he credits Olga Constantine, a mem-
grace. ber of Wayne's design faculty, with giving him a pivotal nudge
The earliest pots a r e exceptionally workmanlike and to "do more." Encouraged by her confidence in his potential,
deeply conservative. Inspired by Scandinavian design and he continued to pursue both pottery and metalsmithing. His
Oriental stoneware, they a r e subdued in tone, generously ceramics instructor, William Pitney, instilled in him a seri-
proportioned and minimally decorated. Between the scru- ous regard for functional ware, solid workmanship and for-
pulous restraint of these pieces and the decorative exuber- mal clarity, a grounding that was to serve Glick well in his
ance of Glick's mature work lies a meandering traverse of studies with Maija Grotell a t Cranbrook Academy of A r t ,

36 A M E R I C A N C R A F T
ABOVE: Wall panels with landscape theme, 1991, stoneware, multiple slipsand glazes, 26"xl8".0PPOSITE PAGE: John Glick
inlaying colored glozes over a constructed wax-resist lidded box at his Plum Tree Pottery in Farmington Hills, Michigan, 1989.

m
J U N E 1 J U L Y 1 9 9 1 37
 Glick has shown a powerful commitment to fostering that
strong bond of understanding, and he has thrived on the
challenge.
What Glick's first pots-uneven, tentative and visually
weighty-lacked in passion and originality was compen-
sated for by the solid foundation in proportion and stance they
laid for his later experimental forays. Their craftsmanship
consistently reflected Glick's attention to detail: teapots have
thumb hooks to ease pouring, knobs are well sized, lids fit
neatly. The relationship of parts is carefully considered and
well executed, but somewhat sterile: smooth, exaggerated
spouts and unobtrusive lids flow seamlessly into the pot bod-
ies. The teapots from his Cranbrook years-bulging, inflated,
tense-seem complete unto themselves, in a manner foreign
to Glick pots dated after the mid-1960s. They exude a self-
conscious, swaggering quality, like young protbg6s flushed
with success.
ABOVE: Teapot, 12"high, and cups, reduction-firedstoneware, in Glick's mature decorative vocabulary was seeded in the
Click's thesis exhibition at Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1962. mid-to-late 60s, as his confidence and curiosity stimulated an
BELOW: Dinner bowl, 1966, stoneware with oxide wash ever-increasing diversification. Deeply moved by the formal
decoration, /"diameter. OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: Basket,1975,
rhythms of 18th- and 19th-century Japanese ceramics, Glick
reduction-fired stoneware, freehand and mold made, 10nx18".
BOTTOM: Lidded box, 1976, reduction-fired stoneware, layered gradually began integrating elements of teapots, baskets and
glazes with multiple oxide washes, mold made, 3 i/2"x 12 1/2". boxes from that tradition into his own work. The crisp, ele-
gant cyma-curved spouts and lobed pot bodies introduced
during the late 60s marked a distinct break with the mas-
where he received an M.F.A. in 1962. Grotell expected her sive, rounded forms of his previous years, and Glick's intox-
students to have already mastered the nuts and bolts of tech- ication with the change is still palpable in work from the early
nique. Teaching by example and gentle exhortation, she to mid-70s. The taut, mold-formed shapes provoked a new
insisted upon the primacy of artistic challenge and inquiry. complexity, with their grooves, facets and edges that invited
Following his studies at Cranbrook, Glick was drafted into emphasisand articulation. The challenge of embellishingthese
the Army and sent to West Germany. His interaction with composite forms sparked a remarkable period of growth and
several small, traditional salt-glazing potteries in Hohr- continues to hold Glick's interest today.
Grenzhausen (Rhineland-Palatinate) reinforced his intent to During this time Glick's attention to details took on a new
pursue full-time studio work. Upon returning to Michigan in primacy: handles were squeezed, wire-cut, crimped and
1964, he immediately began searching for an appropriate sprigged with decorative pads; knobs faceted, stamped,
location, eventually settling on the former farm that is now modeled or incised; bellies and shoulders textured to catch
Plum Tree Pottery. Glick's romantic, even naive ideal of a pools of glaze. Concurrently he began to incorporate an
studio and showroom from which he would sell to the public aesthetic of pattern rooted in Japanese Oribe pottery and
was initially sustained by enthusiasm, his first wife's income, Ukiyo-e wood-block prints, expanding his palette and mark
sales at art fairs and his own methodical work habits. Within
a few years he had established a broad and loyal audience
whose support has remained relatively constant.

Glick's approach to showroom management developed from

his desire to communicate directly with his audience and to
balance production with the risk taking central to his life as
an artist. In his M.F.A. thesis, Glick stressed the impor-
tance of a "strong bond of under~tanding"~ between pro-
ducer and consumer. He conscientiously avoids intimidating
or misleading purchasers of his work. For example, to pre-
vent accidental damage should they be used, he designates
his recent oversize, nonfunctional teapots as such on an
accompanying card. Dinnerware commissions, a mainstay of
his production since 1965, offer an occasion for intense inter-
action with clients. Striving to meet their requirements while
informing them about his methods and aesthetic approach,

38 A M E R I C A N C R A F T
J U N E / J U L Y 1 9 9 1 39
 subtleties of proportion precede decoration, deserve more
recognition than they have received. From the late 70s on,
however, the exploration of surface has been the real locus of
his attention.
Glick included several details of wax-resist designs in his
M.F.A. thesis (tight swirls clustered in islands on teapot bel-
lies), and these hint a t a fascination with glazing. Through-
out the 60s he glazed certain forms, particularly plates and
bowls, with loose, calligraphic brushwork. A gradual pro-
gression can be traced from simple articulations of border and
well to a freer, broad use of color across the entire surface.
As Glick's inquiry into pattern blossomed in the next decade,
these unpretentious marks steadily coalesced with elements
of the Oribe ceramics he admired, evolving into the founda-
tion of a rich personal vocabulary. As the extension of this
vocabulary became the dominant focus of his work, Glick
developed forms which serve primarily as carriers of pattern
and color. Arguably the most powerful of these are his cele-
brated large plates and his long extruded boxes, whose smooth
curves and simple proportions allow uninterrupted sweeps
of exuberant pattern.
Two features of Oribe pottery decoration have had a last-
ing impact on Glick's approach. By dividing the planar sur-
faces of his pots with alternating light and dark areas of poured
glaze, he creates a ground which does not refer directly to
form. Second, by floating snippets of overt pattern in that
indeterminate ground, he suspends layers of imagery that
partially erode the solidity of his forms. Given these ele-
ABOVE: Pitcher, 1980, salt -glazed stoneware, 111/2" high.
OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: Lidded box, 1991, extruded stoneware,
ments as a basic foundation, Glick's inquisitiveness has moved
3"x18': BOTTOM: Plate, 1989, reduction-fired stoneware, multiple him progressively beyond his initial inspiration. His pro-
slips and glazes, glaze painting, w a x resist, 24"diameter. longed and fruitful exploration of visual depth, subtle com-
mingled color and calligraphic line, steeped in ceramic history
and applied to solidly proportioned forms, has resulted in a
making with great fervor. This heady mix of shape and pat- unique and deeply intelligent body of work.
tern formed a matrix upon which Glick still draws, recom-
bining elements, refining nuances, nurturing the dormancy At their most successful Click's glaze treatments become
and liberal reseeding of ideas and gestures. whole cloth. Visually penetrating the skin of the pots, his
Partly through reliance upon mold-made forms, partly a s glazing opens windows into a partially translucent depth. Yet
a relic of his training, most of Click's pots from the late 60s the sensitive scale of his marks remains intuitively respon-
and early 70s retain a slight stiffness and formality. Thin fac- sive to form and keeps the structure from being dissolved in
eted spouts, inverted U-shaped handles, and long swelling the overlaid pattern. His mature works often seem to have
knobs strain upward, adding a particular tension to the stance been formed from some rare, decorative substance, rather
of teapots and covered jars. This changed gradually, almost than having had pattern and color applied to their surfaces.
imperceptibly, throughout the 70s as many of Glick's pieces (For this reason, i t can be disappointing to examine the
became looser, funkier, almost lush. Boxes, soap dishes and underside of Glick's large plates and bowls, which is gener-
baskets were lavished with scrolled appendages of coiled clay, ally left undecorated.) The impression of elemental sub-
curving wire-cut handles and feet, and asymmetrical lat- stance is enhanced by his continual experimentation with
ticed openings. Culminating in 1974-75 with a remarkable techniques affecting the physical interaction of slips and
series of handbuilt lattice constructions, Glick's unfettered glazes. Such techniques, combined with his extreme color
pursuit of form seemed to have reached a natural limit. New sensitivity and facility with line, support a consummate
variations continue to emerge-most notably muscular vocabulary of depth and suspension.
extruded boxes and the large, angular nonfunctional tea- The sense of "skin" evoked by Glick's best surfaces relies
pots-and familiar themes are refined and rededicated. I t is on the controlled alternation of overlapped and exposed areas
important, too, not to disregard the parallel streams which of color and texture. In pieces from the 70s and early 80s he
have developed alongside the general trends in Glick's work. achieved this effect especially through the combination of
His powerful pitchers and covered jars, for example, in which translucent and opaque glazes. With consistency and consid-

40 A M E R I C A N C R A F T
U N F 1 I 1 1 I V 1 9 9 1 41
erable subtlety, Glick has exploited wax-resist patterns- pieces has accentuated the fluidity of his line even more.
brushed, trailed or sponged over a first layer of glaze-to Applied to a vitrified surface, liquid glaze flows without
delineate islands of that first application within the sea of an soaking into the surface. This agile line, now slightly broad-
overlaid glaze. Translucent glazes can reveal the color and ened and loosened, has become a constant in his repertoire.
pattern of slips applied while the clay is wet; opaque glazes I t suggests leaf, minnow, petal, ripple and hummingbird,
flow over the thickly laid slips underneath them. Ridges, swirling undefined in a realm that is both natural and abstract.
incised lines and textures impressed into wet clay or slip cre- Glick's mastery of proportion and measure is evident in the
ate recesses in which glazes pool and darken; Glick uses these serene, sweeping energy of his line, which seems impelled by
to define the architecture of his forms and to extend pattern wind or flowing water rather than by a human intermediary.
over them. He employed stamped textures extensively The random gesture of his decoration never collapses into
through the early 80s to concentrate and deepen glazes, chaos but is held in a gentle tension that is deeply compelling.
although he seems to have left them behind for the moment.
The first fully successful work in Glick's mature decora- N o w Glick is also exploring sandblasting as a method of
tive style, emerging in 1973and 1974, has a relatively rational reworking fired glaze surfaces. This is inspired by his expe-
character: foreground, middle ground and background are rience with Harvey Littleton's "vitreography" process, in
isolated in fairly distinct planes and a thin dancing calligra- which intaglio prints are made after sandblasting through
phy whips over and behind these levels. This ordered inter- resist media applied to glass plates. Glick is extending this
pretation has receded in Glick's most recent series, which technique as a way to go back "into" his glazed surfaces,
evoke, rather than illustrate depth. Over the past five years etching narrow lines or wide bands into his multiple layers of
Glick has reintroduced a technique of glaze "inlay," using wax glaze. The color stratigraphy this reveals is incredibly com-
simultaneously as a medium for glaze or colorant and as a plex and has the soft, muted texture of etched glass. Used as
resist. The wide swaths of color and thick, viscous brush- line or broad swath, it introduces a matte break in the shiny
work made possible by this method are gently let into the glazed surfaces. In many ways, sandblasting brings Glick's
existing field, interrupting and displacing the layers rather exploration of depth full circle-a literal delving into the lay-
than entering their space. The resulting surfaces resemble ers of glaze to rediscover what has been obscured.
both densely woven brocade and unctuous sauces. Recently Glick's restless, inquiring nature has led him away
The rapid drying of glazes requires quick, certain, even from pot making and abstract decoration and into an inves-
restless application, but Glick's current interest in re-firing tigation of landscape. His wall pieces from the past year

BELOW: Teapot, 1991, extruded and constructed stoneware, multiple glazes and glaze painting, 6 1/2"x12 1/2".
OPPOSITE PAGE: Tray with landscape theme, 1988, stoneware, multiple glazes, wax resist, 19 1/2"x17 1/2?

42 A M E R I C A N C R A F T
describe a horizon line, strips of earth and wide expanses of than extremes of color. Beclouded, mysterious and dark, they
turbulent sky, most often drawn in orange and umber Shino carry an emotional charge that is in sharp contrast to the ele-
glazes and deep, muddy, cobalt blue. Fat slabs of thickly glazed gance and serenity of his recent pottery decoration. New
clay, these are intensely physical objects. Like a genetic sport, enough to be fragile, the direction these landscapes will take
they have evolved suddenly, unexpectedly, but are rooted in is not yet clear. But they mark an exciting transition in John
his previous work; he brings the glaze effects and mark- Glick's artistic life, and it is certain that the ripples caused
making techniques developed in his pottery to bear upon these by this change will take him, once again, to the far edges of
new efforts. the pond.
The imagery of the wall pieces is immediately arresting.
Swaths of smoky atmosphere typically center upon a nebu- 1. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations from John Glick are taken
lous pathway, veiled in a mist of layered color and texture and from interviews the author conducted December 19, 1990 and Jan-
surrounded by swirling, agitated lines reminiscent of vege- uary 7,1991.
2. Lane, Arthur, Style in Pottery (London and New York: Oxford
tation and the movement of wind. Glick sandblasts calli- University Press, 1948), quoted in Click's M.F.A. thesis, "AnExam-
graphic patterns to suggest cloud patterns and hedgerows, ination of Several Functional Ceramic Forms," Cranbrook Academy
using a subtler contrast of matte against glossy surface rather of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, 1962, page 2.

J U N E 1 J U L Y 1 9 9 1 43