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Ry Rocklen — Light Blue Orange CRUSH
Ry Rocklen

Light Blue Orange CRUSH

2018

Light Blue Orange CRUSH (2018) presents Ry Rocklen's characteristically tender treatment of the everyday object, here rendered in stoneware with Mason stain and glaze decal to evoke the familiar iconography of a soda can reborn as ceramic artifact. Measuring 38.1 by 29.8 centimeters, the work occupies a quietly commanding scale, inviting close looking at the interplay between the crisp commercial graphics of the decal and the warm, handmade presence of the fired clay beneath. Rocklen has long been drawn to objects that carry cultural memory, and this piece transforms a piece of vernacular Americana into something simultaneously monumental and intimate, suspended between the disposable and the permanent. The choice of stoneware as a stand-in for mass-produced packaging speaks to one of the defining tensions in Rocklen's practice: the contrast between industrial reproducibility and the singular, irreducible fact of a handcrafted object. The Mason stain gives the surface a depth and richness that printed aluminum can never achieve, while the glaze decal preserves just enough of the original source material to keep the nostalgia alive and gently complicated. The result is a work that rewards collectors who appreciate conceptual rigor delivered through sensory warmth, a piece that holds its own equally in conversation with contemporary ceramics and with the broader tradition of Pop-inflected object-making. This signed work is offered in connection with Swing Left, a political organization, and acquisition is subject to applicable Federal Election Commission rules and regulations. Prospective buyers should confirm their eligibility under federal campaign finance law prior to bidding. The work is available for pickup at Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles, with shipping arrangements also available.

Medium
Stoneware, Mason stain, and glaze decal
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Ry Rocklen, Light Blue Orange CRUSH, 2018

Light Blue Orange CRUSH (2018) presents Ry Rocklen's characteristically tender treatment of the everyday object, here rendered in stoneware with Mason stain and glaze decal to evoke the familiar iconography of a soda can reborn as ceramic artifact. Measuring 38.1 by 29.8 centimeters, the work occupies a quietly commanding scale, inviting close looking at the interplay between the crisp commercial graphics of the decal and the warm, handmade presence of the fired clay beneath. Rocklen has long been drawn to objects that carry cultural memory, and this piece transforms a piece of vernacular Americana into something simultaneously monumental and intimate, suspended between the disposable and the permanent. The choice of stoneware as a stand-in for mass-produced packaging speaks to one of the defining tensions in Rocklen's practice: the contrast between industrial reproducibility and the singular, irreducible fact of a handcrafted object. The Mason stain gives the surface a depth and richness that printed aluminum can never achieve, while the glaze decal preserves just enough of the original source material to keep the nostalgia alive and gently complicated. The result is a work that rewards collectors who appreciate conceptual rigor delivered through sensory warmth, a piece that holds its own equally in conversation with contemporary ceramics and with the broader tradition of Pop-inflected object-making. This signed work is offered in connection with Swing Left, a political organization, and acquisition is subject to applicable Federal Election Commission rules and regulations. Prospective buyers should confirm their eligibility under federal campaign finance law prior to bidding. The work is available for pickup at Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles, with shipping arrangements also available.

Medium
Stoneware, Mason stain, and glaze decal
Dimensions
overall: 38.1 x 29.8 cm
Year
2018
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Swing Left

Related themes

Mohn Art Collective

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