Eric Norstad Vase

About the Item

Ceramic vessel by Eric Norstad (1924-2013) measuring 9" wide, 6.5" deep and 12" high. About the Artist: Eric Norstad was an award-winning potter and architect who worked primarily on the west coast of the United States. Norstad credits artists Peter Voulkos, Bernard Leach, and his parents as influences, as well as clean, functional Scandinavian design of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Graduated from the University of Oregon with degree in architecture with a minor in ceramics. He was a draftsman in Seattle, Washington. In order to subsidize his career as an aspiring architect Norstad began making stoneware pottery. In 1959, Norstad moved his growing family to Marin County, California. He built a kiln in the basement of their new home and began selling pots at street fairs and at word of mouth home pottery sales. In 1960 Norstad was asked to join architects Warren Callister and Jack Payne as an architect at their firm Callister and Payne in Tiburon, California. Norstad worked on multiple residential projects in Northern California while continuing to make ceramics on the side. Soon Callister and other architects began commissioning unique ceramic pieces from Norstad such as fireplace fronts, chimney pots, large planter pots, and decorative relief murals. In 1962, Norstad left Callister and Payne, and opened Norstad Pottery building a larger kiln on their property. In 1975, Norstad Pottery moved to a 3,000 square foot studio in Sausalito, California. More extensive information on this great ceramicist can be located on Wikipedia.

Creator:

Eric Norstad (Artist)

Dimensions:

Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)Width: 9.25 in (23.5 cm)Depth: 6.5 in (16.51 cm)

Materials and Techniques:

Ceramic

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

1980-1989

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1980s