Chris Lewis, British studio pottery Aztec pattern stoneware jar and cover, c1990

Size:  23 cm tall with lid, 20 cm to rim of jar, 18 cm maximum width of base.

Condition: Excellent condition, no chips cracks or restoration

This is a lovely example of the domestic ware work of Chris Lewis, with tribal art inspired decoration which he uses very often, each face of the jar slightly different.  It is hand thrown and then altered and decorated using resist and ash glaze.

The pot almost certainly dates to before about 2000, when Chris began to use his anagama kiln, which creates a more "earthy" feel to his pots.

In common with most of Chris's work, the pot is not marked.

Following an apprenticeship at Farnham Potteries, Wrecclesham, Chris Lewis moved to the pottery established by Ursula Mommens in 1951 at South Heighton, near Newhaven in Sussex in 1976.  

Chris’ first kiln at South Heighton was a two chambered wood fired kiln which he used successfully for twenty years.  However in 2000, this kiln was replaced by a large single chamber “anagama” kiln based on a design that has been in use all over the Far East for hundreds of years. 

Archaeology and the artefacts made by vanished or disappearing cultures has an abiding influence on Chris Lewis’ work.  Regular visits to the ethnographic departments of museums and frequent travel to Africa, Asia and America, where he makes a point of searching out fellow makers, have informed and nourished his own work throughout his career.

Chris has exhibited in galleries and shows throughout the UK and Europe, and larger scale pieces have been featured in architectural and garden design projects internationally.