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Karl Borgeson

Biography to Display: 

EDUCATION

1965 BA Art, St. Cloud State College, St. Cloud, Minnesota

1970 MFA Ceramics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1968-1969 Teaching Assistant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1969-1970 Assistant Professor, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California

1970-2002 Professor, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin

2002—Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin

BIOGRAPHY

 Karl Borgeson is known for wheel thrown or, occasionally, hand built, utilitarian stoneware and porcelain pottery. Borgeson develops fine line work on the surface of each piece using the mishima technique.  The mishima surface motifs on his pieces include basket weave, checkerboard or parallel line patterns are influenced by African and Indonesian architecture, textiles, baskets and tribal masks.

Mishima is developed in the greenware stage, where leatherhard pots are coated with wax and incised with fine carving tools to develop a design. Later, colored slip or underglaze is applied to the incised line work. The excess slip or underglaze is then sponged off the waxed surface of the pot to reveal the intricately incised lines, usually black in Borgeson's work.

Upon glazing his work, Borgeson casts wood ash over glazed areas in the tacky state. In addition to the wood ash added to the glaze surface, a small amount of salt is introduced into the kiln atmosphere during firing; encouraging salt glaze development on raw clay mishima-designed areas of each piece. Finished work typically incorporates graphically placed areas of glazed and unglazed surfaces.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Public Collections to Display: 

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Bindley Collection, Middelton, Wisconsin

Byer Museum of the Arts, Chicago, Illinois

Columbia Pictures, Burbank, California

First Bank System, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin

Regional Museum of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois

St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota

St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri

University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Telephone, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography to Display: 

Clark, Garth. American Ceramics: 1876 to the Present. New York, NY: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1987.

“Clay, Wood & Salt.” Ceramics Monthly 53 (2005).

Levin, Elaine. History of American Ceramics: From Pipkins and Bean Pots to Contemporary Forms., 1607 to the Present. New York, NY: Harry N Abrams, 1988.

MacKenzie, Warren, David Lewis, Lyndel Saunders King, and Susan M. Brown. Warren MacKenzie, Potter: a Retrospective. Minneapolis, MN: University Art Museum, University of Minnesota, 1989.

 

WEBSITE(S):

http://karlborgesonceramics.com/home.html

 

Typical Marks
ca 2016
ca 2016
Covered Jar
Date: ca 2016
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo: TMP
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo: TMP
Photo: TMP
Cream and Sugar
Date: ca 2016
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo: TMP
The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Photo: TMP
Photo: TMP
Yellow Tea Pot
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown and Altered
Surface Technique: Glaze
Judith and Martin Schwartz Collection
Photo: John Polak
Judith and Martin Schwartz Collection
Photo: John Polak
Tray
Materials: Porcelain
Method: Slab-Built
Surface Technique: Glaze
Jean and Paul Adams Collection
Photo: TMP
Jean and Paul Adams Collection
Photo: TMP
Photo: TMP
Yunomi
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
Jean and Paul Adams Collection
Photo: TMP
Jean and Paul Adams Collection
Photo: TMP
Photo: TMP

Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified June 30, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org:443/marks/borgeson