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Myrton Purkiss

Biography to Display: 

1916 Born Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

1978 Died

EDUCATION

Chouinard Art Institute, now the California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles,California

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1941 Military

1950s  Studio potter-designer

1950s  Landscape Architecture  

BIOGRAPHY

Myrton Purkiss is best known for plates, platters, and low open bowls although he did produce some deep bowls. He is known to have worked with stoneware and earthenware clays. Crackle glazes often form the base for the surfaces of Purkiss’pieces. The imagery on his pieces falls into two distinct categories. One consists of still lives of fruits and flowers accompanied by the geometric lines common in his work and often presented as medallions in the center of the piece. The other is intricately designed quilt like patterns that cover the surface that are created using the stanniferous painting technique. “Stanniferous painting requires extreme care,as the artist paints with underglaze colors directly onto raw glaze. By painting onto raw glaze, it is possible to fire the glaze and painted design simultaneously, which allowed Purkiss to create uniquely textured work.” [1]

This technique is also known as Majolica. Purkiss began working with clay while at Fullerton, California High School as a student of Glen Lukens. He studied with Lukens again at the University of Southern California. In the mid-1950s he left ceramics and began a career in landscape architecture.

1.https://www.everson.org/blog/object-week-large-plate-myrton-purkiss-cited,October 18, 2018, 2:45PM.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Public Collections to Display: 

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York

Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, California        

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography to Display: 

                 

 

 

Typical Marks
ca 1950
1950s
ca 1945
Plate with Fruit
Date: ca 1950
Materials: Earthenware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Polychrome
E. John Bullard Collection
E. John Bullard Collection
Large Charger
Date: 1950s
Surface Technique: Crackle Glaze
Courtesy  Rago Arts and Auctions
Courtesy Rago Arts and Auctions
Large Hanging Charger
Materials: Earthenware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
Courtesy Rago Arts and Auctions
Courtesy Rago Arts and Auctions
Hanging Charger
Materials: Earthenware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
Courtesy Rago Arts and Auctions
Courtesy Rago Arts and Auctions
Plate
Date: 1945
Materials: Earthenware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
Scripps College Collection, 76.2.40
Photo: TMP
Scripps College Collection, 76.2.40
Photo: TMP
Photo: TMP

Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified March 14, 2024. http://www.themarksproject.org:443/marks/purkiss