Balustrade Relief Vase 1996

Betty Woodman made this Balustrade Relief Vase, maybe without a specific date, with the freedom of clay and color. I can almost feel her hands shaping each piece, a playful construction, a vase in pieces. I can imagine Woodman in her studio, surrounded by pots and colors, deciding to break the rules, to pull apart what should stay together. The painting on the ceramic—those blacks, greens and browns—feels intuitive, like she’s letting her feelings guide the brush. It’s like she’s building a painting as much as a vase. The way she arranges these shapes, it’s almost like collage, reminiscent of Matisse’s cut-outs or Picasso’s deconstructed forms. There’s a sense of joy and experimentation, a conversation with art history. For Woodman, and for us, it's about seeing the possibilities in the everyday, turning something as simple as a vase into a statement.