Washburn University Art Faculty Exhibition 2006

Vian-Shin “Frankie” Yee, Design and Ceramics

Yee’s series of lidded vessels, made by joining slabs of clay and combining these with wheel thrown volumes, exude an aura of exotic elegance. The linear relief designs of the urns’ bodies contrast with the smooth swelling of their tall stoppers, while the whole form is of a geometrically ordered, albeit dynamically altered, symmetry which is based on the square and the circle. Black and white patterns, gilded circular vessel mouths which receive the attenuated teardrop lids glazed in delicate celadon hues, evoke the artist’s Malaysian origins and aesthetic sensibilities.