"Big Sur Blues Egg" 2018 porcelain ©Paul Stein.
by renowned Master Potter Paul Stein of Manchester.
"Saga of Exploding Mediterranean Fish" 2016 porcelain ©Paul Stein.
Former curator Peter Flagg of the Crocker Art Museum describes Paul Stein's ceramic works as a fascinating mixture of Eastern sensibilities and California flair.
The ceramic vessels of Paul Stein closely parallel the effects of ceramics from the Chinese Song and Ming dynasties with their emphasis on perfection of color and form and in the translucency of their thin bodies, Flagg says. Most of the forms of Stein's porcelain vessels recall no specific shapes in the canon of Chinese ceramics, but rather appear to be loosely based on them. Similarly, his glazes — composed of brilliant rich or understated tones — have no exact equivalent in Chinese porcelain.
Paul Stein, an American potter, born in 1952, studied with Richard Shaw at the San Francisco Art Institute during the years 1972-1975. For four summers he worked with Marguerite Wildenhain at Pond Farm. Now living and working on the Mendocino Coast, he works in a contemporary classic style in porcelain. Much of his work is decorated with sea motifs, an influence of his environment. — From Hubert A. Arnold Collection description, Crocker Museum, Sacramento.