Jason Wason studio pottery vase

Elemental, concise, quiet. A signed ovoid vase by Jason Wason, marked by fine sgraffito bands and a reflective pewter rim. Likely worked from a white clay body with an oxide surface, then incised to expose the clay underneath. 

Jason Wason (b. 1946) is a British ceramicist whose practice began at a crafts co-operative in Scotland, working alongside a weaver, saddler and jeweller. He later trained under Bernard Leach — an influential figure in 20th-century British ceramics — before he established his own studio in West Penwith. 

To truly grasp the essence of Wason’s work, one must envision his studio; a veiled asylum on a Cornish hillside, suspended “between sea and sky”, where wind, rain and the raw ocean shape both the man and his clay. 

Largely self-taught and guided by an innate sense of roving independence, the ceramist’s vessels carry the imprint of distant cultures and prehistoric landscapes, echoing a perpetual dialogue between artistic customs and elemental forces. His works have been acquired by the V&A and Tate St Ives for both permanent and temporary collections.

The piece is marked by its maker ‘JW’ to the underside. In overall good vintage condition. There are surface marks as well as some losses to the pewter band at the rim. 

H33.5 W14 D14cm 

M003b