Description
Awards are commonplace for this absolute master of the minuscule miniature.
His entire display for the prestigious art shows that routinely hand him blue ribbons fits into a cigar box!
In this remarkable piece, the painting , the details and the form are beautifully realized – and all in just about an inch in any dimension!
The artist combs reference books for historic pots to replicate in this tiny scale. He then re-creates them by traditional methods.
Everything is traditionally made: hand made clay, hand formed; natural colors hand painted with one fiber of a yucca leaf; pit fired.
This unusual olla is painted with stylized butterflies, which have evidently attracted a three-dimensional butterfly, applied to the top as a lid.
Appropriately enough, the rim of the olla itself is formed into a flower-like shape, with individual petals. The colors are all natural clay slip or plant-derived.
The traditional design symbolizes abundance and fertility – butterflies pollinate various plants – but can be enjoyed just for its esthetics.
There is nothing finer for the miniature collector than one of Tom’s pieces, and this one, like the others, is a tiny gem.
