Robert Maxwell
Critters, c 1960s.
Details
An in-shop selection of critters designed by Robert Maxwell, produced in Venice, CA in the 1960s. Marked on bottom with Maxwell’s distinctive signature. Some are labeled with “Fig.” (figure) and a number denoting the animal version. Mostly slipcast stoneware; a few are slipcast porcelain with sprayed-on engobe, and a few include handbuilt additions.
Design Philosophy
Robert Maxwell’s critters or “critter beasties” have become one of his most iconic and recognizable designs. However, in a story recounted by Maxwell, he describes the origin of the critters as largely an accident:
One day, when I was throwing a small bottle shape on the potter's wheel, the narrow necked form I had made somehow flopped over. Well, I looked at this and imagined a round body with a bent neck. I trimmed the bottom off nice and round, put on a tail, then eyes, a horn, feet, and some hair-like texture. [Introduction]
This easy humor and creativity, to take a studio mishap and turn it into an entirely new production line, is at the core of Robert Maxwell pieces.
In 1964, he published a little book called U Name It that showcased both the critters and his unique sense of humor.
Context
Robert Maxwell’s history is a true California saga. He was born in Los Angeles and first attended Pasadena City College, then the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where he was introduced to clay in his first ceramics class. After graduating with his MFA in Art, he shared a studio in Venice, CA with architectural potter David Cressey. After working on his own studio practice in their shared space for a few years, he split off and found a studio of his own a number of years later.
As an independent ceramicist, he developed a relationship and contract with the NS Gustin Company. Their connections and placement of Maxwell pieces in numerous department stores nationwide drove up popular demand for the critters. Due to increasing production needs, Maxwell contracted with the Winfield China (later American Ceramic Products, Inc.) plant of Santa Monica to assist with the slipcasting.
Initially, however, there was not an appropriate ceramic slip to make the animals to his specifications. Instead, Maxwell used Winfield's existing porcelain slip, adding on sprayed-on engobe to approximate the rough texture and color of stoneware. This production period lasted only about six months, making these versions of the critters much more rare and sought-after by collectors. This method was changed due to a groundbreaking shift, in both Maxwell’s practice and the broader ceramics community.
Meaghan Roddy, an independent curator and ceramics specialist, writes:
He was responsible for developing a groundbreaking formula of stoneware slip that could be used in production molding processes, allowing his (and other) ceramics to be manufactured on a larger scale while maintaining the tactile integrity of stoneware clay. His position in this aspect of ceramic production places him squarely at the pivotal intersection of industrial design and craft in postwar America and the experimental materials of mass production. [Billings]
Maxwell’s slipcasting advancements were far from his only revolution. He also developed new reduction firing techniques to highlight the mottled colors of the stoneware he worked with, and was one of the first to use rutile glazes to grant his pieces a unique depth.
After a falling-out with Al Levin of Treasure Craft (and a collaboration that had resulted in a line of ceramics known as Pottery Craft), Maxwell moved down to Fallbrook, outside of San Diego, in 1970. While residing there, he notably produced a line of miniature slip-cast vases for Disneyland gift shops.
He reunited with Cressey in 1976 to form the company Earthgender, creating large architectural planters. Though the company only lasted around a decade, the productions from Earthgender have become well-known additions to their artistic legacies.
Our Take
Jade: There’s so much to say about Robert Maxwell’s pottery. I’ll start with saying, innovation is usually the theme of inspiration surrounded by this time period in the art world. It’s always interesting to know that what first started as an accident became a revolutionary approach to what’s sought after now. From our experience of being in circles with creators, it takes confidence to be playful with your work. That is exactly what Maxwell seemed to accomplish with his critters. You have to become so skilled at what you do, love it, and then somehow destroy the norm to figure out what makes your pieces unique.
Danny: To me, Robert Maxwell was first just another name to know in the scope of Architectural Pottery. But he was so much more. In the world of vintage that we’re in, you start to see how the lines between production design and craft blur and create truly unique pieces. The critters are expressive pottery with a sensibility to shapes, glazes and designs indicative of their era but that stand the test of time.
Skye: I’ve been lucky to know many artists who make work in different mediums, and I think the one constant is that you can really tell when an artist loves their craft. When a designer loves the process of designing. Looking at Robert Maxwell’s pieces, I see a designer and a ceramicist who genuinely loves ceramics, who takes pleasure in the tactility of the stoneware, who cares deeply. It’s that care that drives humor and drives playfulness - if you don’t have an affection for the craft, you can’t have fun with it. To me, humor is a mark of an artist who truly loves what they do. You can’t laugh if you don’t love, and I think his work is a really impressive example of that.
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References
http://www.robertmaxwellceramics.net/