Kriwanek, Franz - stoneware, good condition, 9x7.

Kriwanek, Franz - stoneware, good condition, 9x7.
A silverton mountain vase, signed "Kri" and a stamp in bottom, 9 x 7 inches in good condition. Franz Kriwanek (1920-1994, Czech/American), artist, potter, professor and author renowned for blending clays and glazes from soils and minerals of the San Juan Mountains near Silverton Colorado. Pottery made from these mixtures is very durable with a distinctive allure. When Germany conquered Czechoslovakia, Kriwanek was forcibly drafted into the German Army. He was then sent to North Africa desert, but one morning when he and the other forced draftees awoke, they were alone. Kriwanek was sent to the Prisoner of War Camp in Clarinda, where he, an artist by trade, began painting again, specifically illustrations of the camp. Once the war was over, he was released and returned to Europe, where he lived in the Netherlands for four years. According to Molly Winegardner, "Someone he knew in Clarinda sponsored him and his family to move back to Clarinda. He then moved to Shenandoah and started Kriwanek Pottery and Art School. He was really promoted and supported by people in Shenandoah. He ended his teaching career as chair of ceramics at the University of Texas at Lubbock. He ended up in Silverton, Colorado with Silverton Mountain Pottery."
Condition: good