Borgeson | The Marks Project

About

Biography: Karl Borgeson is known for wheel thrown or, occasionally, hand built, utilitarian stoneware and porcelain pottery. Borgeson develops fine line work on the surface of each piece using the mishima technique.The mishima surface motifs on his pieces include basket weave, checkerboard or parallel line patterns are influenced by African and Indonesian architecture, textiles, baskets and tribal masks.
Mishima is developed in the greenware stage, where leatherhard pots are coated with wax and incised with fine carving tools to develop a design. Later, colored slip or underglaze is applied to the incised line work. The excess slip or underglaze is then sponged off the waxed surface of the pot to reveal the intricately incised lines, usually black in Borgeson's work.
Upon glazing his work, Borgesoncastswood ash over glazed areas in the tacky state. In addition tothewood ashadded to the glazesurface, a small amount of salt is introduced into the kiln atmosphereduringfiring; encouraging salt glaze development onraw clay mishima-designedareas of each piece.Finished work typically incorporates graphically placed areas of glazed and unglazed surfaces.
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Apprenticeships & Residencies
Primary Work Experience: 1968
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1969

Teaching Assistant, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

1969
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1970

Assistant Professor, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California

1970
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2002

Professor, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin

2002
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Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin

Other
Public Collections: Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Bindley Collection, Middelton, Wisconsin
Byer Museum of the Arts, Chicago, Illinois
Columbia Pictures, Burbank, California
First Bank System, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kirkwood Community College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Regional Museum of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois
St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Telephone, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Bibliography: Clark, Garth. American Ceramics: 1876 to the Present. New York, NY: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1987.
“Clay, Wood & Salt.” Ceramics Monthly 53 (2005).
Levin, Elaine. History of American Ceramics: From Pipkins and Bean Pots to Contemporary Forms., 1607 to the Present. New York, NY: Harry N Abrams, 1988.
MacKenzie, Warren, David Lewis, Lyndel Saunders King, and Susan M. Brown. Warren MacKenzie, Potter: a Retrospective. Minneapolis, MN: University Art Museum, University of Minnesota, 1989.
CV or Resume
Website(s): http://karlborgesonceramics.com/home.html
Tags (related topics): St. Cloud State College, St. Cloud, Minnesota, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, Wisconsin, mishima