Newest Rabbits in Classic Stories: Jaws

This ceramic vase is part of a whimsical series called "Rabbits in Classical Stories: “Jaws,” an American thriller set atop and below the ocean waters. Written by Peter Benchley and the film directed by Stephen Spielberg, this classic story chronicles the local sheriff's attempts to close the beaches at a summer resort town due to a number of attacks by a great white shark, and the town's mayor's insistence on keeping the beaches open so as not to lose revenue for the town. A marine biologist and a seasoned fisherman, Quint, are brought in to help the sheriff destroy the shark.

This vase is a double-narrative. That is, one narrative appears on the outside of the vase, while the internal narrative often conveys a significant scene in the classical text. The outside narrative often sets up the context of the inner narrative or vice versa, both playing off each other to create an interesting and intriguing way to look at these anthropomorphic renderings.

In this piece entitled "Jaws," the outside narrative presents an interpretation of the classic image of the unsuspecting swimmer on the surface of the ocean's waters, while underneath lays in wait the great white shark, Jaws, in anticipation of its next meal. The internal narrative illustrates the classic scene in which after many days and hours of seeking and then fighting the shark, Jaws has destroyed Quint's boat, and he slips down into the mouth of the great white.

The vase is wheel-thrown with hand-sculpted rabbits as the swimmer and Quint. The feet and lid are also both handsculpted. The vase is soda fired to cone 6, with colored underglazes, and spearmint liner glaze. The outside surface has stunning browns with lovely markings of the spearmint glaze that drip across it. It is approximately 12" x 7" x 7".