EARTHY SGRAFFITO

This set has the most similarities to Drury’s ink calligraphy work. His use of text on the forms is often recognizable as English but it remains illegible – a form of abstract appearing that Brennan draws from styles of Japanese calligraphy and a major influence for his current work. Brennan is playing on two key elements in this series – surface quality and color. The soft, earthy glazes sharply juxtapose the aggressive sgraffito technique of the text on the surface of the pots. These pieces differ from his other ceramic series in the sense that there is physical texture on the surface of the forms as opposed to his later decal work.

While it seems that Brennan is exercising some degree of control over his glazes, there is also a beautiful element of chance evident in the crawling tendrils of color that run into one another. This is also a much looser style than what we see with the “Floral Series” and “Black and Whites”. There is an interesting harmony between the earthy components found in the color and softness of the forms and the somewhat primitive, somewhat contemporary style of text Brennan is using on his pots. This unique style is no doubt influenced from Drury’s exposure to street art and graffiti during his time spent in Los Angeles.