Arabella Ark (Formerly Gail Bakutis)

æ Arabella Ark's (formerly known as Gail Bakutis) pottery forms an alliance with the forces of nature which have created these beautiful Hawaiian Islands. Or, as one art critic phrased it: "She creates clay forms seemingly blown from the mouth of a volcano or torn from Hawaii's shores." Arabella is a handbuilder, constructing her pieces from rolled slabs of clay. She raku-fires most of her ornamental work, giving unique smoke and crackle pattterns to the surface. Each raku piece undergoes tremendous thermal shock as it is lifted from the kiln and swiftly placed in a container of combustibles - like banana leaves - where it burns, smolders and cools. The artist nurtures and celebrates the changes natural forces make on her work during the raku process. Click for larger size

Title: Sea Tide Type: Porcelain Medium: Ceramics Technique: Lustre-fired Style/Subject: "Tea Pot" Predominant Colors: Greens Overall Dimensions: 28" w x 23"h Price: $1,250 SOLD copyright 2004 Arabella Ark Raku, as a ceramic style, began in Kyoto, Japan the 16th century by an artisan named Chojiro (1516-1589) under the direction of a Zen tea master, Sen no Rikyo. A Hawaii resident since 1972, Arabella was educated at Northwestern University, the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Lund, Sweden. She received her M.A. in Dramatic Art and Directing and did her Ph.D. work at U.C. Berkeley. Arabella Ark has been an art teacher at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, theater director for the American Cultural Centre, Paris, France, drama teacher, an actress in the American Concervatory Theater of San Francisco, and the Greek National Theater, Athens, Greece, and drama critic for the HONOLULU ADVERTISER. She has also been active in giving of her time to teaching in the Hawaii State Program for Arts-In-The-Schools. Some of Ms. Arks' most elaborately designed work is featured in the private collection of the Hotel Hana-Maui, and can be seen in the public areas of the hotel. Her work is also found in private, coporate and public collections throughout the US mainland, Asia and Europe. æ May We Give You More Information? We would like to be of service to you, so please let us know how we can best help you to acquire a beautiful Arabella Ark collectible from our gallery. Why not give us a call on our Toll Free 800 number: 1-800-637-0188 And let us answer any questions or concerns you might have. Or, since you are obviously at your computer right now, just send us an e-mail. SEND AN E-MAIL MESSAGE RETURN TO EXHIBITS