{"product_id":"estatefreshaustincom-1926","title":"Franz Kriwanek (American, 1920-1994) 1965 Mid Century Modern Texas Studio Potter","description":"Franz Kriwanek (American, 1920-1994) 1965 Mid Century Modern Texas Studio\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Pottery Framed Plaque 9.25\" x 16\" total 13.25\" x 7\" plaque, absolutely no damage\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;or wear.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Franz Kriwanek (American, 1920-1994) artist, potter, professor and author renown\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;for blending clays and glazes from soils and minerals of the San Juan Mountains\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;near Silverton Colorado. Pottery made from these mixtures is very durable with a\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;distinctive allure. When Germany conquered Czechoslovakia, Kriwanek was forcibly\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;drafted into the German Army. He was then sent to North Africa desert, but one\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;morning when he and the other forced draftees awoke, they were alone. Kriwanek\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;was sent to the Prisoner of War Camp in Clarinda, where he, an artist by trade,\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;began painting again, specifically illustrations of the camp. Once the war was\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;over, he was released and returned to Europe, where he lived in the Netherlands\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;for four years. In fact, Winegardner said a family in Shenandoah sent Kriwanek\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;to the University of Iowa where he could obtain his teaching degree. He then\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;taught in Shenandoah for one year, followed by Mount Pleasant, Iowa.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;In 1948, Franz Kriwanek settled in Sweden to study Sino-Swedish stoneware under\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;the masters Wilhelm Koge and Stig Lindberg. While in Sweden he had 7 one man\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;exhibits.In 1963, He arrived in Texas, taking a position on the art faculty at\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Texas Tech University. For months after he arrived in West Texas, he sought a\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;clay suitable to stand 2,400 degrees. He found it in a quarry in Snyder, Texas.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;He believed in using local materials and developed a series of glazes which have\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;cotton gin ashes as they main component. These glazes follow the same traditions\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;of Chinese ash glazes.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“Franz Kriwanek was born on May 1, 1920 in Worschach, Austria.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Winegardner said when Germany conquered Czechoslovakia, Kriwanek was forcibly\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;drafted into the German Army. He was then sent to North Africa desert, but one\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;morning when he and the other forced draftees awoke, they were alone.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“The Germans were gone. They had left them in the desert,” said Winegardner.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“The first thing they did was surrender.”\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Kriwanek was sent to the Prisoner of War Camp in Clarinda, where he, an artist\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;by trade, began painting again, specifically illustrations of the camp. Once the\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;war was over, he was released and returned to Europe, where he lived in the\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Netherlands for four years.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“Someone he knew in Clarinda sponsored him and his family to move back to\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Clarinda,” Winegardner said. “He then moved to Shenandoah and started Kriwanek\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Pottery and Art School. He was really promoted and supported by people in\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Shenandoah.”\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;In fact, Winegardner said a family in Shenandoah sent Kriwanek to the University\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;of Iowa where he could obtain his teaching degree. He then taught in Shenandoah\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;for one year, followed by Mount Pleasant, Iowa.\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;“He ended his teaching career as chair of ceramics at the University of Texas at\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Lubbock,” said Winegardner. “He ended up in Silverton, Colorado with Silverton\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;Mountain Pottery. He passed away in 1994, but his pieces have recently become\u0026lt;br\u0026gt;overly popular.”","brand":"sale - www.estatefreshaustin.com Estate Fresh Austin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48981876900056,"sku":"10682721176_49DF","price":610.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/6284\/7960\/files\/franz-kriwanek-american-1920-1994-1965-mid-century-modern-texas-studio-potterestate-fresh-austin-737585.png?v=1757946399","url":"https:\/\/estatefreshaustin.com\/th\/products\/estatefreshaustincom-1926","provider":"Estate Fresh Austin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}