About the artist
Artist's statement
Website: www.ceramicsdelight.com
Vitlin — Middle #2 — porcelain C6

Vitlin —Middle #13 teapot — porcelain C6

Vitlin — Shino #1 — reduction C10 stoneware, Shino glaze

Vitlin — Shino #34 — reduction C10 stoneware, Shino glaze

About the artist

Taken from Boris Vitlin's website, www.ceramicsdelight.com

After many years of awaiting permission to immigrate from the Soviet Union, one day our family had been stripped of citizenship, got $80 per person, grabbed small trunks and said goodbuy.  It happend in 1989.

Cleveland Jewish News:"A Native of Leningrad (St.Petersburg now), Vitlin, spent most of his life in the Soviet Union as an engineer and computer specialist working for the government... 'I would work for the money in the daytime and at night I painted for my soul' ...Eventually Vitlin left his government job and through a friend found a low-level job as an electrician in the artificial skating rink which was in the old Orthodox Christian church.  It was the first artificial skating rink in Leningrad.  The college-trained engineer's main responsibility was to change light bulbs, but that gave him time to devote to his art.  He set up a studio in an abandoned steam station which used to give heat to the church, built an electric kiln and began to experiment."  

One day policemen came and confiscated all clay works, accusing me with an undeground business.Then there were court hearings-Vitlin against The Police- and I plead not guilty.  Soon after my family got permission to immigrate.

I was determined to earn my living as an artist in America.  At first I made handpainted tiles, then low fired functional ceramics-Majolica, then switched to middle range temperature and the last two years I have been making high temperature reduction stoneware.

Artist's statement

Taken from Boris Vitlin's website, www.ceramicsdelight.com

Shino glaze is my love.

Every time I await opening the kiln my heart beats with anticipation. Mostly I use only one receipt-Coleman's Crab Claw C10 reduction.  Each firing I experiment with saturated rock salt solution with red iron oxide addition pouring this broth over a shinoed pot.

Sometimes I put Shino over dried C10 glaze to get a different look.
If the Shino covering is thick the glaze cracks.
Sometimes I begin reduction at C012-C08 to get CARBON TRAP but I never get stable results.  So the MAJESTY CARBON TRAP is TERRA INCOGNITA.

Curator's statement

Boris Vitlin signed up for the Project 60 Program at CSU. He took Ceramics with me for about 4 years when we were located in the Annex Bldg. on Chester Ave. We were told that we had to move to a new location in a about a year and a half. We had to start packing up everything, plus disconnect all the equipment during that time and I had to teach classes. The new location was in the Magnet Bldg. on E.25th St.

Since I don't have an assistant, Boris volunteered to help me load boxes with chemicals and equipment. In the meantime ,Boris continued to sign up for Ceramics. He got to know the different students and they got to know him. He started making larger stoneware vessels and experimenting with glazes. Before long the students were asking him about how to build large pieces and how to get certain glaze effects. He would freely give the students whatever information they requested.

When it came to critique time, Boris would be honest about how the piece looked and how the student might it look better. I miss Boris and his commentary about ceramics and teaching in general. He used to refer to coming to ceramics class as being in "Paradise".

— Dick Schneider
Curator