Ruscha 885, 24 cm

There is something deeply satisfying about holding a round object which is inherently human. Don’t believe me? Take an orange in one hand and an apple in the other, then try to resist putting the latter down so you can caress the former. The experiment works with a baseball and football, as well. While it may feel great to throw a long spiral with the football, you are happy to see it go… whereas you are perfectly content to turn that baseball over and over in your palm and give it a home. Perhaps this satisfaction is the product of evolution, of viewing the round sun 100,000 years ago and equating its shape with daily light, warmth, and the growth of life. Or perhaps it is because a truly round form is so different from us, with our imperfect angles and protrusions, that we innately admire it. Whatever the case, there is something special which explains why a simple form like the 885 provides such satisfaction beyond the fundamental elements of design and glaze. To have and to hold, indeed!