Ancient Rings 96
The center holds.
In Ancient Rings 96, a red amber oval anchors the vessel, radiating a quiet, steady presence from within the canvas of ivory rings. It does not dominate; it gathers. It establishes a field—something the rest of the composition responds to rather than resists.
From this center, arms extend outward—red amber encased in egyptian blue—moving across the surface with both clarity and restraint. They are not simply lines laid onto a form; they behave more like trajectories, rising and curving as the vessel deepens, adjusting to the changing geometry created by the slump. What begins as structure gradually gives way to flow.
As these arms travel, they carry the sense of the center with them. They stretch outward, then bend, then gather—each one negotiating its path while remaining in quiet relationship to the source. Near the rim, their movement becomes more pronounced, responding to the expansion of the form, yet never losing coherence. The encasing egyptian blue holds the red amber in tension, sharpening its presence while containing its warmth.
There is a balance here between extension and return. The arms reach outward, but they do not escape. They remain held within the vessel’s field, creating a sense that the energy is both radiating and contained at once. The form becomes less about decoration and more about this act of holding—an equilibrium between motion and stillness, between emergence and structure.
The vessel reveals itself in this interplay. What appears at first as a constructed pattern begins to feel discovered, as if each element has found its place through response rather than imposition. The center does not command; it sustains. And in doing so, it holds the entire vessel together. - Jim Scheller