Topic: Norman Stuart Clarke Vase - Help to identify range / design

[Jazzy64]

Hi all,

Please can anyone help identify the range / design of this Norman Stuart Clarke vase?

I've tried to find out with no luck.

This vase is 17 cms tall and wondered if any bits had been found in any other sizes?  I really love this piece and would like to find more of them and find out about it.

Many thanks

J 

[chopin-liszt]

Can we see the base, please?
A bit of talc rubbed over any marks helps to bring them up for photos. 
I spent years describing my "Chartres" vase as my "Jackson Pollock" vase.
It looked like a Jackson Pollock to me.   

[Jazzy64]

Hi,

I have attached a picture of the base.

Unable to photograph the signature in artificial light but just up from the base is clearly signed Norman Stuart Clarke 87.

Is Jackson Pollock a genuine range or is it a bit of rhyming slang 

Many thanks

J

[chopin-liszt]

I believe it's a genuine name. Which led to some confusion!

Unfortunately the photo of the base is out of focus, I do believe it's there, I just can't see what the writing looks like, which might have helped a little. All 3 of my bits are dated too.
The Chartres piece is not irridesent, but I have two others which are, a red goblet with a big blue moon and a small bottle with a spotted paisley shawl effect
The goblet was made in '83 at the London Glass Works, and is a bit "in keeping" with the style of your vase. It is marked LGW, and we know he went there for a bit to do some glass work at that time. The Chartres is dated '90, the paisley shawl bottle '89.
I did a bit of a web search, it brought me back here.

https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,23595.0.html

There are several threads about Norman Stuart Clarke; I've done a search of the board for you below.

https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?action=search2

[Jazzy64]

hi sue

 thankyou for helping me. I have seen one or two nsc vases in a orangey red colour with a iridescent blue disc on before.
mine is a all over iridescent black base colour with a climbing wavy spiral of red divided by iridescent blue, with a iridescent blue disc towards the top. I wondered if these were moons? it reminds me of other vases I have from siddy Langley and isle of wight glass that do have moons or suns on them. the siddy vase/bowl I have is iridescent blue with white clouds and a red setting or rising sun. the isle of wight vases have gold moons. the siddy is signed and dated 81 and also has LGW engraved to the base. I guess all of these pieces were inspired by one another. I did manage to find a image of a Jackson pollock piece but mine is very different. I guess the mystery goes on at least for a while as to what I have. it is beautifully made and is very tactile.

J

[chopin-liszt]

Siddy and Norman were involved with the LGW around the same time - (I found that in one of those threads).

I'm quite fond of the sun and moon motifs myself. I have not gone as far as buying any IoWSG stuff or Siddy's with moons. I've just got a Siddy bottle with a spiral trail around it in iridescent stuff, my IoWSG is concentrated on a few early ranges. Bits with suns and moons on them are far too expensive, they tend to be signed and I'm odd. I won't pay a ton extra for scratches on the bottom of things.

[Jazzy64]

hi I know what you mean about the about the isle of wight pieces pieces they are few and far between, I acquired mine a good few years ago they are signed . i'm surprised more haven't come out of the woodwork. there is a example in mark hills book but even this just appears to be a stock image rather than a attributable vase. I spoke to timothy harris a couple of years ago about these pieces and from memory I think he said it was a design his father came up with and a very small number were made but the design wasn't put into production. i also believe he mentioned sometimes there would be problems between the red,white/black and clear applied trails. as with the early ranges like seaward they do seem to fetch a premium, i suppose its done to supply and demand.

cheers J

[chopin-liszt]

David Wallace (of Sanders and Wallace) makes a lovely moon vase over a stormy landscape, and it's irriidescent too, just in case you're interested. It appears to be an old range though, it's in their archive section. (Click on archives then scroll down)

http://sandersandwallace.co.uk/gallery

However, this is not helping with finding the name of your N. S-C.
Do you ever go to the glass fairs? Michelle Guzy of nopinkcarpet knows loads about his work. She'd be the lady to ask, unless we're lucky enough to have Mr Stuart-Clarke's nephew pop in again.

[nopinkcarpet]

Hi Jazzy, the design of the black irridiscent Norman Stuart Clarke vase you have with the red waves and the blue moon on it is a design by Norman; called 'African Sky'. He made this design, very early on in the studio at St Erth. He was unable to make the design later on in the late 90's because the black colour he had used was one) much more costly and hard to get hold and 2) black based decorative pieces weren't as popular as they were in the 80's. I realise I am a bit slow in posting the info but hopefully you still have it and still require the info. Kind Regards Michelle. (Lol, as recommended by Chopin)


Norman also made a range called Jackson Pollock because he loved the artists work.

[nopinkcarpet]

Hi Chopin... Thank you for your kind words about my knowledge.
Normans ''nephew'' was actually his son who is a very talented artist, musician and who also used to be a policeman I believe.
Norman also had/has a brilliantly talented daughter called Greer Bernadette Clarke. She made glass in her right as a teen and used to sign her work G.B Clarke. Sometimes mistaken for Normans work by lazy auctioneers or sometimes dealers see S rather than G. I have 3 bits of her work and have gifted Greer a couple of bits as she didn't have any pieces that she had made solely on her own.
Hope you are keeping well x take care and kind regards x Michelle x