“Chance, Rain” is a wheel-thrown vessel, wood-fired in an Anagama kiln, created by Crystal Shaulis, an Angioma Alliance member and BFA student at Western Michigan University's Gwen Frostic School of Art. Crystal suffered a bleed in an inoperable brainstem cavernous angioma in 2010 that interrupted her art school career. She persevered to complete her associate's degree in 2012 and is now creating one-of-a-kind artwork in a variety of media in her prestigious BFA program.

"Chance, Rain" has a sliced spiral around the body and drips of turquoise along the sides. Wood-firing never produces two alike pieces.  About the wood-firing process: Wood ash settles on the pieces during the firing, and the complex interaction between flame, ash, and the minerals of the clay body forms a natural ash glaze. This glaze shows great variation in color, texture, and thickness, ranging from smooth and glossy to rough and sharp. The placement of pieces within the kiln distinctly affects the pottery's appearance, as pieces closer to the firebox may receive heavy coats of ash, or even be immersed in embers, while others deeper in the kiln may only be softly touched by ash effects.  Chance, Rain is 5" diameter and 7" tall.

According to USA Today, Western Michigan University’s Gwen Frostic School of Art, is ranked among the best fine arts schools.  Its namesake, Gwen Frostic, was a famous artist and alumna who became Western Michigan University's most generous benefactor. Frostic was widely known since the 1950s for her block print art. She died in her longtime home in Benzonia, Michigan, where she operated Presscraft Papers, Gwen Frostic Prints of Benzonia, a Michigan landmark.

This would be a perfect piece of art to adorn a fireplace mantle or a shelf of distinction. 

Additional background on the Artist: Crystal has been awarded many scholarships and grants, including the Angie Gayman Carmer Scholarship for outstanding art students, and additional awards for her works in student shows. She spent this past summer in Italy studying the history of bookbinding and printmaking. She is also an intern at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center, a nonprofit organization created as a community workshop and educational center dedicated to furthering the arts of book design and printing, fine printmaking, papermaking, bookbinding, and creative writing. She has also exhibited nationally and internationally. If you would like to view more of Crystal’s works, please go to the following website: www.behance.net/crystalshaulis