By Warren MacKenzie (1924 – 2018) Minnesota
An American craft potter, Warren MacKenzie and his first wife, Alix, studied with Bernard Leach from 1949 to 1952 at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, England. His simple, wheel-thrown functional pottery is heavily influenced by the aesthetic of Shoji Hamada (A friend and fellow potter of Bernard Leach). He is credited with bringing the Japanese Mingei style of pottery to Minnesota, fondly referred to as the "Mingei-sota style. Although his pots are found in major museums and command high prices among collectors, MacKenzie had always kept his prices low and for various time periods did not sign his work (1970s, most of the 2000s) until recently resuming the use of his chop at the end of 2009. Most of his output was produced in stoneware.  MacKenzie was a well known teacher. Teaching at the University of Minnesota since 1953, where he was a Regents' professor emeritus. Warren MacKenzie's second wife of 30 years, Nancy MacKenzie, died in October 2014, at the age of 80. He continued to live in the home they shared outside Stillwater, Minnesota, where he maintained his studio. MacKenzie also housed a showroom on his property but closed his showroom in December 2006, opting instead to sell his pots through the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Trax Gallery in California, Lacoste Gallery in Massachusetts, and the Schaller Gallery in Michigan, as well as exhibitions around the country. Warren MacKenzie died aged 94 on December 31, 2018. This exceptional unomi is marked with  the earlier round chop and finished with an unusual matte gray with sand texture glaze. A beautiful example of the master’s work. 3" Tall, 3 1/2" Diameter.