Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
An icon of modernist ceramics since the 1960s, Stan Bitters constructed rough assemblages of clay slabs and spoked wheels into massive murals and tall totems, upsizing his medium to an architectural scale.
Like Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and others, Bitters was part of a small group of American artists during the mid-20th-century who embraced imperfection in their pottery.
Working in ceramics, a material that during the last 100 years was relegated to the supposedly lesser artistic realm of craft, Bitters and these other artists made bold, chunky pieces that served as a counterpoint to the smooth lines and overall slickness of modern and postmodern movements like Bauhaus, constructivism, minimalism, Op art and Pop art.
Hailing from Fresno, California, the self-proclaimed “old hippie” Bitters earned his bachelor’s degree in painting from UCLA. He also studied at what became Otis College in Los Angeles under Voulkos — the bad boy of American ceramics.
Voulkos almost single-handedly spawned what came to be known as the California Clay Movement and flouted pottery’s approved techniques. He transformed clay into a vibrant, highly expressive artistic medium, and Bitters’ funky, fractured style certainly shows it.
Bitters later became associated with organic modernism and created ceramics for Hans Sumpf, a maker of adobe bricks and furniture in Madera.
“Known for his Abstract Expressionist style, Bitters is a steadfast champion of environmental ceramics — the melding of natural, organic clay forms, sculptures and architectural elements into urban spaces to complement, transform and elevate their surroundings,” says Greg Nielson, of Dwell Floor Five, in Studio City, California.
With their sputtery glazes and graffiti-esque glyphs, Bitters’s works exude raw, countercultural energy.
Find Stan Bitters decorative objects, garden ornaments, planters and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Ceramic, Stoneware, Plastic
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Ceramic, Stoneware, Plastic
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Clay
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Clay
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Clay
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Stoneware
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Ceramic, Stoneware
Mid-19th Century American Antique Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Concrete, Metal
Late 19th Century American Antique Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Cast Stone
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Fabric, Bamboo
1940s Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Iron
1970s Mexican Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Terracotta
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Copper, Bronze
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary American Minimalist Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Cedar
Late 20th Century Belgian Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Concrete, Metal
Mid-20th Century Swiss Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Concrete
1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Cement
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Stoneware
1970s American Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Ceramic
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Ceramic, Stoneware
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Stoneware
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Stoneware
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Stoneware
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Stoneware
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Stoneware
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Terracotta
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
Pottery, Stoneware, Ceramic