Jonathan Bock - The Olla Series

"The Olla Series" is a body of work focused on the deconstruction and abstraction of Native American pottery.

Acoma Olla I

Acoma Olla II

Migration Pot

Heartline

Lightning Pot

“This series arose from my desire to photograph a simple subject, in order to focus on the abstraction and deconstruction of the form. I chose to photograph classic Native American ollas because of my love for pottery, and because of the nature of the pot as an allegory for life.  Like our bodies and our souls, a pot can be robust or delicate, full or empty, whole or broken.  For me, the deconstruction of the form is like an act of meditation, allowing me to concentrate on composition, pattern, texture, and color, rather than narrative content. As the series progressed, the subject became less and less defined, resulting in purely abstract images with no direct reference to the original form."