Louis Mideke
Artist Louis Mideke (1908-1989) exemplifies the Northwest arts traditions of simplicity, utility, and innovative use of locally sourced materials. He identified as a potter but created works that in their art and elegance placed him squarely in the Washington ceramic arts scene. Mideke's simple yet distinctive everydayware garnered a level of respect and reknown that has endured and is collected throughout contemporary art markets well beyond his Whatcom County base.
This sampling of the works of Louise Mideke is a glimpse into his large body of work created from the early 1950's, first using commercial clay and glazes, to the 1980's when he had become prolific in using both commercial porcelain and stoneware bodies and his own wheel thrown work utilizing regional clays and glazes.
Biography
Louis Mideke was born into a farm family in Grandview, Washington. From his youth, Mideke dabbled in the arts -- experimenting with writing, photography, woodcarving, and metalwork. Working throughout the Northwest in a variety of jobs that combined travel, exploration, and adventure with hard physical labor, Mideke dreamed of being an independent, self-styled man. In his twenties and thirties, Mideke engaged in a string of temporary outdoor projects and positions that took him as far afield as the Arctic Circle where he was involved in dredging for gold and working in a mining camp alongside his wife Jean. During World War II, Louis and Jean settled in Bremerton where Mideke was employed in the shipbuilding industry and their son, Michael, was born.
Moving to Bellingham in 1947, Louis and Jean bought a property on Sunset Drive where they started a garden and made a home and later a business. Louis continued to periodically work on commercial exploration projects throughout the Western states and experimented with metal, wood, and clay in his home studio located in the laundry room. Shortly after starting projects in clay and showing several pieces at area craft shows, Mideke was recognized with "best in show" awards that not only built a growing cadre of admirers but also gave him confidence to be the self-directed man that he had dreamed of becoming. His sales shop opened for business in 1954 and his powerful design and aesthetic poured into pottery production.
Throughout his lifework, Mideke was quietly engaged in making pieces that were accessible to his neighbors and community -- teapots, cups, bowls, pitchers, plates, and tableware. But, many of his larger thrown pieces, delicate small pots, and hand-shaped works using his unique glaze formulas were considered gallery-worthy and found their way into museum and private art collections. He estimated his lifetime output in the neighborhood of 100,000 pieces or, in his words, "more than there's room for in Whatcom County."
Technique and Style
Mideke's style is characterized by a smooth finish and utilitarian shape. He was for the most part self-taught and took inspiration not only from the shape of everyday objects but also from the colors, subtle textures and minimalism found in Asian ceramic traditions.
Prolific experimentation with clays, glazes and firing techniques leaves Mideke's body of work with many variations and themes. Most probably associated with a particular period of time or firing technique, his color palette ranges from pastel gloss with sparkling, metallic accents to the somber oxblood red, celadon green, and dark brown body glazes found particularly on his commercial body finishes and later wheel thrown pots. Much of his tableware utilizes "tenmoku", a dark glaze with a surface that resembles oilspotting found in Chinese and Japanese ceramics. His work also includes a series of pots and other shapes with the bright white base and cobalt blue markings associated with many centuries of Chinese porcelains and earthenware.
Starting out at home with a small electric kiln used throughout the 1950's, Mideke moved much of his firing to an Everson, Washington high fire, reduction kiln (gas) in the early sixties, then later moved the kiln to his property on Sunset Drive. Also utilizing porcelain commercial clay bodies starting in the late sixties allowed Mideke the creative time to throw pots using local clays without compromising the output that his popularity and growing commercial market demanded. Generally associated with everyday objects, Mideke also took great care but perhaps less pride in some rare decorative pieces and sculptural designs that he periodically produced and readily sold. According to his son Michael, "Louis entered pieces in shows and won some honors. But this aspect of the "Art" business did not appeal to him."
Community
During his over 50 years as a Bellingham resident, Whatcom County residents knew "Louie" and his wife, Jean as an extraordinary couple who made many valuable contributions to the art and life of the community. Many community members found his work affordable and went to his studio to purchase his pottery either for themselves or as gifts for weddings and other important occasions. Contemporary gallery resale of his work is common in the Northwest and families pass on his work to new generations as heirlooms.
Jean Mideke created small bronzes and jewelry as well as teaching for many years. Both Mideke's mentored young artists and created an atmosphere of humor laced with strong opinions in their home and studio. In 1981, Mideke was honored as a Living Treasure by the Bellingham Municipal Arts Commission. In her speech honoring him, then Arts Commissioner Marian Boylan related: "Louis is like a good loaf of sourdough bread; crusty on top and soft as a marshmallow inside - leavened by many years of hard work and mellowed by the gentleness of his temperament and soul."
In 1974 and again in 1997, the Whatcom Museum exhibited highlights from their collection of over 140 Mideke pottery objects and pieces on loan from area collectors. In addition to the exhibited objects, the 1997 show also included anecdotes about Louis Mideke and testimonials about the deep and lasting impression that, in Mideke's words, a "simple potter" can have on a community. The Museum continues to steward and build the Mideke collection by accepting rare and exemplary pieces of pottery and memorabilia related to his life and work.
Co-curated by Kristin Converse and Betsy Hewlett
Sources
http://www.thequeenofauctions.com/blog/ebay-selling-tips/my-favorite-art-potters-moorcroft-mideke-and-rookwood/
Robin Reynolds, www.ndclay.com
City of Bellingham, Arts Commission Archives
Yeager, Gladys, Seattle Times, Their Hobby Became an Art, February 7, 1954, p. unknown
Becker, Mary Kay, Northwest Passage, Louis Mideke, Potter, November 9-22, 1971
The Bellingham Herald, Mideke's pots among displays bringing visitors into museum, ca. 1974-75, p. unknown
