Maxwell House Man

Richard Shaw perfected a unique statement in studio clay—masterful trompe l'oeil sculptures that stretch ceramics to faithfully mimic everything from photorealistic fruit and open library books to mayonnaise jars. Shaw's bold work is part of an imaginative group of ceramic peers who began working in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s and ‘70s that included fellow potters Viola Frey, Peter Voulkos, and Robert Arneson. Shaw's precise, witty trompe l'oeil sculptures, though, was unique in that cohort. Contrasted with his peers, his exacting craftsmanship presents bold statements within a style that became known as “California funk.”