Potter's notes
Upon Reflection this Winter Night
Winter nights, especially the rare rainy ones, offer opportunity for reflection. In drought-stricken California the rain is most welcome, providing sustenance for plants and souls alike. It pelts the skylights in various intonations, which irritates the cat but...
Petey the Charmer
I envy those potters with studio critters. That orange cat who curls up in the flawed and forgotten bowl. The dog that claims the mat inside the sun-filled door. Studio animals lend a certain warmth and sweetness to the business of a studio. It’s hard to get stressed...
Suffering for One’s Art
It was supposed to be cooler. Maybe mid 80’s…which is what passes for cool in a extended, triple-digit heat wave. At least that’s what the extended forecast said two weeks ago when I scheduled an Obvara firing at Ceramic Services for this morning. Now the day’s...
From the Rubble…Clay
We’re filling in our swimming pool. In Southern California, that’s a form of blasphemy. This project is a massive undertaking because in 1962, which is the year our pool was built, pool contractors used foot-thick concrete strengthened with rebar for the walls. But...
Water Saving Tips for Potters
Drought. Water is getting really precious out here in the West. The reservoirs are mere mud puddles. The water table is dangerously low. And we’re all praying for a solid el niño this winter. At our house, we have become increasingly mindful. We adhere to the mellow...
Saw this great pottery quote…
I originally started collecting clay/pottery/ceramic quotes on Pinterest as a secret board; it was my own private hoard of giggles and inspiration. But today, I’m letting it go public. Some of these quotes have even made it to the back of my business cards. I figure...
As old as it gets…
If you know me at all, you know that I am a curious and avid reader. So, a couple of weeks ago, while down with bronchitis, I started researching the most current pottery dating methods, which of course led me to the oldest pieces of pottery known so far. Estimated to...
A Family of Foxes
We have a family of desert gray foxes living with us again this year. For the past several seasons they have lived in a burrow down towards the bottom of the hill, the opening to their den safely hidden under a pine tree that grows parallel to the ground. But this...
Pottery Carries Us through Time
One of the things I love about pottery is how it carries us through time. Pottery shards function as time, culture and location stamps. They are the bread crumbs maps of trade routes and local customs, of foods eaten and vessels dropped, of the marriage between...