Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Old Pots

Some time ago I posted this image of the bookcase that holds some of my favorite pots from collecting over the years (If you click on the small image you will get an enlargement that has each of the pieces labeled).

This year we've been trying to get rid of stuff. We've been married for coming up on 35 years and have lived in the same house now for 20 of those years. Between living in one place and running a business out of the same piece of real estate, we've just accumulated too much. It has dawned on us just how immobilized we've become.

Well, going through all that stuff to decide what we no longer need to live with has some side pleasures...

...I've found some pots that I remember well, but haven't seen nor held in years.

This salt-fired cup has always been one of my favorite pieces. I call it a "cup" because, at only about 10 oz, it's a bit small to fit the "mug" description. My friend, Doug, bought it for me back in 1979, shortly after he moved to Oregon. It's done by a potter from the Pacific Northwest named "Procter" who, if I understand correctly, isn't making pots anymore.

The fellow who made this set of bowls (below) is still making pots, but unless I told you, you'd probably never guess who made them. If you asked me to name my very favorite pots in the collection, these four small bowls would likely be at the top of the list. Maybe you'd have to hold them to fully appreciate how well they are crafted -- from their perfect weight, to their extremely clean and graceful lines and wonderfully trimmed feet, the rounded square of the rims, the subtle slip-trailed decoration. More has gone into these four small bowls than I usually see in big, expensive "showy" pieces.

And, yes, if you've been around pottery for over thirty years, maybe you do remember when Satian Leksrisawat was making functional stoneware instead of the fine crystaline-glazed porcelain he's become associated with in the past 20 years.



2 comments:

  1. We've just started a kitchen renovation and needed to move a large cupboard full of pots, mostly cups and bowls, which meant removing them all in the process. We intended to cull a bit but instead rediscovered so many treasures pushed to the back over the years. It was great to see (and use) them again.

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  2. Pots that we get from other potters carry memories that other utilitarian ware just doesn't. It's fun to unbury old treasure and memories.

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