Dear John

I sent your saddle home. My friend John Chalke passed away this week. John was a ex-pat Brit turned Alberta cowboy. John was very proud of his home on the range and triumphed the pots of his new country Canada. I remember I was invited to do a panel discussion in Calgary and John was to meet me at the airport. Never having met him I saw this cowboy wearing a red denim jacket which was my clue that this was an artist cowboy. It was John and the love of his life Barbara Tipton that encouraged me to put pen to paper. John was the real deal and said things of pots and potters that all else thought but never dared to say.
Here are a couple of pots of Johns. The Red Bridge and the Blue  Pan and nice examples of his glaze exploration.

We were so lucky to have you cowboy!