Time to pause and reflect.

If you have written as many blog posts as I have you are bound to cover the same territory more than once.

I am a man without a product line. I had one for over 30 years. The plates match the teapot, the teapot matches the casserole, the casserole matches the mugs and cream and sugar. This is easier to make and easier for the non creative shopper to chose from. The man comes to your showroom at Christmas and gets a teapot to match his partner’s dinner plates. Shopping made easier.  Easy, peasy!  Now if they gift wrap it I can go for a beer and my partner will think I really gave this some thought.  I can’t think of anything more boring that a complete set of dishes made by one potter. This is not a condemnation of potters that do that. I did for over 30 years. A complete set of dinnerware was a great order and nice deposit in the bank.  Most people want the art to match the sofa. The last set of dishes I did was about 5 years ago for a former student I taught in high school. I made the set of dishes on the condition that every piece could be different. She agreed and by my standards it really was a beautiful set of dishes. I had fun making the pots and it showed.

Today while the kiln was firing I took some time to make

some wooden forms for a new set of slab serving dishes. Take the same form and change the interior space, change the handle placement- think! I don’t approach this as production but as exploration. I try something and something I couldn’t have drawn presents itself.  These smaller odd shaped dishes I made I figure would be absolutely wonderful for ice cream and berries. This line is meant to support my mainlining habit of one offs and silly nonsense.  Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. Mark Twain