Conundrum

This post is for my friend Jen Drysdale. At the past firing we didn’t have our pre night of experiential learning which includes eating, drinking wine and discussing the health of good pots today. Jen has told me several times she sold more pots before meeting me but yet I make her want to make better pots. Now that is a confusing and difficult conundrum! I bet some times you must rue the day!

At one such night over a wine bottle I suggested she make some blue pots. The old some and some strategy- make some for yourself but make some for the marketplace. She did and they looked very marketable except she didn’t like them. To be honest I was thrilled but not excited if that makes sense. Sometimes I think she must rue the day!

 So at our last meeting I told Jen not to make anything she wouldn’t want in her own house. Sometimes I think she must rue the day. 

I became a geezer this year so in 2017 it offers me this little bit of passive income which is the luxury to  practice what I preach. I have two months ahead of me to make some work for the Alabama Potters Conference which will be a room full of 250+ potters.  They’re not there to see a guy show an easy way to make slab trays, to show the new paint colour chart for 2017 or talk about  how attaching a recipe to a brie baking dish helps it to walk out the door.

What I will give to them

is something to think about. I don’t tell anyone what to think. That is completely up to them.  You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.

So Jen remember the Confucian faith ‘ Virtue is not an orphan; it will necessarily have neighbours.  I feel blessed to have so many students making such wonderful work for richer or poorer. Sometimes I think they must rue the day.

Pictured is a sweet little bourbon cup Jen just gave me by Don Goddard of Quebec. Not a pot for everyone but she knew I would love it and I do. Also one of my bacon dishes fresh outta the gas kiln.