Saturday, August 15, 2020

Seed Hive Pot


Seed Hive Pot
15in.H x 13in.W
Raku Earthenware
Doubled Walled w/ Ring Lined Interior
Japanese Riverstones in Bottom
$3,000

this from "Strange Tales From The Gallery"
"The Mannered and the Mismannered"
gather around the campfire folks......

in the early days of the gallery, the center of the room contained a low square table, perhaps 3 feet square...pots were placed there, including this one and I enjoyed the openness it allowed... one afternoon a woman with her daughter arrived and I walked them out as I always do...she was very soft spoken, elegant and kind...her daughter was equally kind and very well mannered...we talked as usual, were having an enjoyable conversation and they were in the process of deciding on something when the hurricane arrived...in came two women with two children arriving like the preamble to a bad storm...loud, rude and running around the small space like destruction off a leash ready to break loose...one woman announced that she had made pottery but it didn't look like this, in a manner so outlandish, the first woman held her daughter closely as they tried to squeamishly slide out the door apologizing as they left...the noise was deafening...I turned around to see one of the remaining women trying to grab and remove one of the red cones in this pot, shaking the square table to do so and after succeeding announcing to me that the piece was broken, how could I be selling it? I tried to prevail upon her with the idea that I had just watched her break it, shaking the table to do so, but to no effect as she continued to insist it had already been broken...though this was not a new experience for me... [I'd had years of watching folks break my pieces at craft shows and spew denial at me until they left]...this time was so entirely bizarre that as the kids nearly knocked 2 pieces off a shelf, I asked them as politely as I could muster... to leave...after an absurd amount of indignation on their part they walked out the door and across the yard to the drive...as I reached the corner of the house, slightly later from closing the door,etc. and stepped toward the drive, I came upon two grown mismannered women in shorts squatting down as close to the ground as possible considering their size, making pissing sounds, in front of their daughters, continually stomping up and down imitating peeing sounds saying:"I wonder what he thinks about this?"...I came around the corner and they continued, saying:"see us, we're pissing on your driveway! psssssssssss...psssssssssss" .....speechlessly, I said"you guys are great", not having a clue how to respond...then they stood up and left.....

one day things are mismannered in the gallery and another day someone walks up the drive and changes your life...
just keep smiling...

Friday, August 14, 2020

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Box w/ Chimneys







Box w/ Chimneys
17in.H x 14in.W x 11D
Raku Earthenware
$3,500


while rummaging around together in the barn for some electric kiln rings to be scavenged for the next firing of the ghost stripes, Wyatt saw this piece and exclaimed:"Dad...that's really cool!"...knowing his propensity for being nearly 100% correct on these matters I took notice...this box was first seen at the Demarest Pottery Show quite a while back...during the show a woman approached me speaking a language I felt I recognized, but did not understand...she finally in English said "Are you not Polish?" I answered yes, but in name only...she then proceeded to tell me of her birth village in western Poland and insisted that all the buildings there looked like this box! I was stunned as I've never been there, nor had I seen pictures of such buildings...she was certain, telling me that I had been there, whether I knew it or not...it was a magical moment for me because the dream of the work had always been to spark memories...memories of many things...memories that mattered...memories that touched hearts...I was lucky and so grateful to her, for all she had said...
it was next shown in a gallery show of mine with pots and paintings...it barely made it in because the gallery owner informed me that it was not one of my best pieces...I prevailed against that idea with the above story, but only barely...after that show [in 1993] and because of the comment, the box has not been seen publicly since, until today...Wyatt helped me see past the original sting...
I've learned recently that we must be cautious with what we say...sometimes things said from deep emotion can have an effect unintended and create a contrary result..one sometimes unknown to the speaker, nor thought of by the speaker...things held close should be held closely...we all have history...

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Ghost Stripe Bottle


Ghost Stripe Oval Bottle
12in.H x 13in.W x 9in.D
White Earthenware
SOLD 
thanks T&R

Ash Crust "Rug" Tray


















Ash Crust "Rug" Tray
13in.H x 23in.W x 3in.D [at corners]
Wood Fired Stoneware
$650

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Lest We Forget...

Mountain Wave Pot
10in.H x 25in.W x 11in.D
Wood Fired Stoneware
Double Walled w/ Ring-Lined Interior and Japanese River Stones
$3,500

Fulgurite Conglomerate Pot w/ Rusticles


Fulgurite Conglomerate Pot w/ Rusticles
13.5in.H x 9in.W
Red Earthenware
$1,800

Monday, August 10, 2020