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originally published 1/31/2012 Song on Porcelain Czeslaw Milosz   Rose-colored cup and saucer, Flowery demitasses: You lie beside the river Where an armored column passes. Winds from across the meadow Sprinkle the banks with down; A torn apple tree's shadow Falls on the muddy path; The ground everywhere is strewn With bits of brittle froth-- Of all things broken and lost Porcelain troubles me most.   Before the first red tones Begin to warm the sky The earth wakes up, and moans. It is the small sad cry Of cups and saucers cracking, The masters' precious dream Of roses, of...

On Dec. 11, 2011 Malcolm Davis died. When NCECA had it's convention in Philadelphia, Malcolm Davis gave the closing speech.   It was a wonderful and moving speech. Pretty funny in parts, - someone when introduced to him said, "Malcolm Davis?  I thought you were a glaze!" I guess all of us shino lovers do indeed have a Malcolm Shino glaze bucket in our studio. His carbon trapped pots have been inspirational. I listened to the speech again when I heard of his death.  Here's a more serious excerpt that speaks to the question of why we make pots: "But my greatest...

originally published 10/11/2013 This is a paraphrase from an article I read about Edmund Waal.  He has an exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery in NYC that ends on Oct. 19th.  Can't wait to see it. In his book, "The Hare With Amber Eyes" he writes"  All this matters because my job is to make things.  How objects get handled, used and handed on is not just a mildly interesting question for me.  It is my question. I have made many, many thousands of pots.  I am very bad at names, I mumble and fudge, but I am good on pots....

originally published 01/12/2011 Preparing for my holiday sale next week, I loaded my kiln, and put fencing wire on top so that my chickens wouldn't roost on the arch. I left to continue glazing, and when I returned I thought I saw house insulation on the bagwall.  How did that get there? A closer look revealed a chicken. Should I have unloaded to get her out, risked her flaying about and knocking down pots and shelves, or simply roasted a chicken?

originally published 9/18/2011   A couple years ago I made a dinnerware set that was supposed to be a creamy white.  I chose a beautiful shino that, when thick, was a rich creamy color.  When I opened the kiln this is what it revealed: carbon trap rice bowls The entire set was anything but creamy white- a variety of black spots, smokey blushes, crystals that excited me with the possibilities for glazing.  When I tried to reproduce these results, I didn't succeed, but often got delightful glaze effects. vase with smokey carbon  vase with smokey swirls   For many years...