Pots from the Past

Loupey and I are hanging out on the couch this morning. There was a good frost outside and I turned the heat on in the house for a while to knock the chill off. Maybe winter is going to arrive soon. This cup was made by Mark Pharis of Wisconsin in the late 70's. According to Will, Mark was one of the first people doing light salt glazed work and influenced many potters who went on to work that way. That would include Michael Simon, Linda Christianson, Will and Douglass, Wayne Branum, just to name a few. I was drooling over this cup and Will gifted it to me. It is made from really sandy clay and has been used a lot judging from the tea stained interior. I'll be using it from here on out. Mark's work is nothing at all like this now. He now works in earthenware.
I also picked up these two little gems from the collection. They are made by Ron Meyers who resides in Georgia. These were made in the 80's and I love how simple they are. Ron is probably my favorite potter. His pots are casually made with wonderful decoration that is not cute or kitchey. It's very process oriented with tool marks and all the handling exposed and celebrated. This one has a fish.
And here is a goat, which is probably my favorite of the animals that Ron paints.
I wanted to show the cutting of the feet on all three of these cups. I love the course clay and the direct cutting. These pots are not fussed over. They really carry a wonderful, comfortable, confident message about the maker and about process and use. They are about clay, unrefined, but not sloppy or careless. They are homey and fun and timeless.