News from Earth and Fire -- June 18, 2005
Tennyson said "I am a part of all that I have met."For the next couple of weeks, I'd like to talk about the connection between mentors and students, or just between potters who are influenced by the pots of other potters.
This week I'm going to talk about the connection between Byron Temple and two of his students, Bill van Gilder and Chris Baskin.
Let's start by taking a look at a cup and saucer made by Byron Temple.
This cup and saucer has already been sold, so I apologize for not being able to provide a view of it which more accurately illustrates my point here, but take a look at the handle of the mug. Notice how it is attached just even with the top of the mug, and how evenly "thin" it is until it attaches towards the bottom of the cup.
Now.. where it attaches at the base, see that little "flare out" of the clay, where Byron took his thumb and pressed out the sides of the handle into the body of the mug?
Right there:
Keeping those things in mind, take a look at this view of a mug by Bill van Gilder:
The handle has that same look and feel -- attached at the lip, and flared out at the base.
Turning the mug over, the bottom shows an interesting detail -- a decorative "swirl" that was created by a kinked wire that Bill used to cut the mug from the throwing wheel:
This was something else Bill learned from Byron. Byron thought the bottoms of pots should be just as interesting to look at as the rest of the pot, so it's always fun to turn Byron's pots over and see what he did to the bottom.
Now we move on to Chris Baskin. I was wandering around the American Craft Council wholesale show in Baltimore in February of 2004 when I noticed some mugs that had a familiar look to me.
I turned the mug over:
"These mugs remind me of Bill van Gilder's mugs." I said to the potter.
"That's because I was also a student of Byron Temple's" the potter told me.
And that is how Chris Baskin's work came to be found at Earth and Fire.
I currently have just one of Chris's mugs left -- the one on the left with the lovely amber interior:
This mug is a really great size: about 3 1/2" tall and about 3 1/2" in diameter. It is $24.
Chris also makes some really adorable little cups. They are just small -- about the size you'd use to rinse your mouth when you brush your teeth, or help you swallow a pill.. (why NOT use a piece of art to rinse your mouth after you brush your teeth?!) or maybe to enjoy a really special after-dinner liqueur:
The surface of these cups is very "soft" and smooth and they feel really wonderful in your hand. I love the amazing variations in color! These cups are only about 3" tall, and about 2" wide. They are $18/each. I have four of them, so if you are interested, I will send you images of all of them and you can take your pick.
Are you an espresso lover? Chris also makes a great little espresso cup and saucer:
These are $48 for the cup and saucer, and I currently have three sets. Again, if you're interested, send me an email and I'll send you images of the sets that are available.
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