News from Earth and Fire -- June 14, 2006
Connections
One of my real joys over the last five years has been connecting with other pot lovers; whether in person or around the country. Several years ago Jamie Kirkpatrick came in and we started talking pots. I learned that he was a potter, and somehow we discovered that we had both recently been to the same exhibition at a gallery downtown. He was lamenting the little red dot (indicating that it was already sold) on a particular teapot by John Neely.
Small teapot -- John Neely
I'm not sure he was pleased when I said I was responsible for the red dot, but, as I recall, we laughed about it.
A few months later, as I was planning a show of vases from potters within the D.C. area, I invited him to participate. The vases he sent for the show were really wonderful...
Seedpod vase -- Jamie Kirkpatrick
... even if my photography efforts back then weren't.
Last week I thought about Jamie again in connection with my efforts to plan featured artists for the First Friday Gallery Walks. I made a note to myself to dig around and find his contact information.
Before I could get to it, however, he stopped into the gallery with some pots to show me.
(detail)
9" tall X 11 1/2" in diameter X 1" opening
$500
$500
My photography has improved, but it still doesn't really capture how wonderful these seedpod vases are. Having spent some time working with clay myself, I am in awe of how "clean" and perfect the incising is. If the clay is too wet when that is done, it just smushes around and you won't get the clean ridge definitions. If it's too dry, there will be a drag on the tool, which results in a "chattering" as the tool cuts through the clay -- and a lot of itty-bitty clay bits left behind.
(I'm not sure, but I believe the technical term for those itty-bitty clay bits is... schmutz.)
Anyway, I think his seedpot vases are amazing.
He also brought in some teapots. I took the lid off one and I could tell he had taken a workshop from John Neely at some point:
Jamie Kirkpatrick -- teapot infuser
John Neely -- teapot infuser
That's the way it is when you get familiar with the work of a lot of potters -- you can see a detail here and there, and you can tell who has influenced that potter. See everything that Jamie brought.
Another new artist at Earth and Fire
I also got work from David Crane this week. Long-time and obsessive readers of the newsletter may recall that I discovered David when I went to the pottery show in New Jersey last December.
3 3/4" tall X 10 1/4" in diameter
$180
$180
Now, I don't know if David has been influenced by Jeff Oestreich's work or not, but I'm willing to bet there is a connection there somewhere.
And new work from an old artist (that didn't come out exactly right, did it?)
Monday I drove up to Bill van Gilder's studio near Frederick and picked up some pots. One of my favorites is this little bottle:
6" tall X 5" wide X 2 1/2" deep
$60
$60
And finally, a Public Service Announcement
When I developed the rash after I picked some weeks in my backyard over Memorial Day, there was a nagging voice in the back of my head that said I just couldn't have been stupid enough to pick poison ivy. So I went back out there and looked around for remnants of the offending vine. What I found (because I am evidently not a very thorough weed-puller) was that the vine did NOT have three leaves -- it had five:
I did some googling and discovered that this is called Virginia Creeper and yes.. it does cause contact dermatitis.
No.. that isn't what's left in my backyard (I'm not THAT inefficient). This is part of a really healthy patch of it that is growing behind the gallery by my parking space -- a patch I'm sure going to steer clear of!
Just wanted to pass that along.
Have a good week.
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