The Pot Stops Here
While others were holding high tea parties in honor of the royal wedding, I was preparing snacks for 100 plus and spiffing up the place for the weekend artisan tour of Sixteen Hands, of which my Asheville potter son Josh is a member. Josh isn’t here but his pottery is, along with the work of his guest artist Joey Sheehan.
Since he couldn’t be here, Josh wrote a note to tour goers about his latest adventure, which I posted: Welcome and thank you for coming on the 16 Hands tour today. I am sorry that I could not be here to share it with you but I am in Australia right now. As much as I love coming home and sharing my work with everyone who comes on the tour, I was extended an opportunity to work in Australia that was simply too good to refuse. I was asked to come to Australia as a visiting artist, working at the studio of award winning Tasmanian potter Ben Richardson, and as a delegate at the International Woodfiring Conference, where I will be presenting as part of a panel discussion on Meaning in Woodfiring and as a team leader in the International Kiln Building Competetion. In addition to making work and firing in a Anagama kiln at Ben’s studio in Tasmania, I will also be firing with Rob Barron in his 5 chamber Noborigama kiln in Gippsland, outside of Melbourne, and hopefully fitting in a little time to explore this amazing landscape. It truly is a blessing to be able to travel as a part of my career and the fortune of being able to work in such amazing places is not lost on me. I have worked very hard to make this happen and am financing my whole trip with my work. I have always received such a great amount of support from the Floyd community and I want to thank everyone for all they have done to help me accomplish my goals. Thank you for coming out today and please come back for the Fall tour because I will have heaps of new stories to share. All the best, Josh
Joey’s mugs feel so good in my hands. I find myself picking them up, sipping imaginary tea from them, gazing into the nautilus inspired patterns of his platters and plates, and taking pictures of them drenched in the afternoon backlight.
Friday night all the 16 Hands artisans, their apprentices and guest artists go from studio to studio to sip wine, eat cheese and crackers and see each other’s work. They filled my kitchen and living room, which had been transformed into galleries. It was a festive start to the weekend.
~ Read about the Studio Tour HERE.
April 30th, 2011 6:12 pm
My son writes music and my daughter produces children. Isn’t it nice to have access to the soul of your children?
April 30th, 2011 10:22 pm
That’s an incredible place. I am thinking I should stop by my next time through your commonwealth.
April 30th, 2011 10:37 pm
How much do his mugs run? My brother is a coffee-aholic and he would need a large mug with a handle to fit well in his hand… these are lovely!
April 30th, 2011 10:49 pm
They are around $26. You’d probably have to go to Asheville to get them or come here. We did have a couple from Norfolk today.
May 3rd, 2011 1:07 pm
I like your son’s work, Colleen…when I was a teenager, my parents owned a craft consignment store. We went on studio tours a lot…I loved it, especially the food! Thanks for the memories!
Wendy