Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Low-fire from the kitchen shelves




Scottish slipware potter Hannah McAndrew (see link to her blog at right) posted a few photos of pieces from her slipware collection on her blog yesterday, so I thought I'd do something similar today.
The two slipware pieces are by Ron Geering, a friend of ours and a potter on Woods Hole Road, here in Falmouth. Ron works out of what used to be an impossibly tiny one-car garage and is now an impossibly tiny studio and shop. Amazingly, it works for him. He throws, decorates, fires and sells his work out of that little wood-frame building. I don't think there's a potter on the Cape who is any better at what they do than Ron. And as far as I know, he's the only one of us to have been asked to make an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. So, someone out there is paying attention to his work. Ron's website is www.geeringpottery.com. Take a look.
The fish plate that accompanies Ron's work is by Nausika Richardson of Dixon, N.M. (www.dixonarts.org/listofartists/artistpages/Richardson/home.htm). I was working as a newspaper photographer at the Santa Fe daily when I photographed Nausika probably 25 years ago. I bought this plate at the time, never thinking for a moment that I would make pots one day. Nausika works in red earthenware with painterly decorations, in her studio in the tiny town in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos, east of the Rio Grande and south of Taos. A farmer/writer neighbor of hers, Stanley Crawford, wrote "A Garlic Testament,"
one of the great books about garlic farming. Come to think of it, perhaps the only great book about garlic farming ...

6 comments:

Dan Finnegan said...

Ron's work is outstanding...he's an impeccable craftsman and artist. I've barely touched red clay myself, but I like lots of earthenware pots. I'm hoping to do a firing before my visit in March. A good time to be making pots.

Hollis Engley said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hollis Engley said...

I hope things are looking at least a bit spring-like in Caroline County. It's near 50 here today (Monday) and bright sun, but tomorrow and the next couple of days look like winter crap. My plan tomorrow is to go up toward Boston, get some clay and then go into the city to see the Phil show at the Pucker. Can I pick up a teabowl or two for you?

Hannah said...

hi, very nce slip ware you have there, I must look that chap up, a few of you guys have mentioned him. Those pots on my post though I have to admit aren't mine really, they're part of my virtual collection! If only. . .

Hollis Engley said...

Oh, I got that, Hannah. I knew they were part of your collection. Didn't think you were claiming them as your work. Yours is plenty good.

Hollis Engley said...

Oh, virtual collection. Now I get it. Well, I've got some lovely Hamada pots in my own virtual collection. And some Leaches, and ...