Veggies versus meat


I promised I would post a pic of a jar by my favourite potter Richard Batterham. He makes what I call a celery handle. It looks like a piece of celery bent over backwards. I am from the Cardew school of handle making. Cardew maintained that a good handle “ought to have a backbone”. Meat versus veggies. I am a meat man.   I have broken two Batterham pots in my life and both almost brought a tear to my eye. One was my favourite dinner plate that was used daily. The other was a faceted bowl. The bowl I would lay on the couch with usually at this time of year. I would feel the foot, the rim , stare at the glaze and wonder if I would ever be able to make such a fine bowl. That bowl always inspired me to keep making pots even when it didn’t look like I could hold on much longer.  
Getting his jar down off the cupboard today made me feel like making pots. That is the magic of a great pot!  It makes you want to be a better potter.

Comments

Anonymous said…
One of my fave tc quotes: "Vegetables: Food for food" :)
Blue Iris
jen said…
Tony...your pots do that very thing for me. Thanks
Unknown said…
Celery is a vegetable bone .......soooo your hero's handles are STRONG LIKE BONE !!! Tony your work makes me want to be a better potter ! Cat Jarosz
Ben Richardson said…
Many years ago a friend brought back a cut sided bowl of Richard Batterham's for me - in the end it was too strong for me to see every day. I put it out of direct sight as I felt I couldn't work with such deft and direct touch and didn't need a daily reminder of my failings.
Anonymous said…
Tony, those are great lidded bowls. Is that an opaque ash glaze? It has a beautiful depth. The top photo, is that a spot of copper red?
Nice to see pieces that inspire
Wyndham

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