Just a Lump of Clay

Another drizzly, cool day here in the Mount Washington valley. I love these quiet days, sitting peacefully watching the birds dodge the raindrops as they go about their birdy business.

The quiet helps me to concentrate on my work. I imagine the future of each lump of clay that I am working. I get to decide what it will become what it will inevitably be. A cup? A bowl? Or something else.

Using slow, methodical movements, I coax the wet, plastic earth into pleasing, graceful shapes that someday will be held, used and enjoyed by someone next door or maybe on the other side of the planet.

My pottery ships all over the world and I wonder what the lives of those people are like. How do they go about their days and are they enjoying my pottery? I would love a glimpse into their routine to see if they are just regular folk, like me.

I often see my pottery in the homes of friends and neighbors and it is a humbling experience. To know the work of my hands is a valued part of someone’s daily life, fills my heart with incredible joy and humility.  Because I strive to create pieces that speak of joy and grace to the heart of the user. This is my goal, you see, to bring a smile to their lips as they sip their coffee, reflect upon the vagaries of life and watch the birds flutter past, dodging raindrops, on their way about their birdy business.