Early Winter 2o24 Collection

 

Pots from The Rockies, Scrub Oak, Sage

Early season snows have started to blanket the mountains here in northern New Mexico, and I have been busy harvesting, cutting, and splitting fire wood. This wood— piñon, spruce, and ponderosa pine keep me warm, bring fire to our kilns, and fire to my creative practice. For that I am thankful.

The Piñon trees dropped a bounty of pine nuts this year, and the forest floors are littered with a treat to be had while out working. While sitting on the forest floor collecting them, I’ve been noticing new subtleties in these landscapes I’ve walked through for years. Horizon lines and soft color pallets get stored away in my subconcious.

The surfaces of my pots are not intended to replicate these landscapes, but rather reflect a feeling from them. Like past collections you’ll find functional pots: mugs, sippers for sprits, oil pourers, yunomi, serving trays, and bottles, vases and sculptural pieces. Useful vessels to carry this story and feeling.

I have continued to experimenting a bit with different proportions of clays, and as a result this series of pots features blacks that are much darker and richer. The minerals in the clay interact with the ash and salt in the kiln creating variated surfaces that go from velvet to oil slick. I find them quite captivating and unique.

Thanks for coming to have a look, avi