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Tag: Pottery
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A New Village Potter Resident: Caroline Woolard, an Intentional and Intuitive Potter
All of us at The Village Potters Clay Center (TVPCC) are so excited to announce that potter and ceramic artist Caroline Woolard is now joining us as a permanent resident potter. Caroline has been an integral part of our community for several years now. She spent two years studying full time in our Advanced Studies Program while also serving as an apprentice on our team. She is a wonderful teacher, offering pottery classes for beginners on our teaching staff. Caroline is also my media technician when I am teaching online. She has spent the last year working on her pots in one of our eight incubator studios, and is building a thriving business in the arts. It has been my hope for some time now that she would delve in even deeper and join us permanently in our community, and now is that time.
Caroline is also a very intuitive person, sensitive and mindful. Caroline’s process is a balance of intuition or what she calls “flow”, and intention, which I define as purposeful discipline. This balance is an exquisite combination to become a master of your craft and a continually growing and evolving artist. She is one of those unique women that has intention fully engaged as a part of her life. She is intentional in her work, her relationships, her play, and rest. She lives an honest and empathic life.
Caroline makes work that comes from the deeper places of creativity, her spirit. Her work shares with others who she is: her loves, her joys and her pursuits. Those who are drawn to her work are connecting with her passions of color, texture, movement and nature. Caroline’s forms are celebrated in purples, teals, and soft whites on a clay of deep red earth. “I enjoy more vibrant colors as I feel they bring more life and joy to the work.”, Caroline says.
Caroline holding her colorful, textured bowls.“Texture not only adds a visual allure that I enjoy, but it has a very tactile experience to it that encourages more mindfulness with use.”
The vivid colors and textures on her pots are a natural expression of her treasured places. The surfaces of her pots are influenced by her love for her surroundings. When Caroline is resting you will likely find her deep in nature, by the sea, in the woods, by a river, or a waterfall.
“I grew up near water and often visited the river daily. Being near water or in the forest is a happy place for me that has always soothed me. The textures and elements of both water and the forest inspire my work a lot. Many of my creative ideas come to me while out enjoying the peaceful quiet in nature.”
Carved Vessel in soda and ash.Many ceramic artists use texture tools, they buy commercial texture tools and apply texture to their pots, but not Caroline. She carves each piece fully by hand or adds slip creating motion and beauty. Caroline finds her quiet meditative flow when working and the surfaces of her pots come to life.
Fairy House.
Sculptural vessels by Caroline Woolard.One quality that makes Caroline Woolard so special is that she is not only intuitive but also intelligent. She is thoughtful. She gives focus and consideration to each piece she makes. Is the size right? Does it fit your hand well? Does this sculptural piece evoke remembrance, emotion or thought? Caroline purports that the pots we choose to use to eat on are as important as the choices of what we eat. She believes we can create ceremony in the simplest of our daily routines.
“The routine of certain forms may not always be exciting, but I do appreciate the mediation of repeating forms. I also find motivation in knowing that more functional pottery such as plates, bowls, and mugs are being used daily to encourage people to hopefully slow down and appreciate the moment of the coffee, tea, food and the community they share it with.”
Caroline holding her very popular pasta bowls.
Vessel with wavy slip, soda and ash.“My textures tend to have movement. It is a part of the making process that I really encourage myself to let go of needing to be perfect or precise, yet allow them to still flow together.” Caroline says.
When I asked Caroline about her experiences here at The Village Potters Clay Center, and why she wants to join us as a professional resident potter on our core team, she said,
“I had not really experienced a true sense of community and belonging in my life before TVPCC. It’s amazing how much one can grow and flourish when they feel seen, supported, and loved. TVPCC is a very special place where you feel everyone genuinely cares and wants to support one another in every way possible. I felt that as a student who then moved into the ISM as an apprentice for 2 years and look forward to deepening that connection with everyone in a new way.”
Caroline Woolard is not only home here but she adds immensely to who we are. You will be seeing more of her work both in our gallery and in our online shop. Come by and visit and you can meet her. You can also follow Caroline on her social media platforms.
Find Caroline here on Facebook and Instagram.
Written by:
Sarah Wells Rolland
The Village Potters Clay Center -
Surrendered to the Mystery: Village Potter Judi Harwood
Village Potter Judi Harwood is a ceramic artist with many creative pathways. She regularly throws a variety of beautiful vessels, and every once in a while she departs into sculpture. But whatever Judi is doing she ultimately surrenders all her work to the mysteries of fire, flame, temperature, and atmosphere.
Most days you will find Judi fully engaged with the clay at her wheel. The rest of the world fades away and it’s just her and the clay. Her entire creative process is a spiritual one. She invites the Holy Spirit to be present and be fully engaged in her process.
When Judi prepares her pots to fire them, she is in explorer mode, creating a variety of oxides, mica, organic materials like banana peels and corn husks and even copper wire. All these materials are placed randomly on her pots to create varying and exciting mystical surfaces.
After Judi builds up her materials onto her vessels it is then that she surrenders the pieces to the fire. This is when mystery becomes beauty. Each pot tells its own story. Each vessel has its own random and varying surface. When Judi is studying her work as it cools, she discovers each one’s own magic. “The very mystery of alternative firing is what inspires me,” says Judi. “I love the ‘always trying something new part’, and not knowing exactly what will happen,” Judi says.
Not all of her pieces survive the extreme firing process, but the ones that do make it all worth it. No two pots are ever the same, and Judi fully embraces this. In fact she is captivated by all of it!
You can see and purchase Judi’s vessels during our Multi Kiln Opening Online Sale that begins Nov 16th on our website.
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A Story of Hope and Creativity out of Hardship
One of the greatest opportunities that I have had as an apprentice is the chance to teach pottery classes, specifically teaching beginners. There is no greater feeling than teaching someone who has never touched clay how to throw, and see them pull up their first pot. The progress that I’ve seen students make in six short weeks of my class fills me up with pride. When I see their progress, I feel like I am making a difference. I am adding a little bit of joy to their life.
I am currently completing my apprenticeship and the Independent Study and Mentoring program, and I have graciously accepted Sarah’s offer to become a Resident Potter at the end of my program. That means in November I get to stay, take on more responsibilities, and continue to grow my own business under the wing of The Village Potters. Because this transition period is happening during Covid and The Village Potters’ Vessels of Hope fundraiser, I wanted to help out my studio to the best of my ability. Here at The Village Potters we constantly say, “It takes a village!”, so when we launched Chapter 2 of the fundraiser, Sarah stepped back and let the other residents be the focus, and that included me. However, since I am still an apprentice, I decided to pick up where my mentor Sarah left off. Whereas the other residents will be donating work in one of their signature forms or styles, I wanted to challenge myself creatively and take on Sarah’s original VOH forms of vases made with 2.5 lbs. of clay. They will each be thrown and glazed uniquely, no two alike. I hope to try some of Sarah’s techniques to add motion and dimension to my pots, and I will also incorporate some of my recent slip-trailing dot and cut-out work in these 100 Vessels of Hope vases.
So why is this Vessels of Hope sale and the survival of The Village Potters so important? Because of the genuine community that Sarah and her fellow residents, Judi Harwood, Lori Theriault, Julia Mann, Christine Henry, and Tori Motyl, have spent years to cultivate. It is the rare type of community where every person truly wants others to succeed. It is genuine, warm, and built from the collective agreement that we want to learn and grow in clay together. Because every person who takes a class is a seed planted in our community garden. If you take the time to stay, the residents will water you with their knowledge and expertise. They will take the time to nurture you and help you succeed. They’ll make way for you to soak up the sun; the light that comes from success, all the while fondly watching you prosper, cheering you on from the sidelines. Before you know it, you’ve grown roots and are here to stay. You are a part of something bigger than yourself and become one of many flowers in the flourishing garden that is The Village Potters.”
Read on to learn a bit more of the journey that has led me to The Village Potters Clay Center. “Concussions are no joke; I suffered two serious concussions that caused me to leave college, and those two head traumas have changed how I process and view everything. I like to say that those conks to my head just brought out my artsy side. I believe that everything happens for a reason and in this case, it’s true because those concussions are what led me to The Village Potters Clay Center.
After a stint at university and moving back home, I found myself going through the typical, young-twenties quarter life crisis, and taking pottery classes at AB Tech and babysitting, trying not to dwell on leaving my social bubble that was undergrad. I wanted to grow my throwing skills more so I looked for more advanced pottery classes in the area.
The first thing I noticed about The Village was the warm and friendly energy that I felt when I walked in the door. Resident potter Judi Harwood greeted me with a genuine smile as soon as I stepped inside, and when I expressed interest in the classes and programs they offered, she took me on a tour of The Village Potters’ vast facility. As she took me around, I could tell that she was proud to show off the home she and her fellow resident potters had built together. I signed up for Sarah Wells Rolland’s 12-week Advanced Throwing class that same day.
Through Sarah’s class, I started to feel hopeful again. After years of experiencing a deteriorating processing speed, and many failures from my concussions, I found something at which I could once again excel. Needless to say, 12 weeks at The Village Potters was not enough and so I applied for their Independent Study and Mentoring program. I also applied to be an apprentice, which means I do a work trade for my tuition to the program. There are many other benefits laid out in my apprentice agreement but the most important privileges aren’t easily quantifiable.
Being an apprentice means that I get to work for and learn the inner workings of a functioning studio. I am learning how to load kilns, mix glazes, fire kilns, maintain a clean studio, and more. I only work 8 hours a week for TVP but those hours mean that the resident potters, who at first seemed to be intimidating business women, began morphing into so much more in my eyes. They are accessible and receptive to my curious questions, and became my library for pottery and business advice. They are my mentors in clay but also, suddenly, in life.
Katie Meili Messersmith
Apprentice and future resident potter
The Village Potters Clay Center: -
You Know What They Say About Many Hands
The Village Potters Clay Center is located along the French Broad River. Most days, this ancient river looks rather lazy from where we sit, and in the summertime we see hundreds of tubers floating on its waters, basking in the sun. Recently, during the last week of summer, we were dealing with a different type of river. Hurricane Florence was just a couple of days away from working its way inland, and predictions were grim.
We had two days to pack up as much of our 13,000+ square foot facility as we possibly could and move it to higher ground. What I witnessed over those two days seemed quite miraculous. The Village Potters Clay Center consists of about eight people at its core. Those eight people put out a call for help, and many able bodies showed up.
We had students from our teaching center, apprentices, advanced ceramics students, and even some of their loved ones, come and go throughout those two days. We really saw our community come together.
With what felt like a village at work, we moved 10 kilns, more than 20 wheels and tables, over 50 shelves, three slab rollers, at least 11 tons of clay, and so much more!
Everything was packed and moved to the second story or onto one of three 26-foot trucks. Almost the entire Village Potters Clay Center was empty in an incredibly short period of time!
Sunday arrived and we awaited what was supposed to be tropical depression rains, but by some stroke of luck, the worst of the storm missed Asheville almost entirely. We decided to take the following day and do a deep clean of the studio while it was empty, and almost the same Rockstar crew showed up to put The Village Potters back together again!
Many hands really do make for lighter work, and seeing them all making this gigantic feat possible warmed all of our hearts. We could not have accomplished such a task without the beautiful community of people that come together at the Village Potters. Clay creates so much more than pots!
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Bernie Segal: A Man of Openness, Honor and Creativity
Bernie Segal, Sculptor, Potter, Fencer, Teacher, Mentor, Retired Army Sergeant, Father, Loving Husband and one of the original Village Potters passed away on June 7th, 2018. He and his devoted wife, Jeanne, moved to Washington state one year ago. Already in his eighties, he said he “needed to be closer to his family.”
Bernie was a gentle man, always generous with his thoughts, feelings, and ideas. He was truly a joy to know. I will forever cherish our mid-day contemplative conversations and his generous mentoring and creative insight. Bernie entered my life serendipitously, but has had an impact that is everlasting.
I met Bernie Segal in 2011. He was selling all his stone sculpture equipment in his studio, which was located above The Village Potters at the time. There were tables, carts, tool boxes, and shelving covered with stone dust and showing the wear of many hours of work and passion. He was resigned to quit. Leaning on his cane he explained to me that this decision grieved him, but his body would no longer cooperate with his creative passion. As we laughed and haggled back and forth about prices, I spotted a potter’s wheel in the corner. He told me that he had made pots for over 30 years and taught high school pottery for many years in California. So, I casually suggested that when he got to feeling better he should join us downstairs at The Village Potters and make some pots again! He laughed.
To my surprise, three months later, Bernie Segal came walking into The Village Potters with his cane. He wanted to join us. We sat down, discussed details, and he openly shared his need for a creative outlet and a connection with creative community. Instantly, a true growing
friendship began. Three days each week for about five years Bernie would come to work at the studio with anything from ideas, stories, life lessons for our passions, then he would settle in at his wheel in his small studio space and turn the most wonderful forms. Bernie would laugh, grunt, and sometimes cuss while making pots, but was always fully engaged. If anything was close to impossible – Bernie was intrigued! If the pot was on the edge of collapse then he was having the time of his life. I loved that about him. After about six months of making pots with us at The Village, Bernie got stronger and stronger. One day he came in without his cane, and we never saw it again.Bernie was a man of many talents and interests. He was a master fencer. Many young, serious fencers studied with him. Periodically, a young woman or man would drop by The Village and I would discover that they were his fencing students. Bernie was a natural mentor. He used every area of his work to teach important life lessons. I deeply valued and enjoyed his wisdom. I know that I’m not alone in that, everyone who knew Bernie well loved him. As a young man, Bernie was a drill sergeant. He said that one day he woke up and realized he “could no longer shout in the faces of beautiful, young people”. He resigned from the military and began his life as an artist, teaching young people by using clay as the guide.
He loved the medium, clay, but his true love was stone. “My aim is to approach each stone with respect for its unique qualities and to bring to each sculpture, my understanding and appreciation of form, my sensitivity to the emotional potential, and my willingness to explore and expose both myself and the stone in the process. Each stone presents a new and separate experience for me.” In the same way Bernie honored the creative process he honored people, and Bernie honored people well. He celebrated the uniqueness of each person around him and he shared himself openly, honestly, and with joy.
We cannot speak of Bernie and not speak of his best friend, life partner, and wife, Jeanne. Jeanne was “the love of his life”. He shared stories of their wonderful life together. He always spoke with compassion and caring. They had what I believe is the greatest blessing in life, unconditional and fully realized love.
All of us at The Village Potters will always love Bernie Segal, and we will be forever changed by knowing him. He is missed.
Sarah Wells Rolland, The Village Potters Clay Center / Owner and Resident Potter
Bernie Segal The Mentor
It is rare to meet a person, for no matter how brief a time, whose words you know you will hear in your head for the rest of your life. But Bernie was one of those people, one of those mentors. He was kind yet brutally honest, a true teacher whose advice held years of experience, experimentation, and wisdom. Someone whose every teaching held meaning that would take years to understand. And someone whose humor and kindness could make you laugh on the worst of days.
One of my favorite memories of Bernie: After several weeks of intense work on a figure sculpture, I was so excited to hear that Bernie was at the studio, that I would be able to get a bit of feedback (and possibly even a moment of praise). I had been working so hard to keep in mind the advice he had given me on my last attempt. As he ambled into the room, I heard him grunt. He made his way over, borrowed my tool, and asked if he could make a small change. Within moments he had removed the head. At first I was shocked. But with a few concise words of advice and gruff encouragement, he handed back the tool and walked away. As usual, in the briefest of actions and words, he had taught me a lesson I will keep working at for the rest of my lifetime.
Hannah McGehee, Apprentice 2015-2017, The Village Potters Clay Center
We have a tribute collection of Bernie’s work currently on display in our main gallery through July 31st, 2018.
Our gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 10am-6pm and Sunday, 11am-5pm. -
It’s All About The Clay
Every artist, every maker, every craftsperson knows that the materials they work with are the foundation for everything they make. For the potter, it is all about the clay! Anytime potters are gathered clay is sure to come up in conversation. “What clay do you use? Do you have any issues with it? Why do you love it? Does it come too wet? What about drying? Do your handles ever pop off or pull away?”
Potters are very concerned about clay. The needs are many, including plasticity, consistent moisture content, drying nature, gritty or smooth qualities, temperature range, and the overall quality of materials used that make up the clay. We have a lot riding on the consistent performance of our clays. We learn our chosen clay’s personality and quirks. We form a relationship with it. Needless to say, the potter desires to find a clay they can trust.
I have been making pots since the 1980’s and have experienced almost every kind of clay failure. From pop outs, late outgassing that causes pinholes, wet clay which increases the shrinkage rate, bringing a gamut of troubles, to firm clay which damages our wrists. I could go on, but I won’t. Potters have a tendency to blame the clay when things don’t go well. Many times it is the clay itself, but it can also be the potter.
In the 1990’s, my relationship with clay had a major breakthrough. Vermont potter, Barbara Knutson and her life partner Karl Miller had moved to Haywood County. She saw my work
somewhere, called me up and we became lifelong friends. As providence would have it, I had just experienced a major disaster firing, opening my kiln to discover pin holes everywhere. Karl told me he had owned a clay supply company for decades in upstate NY, and that upon his retirement, he sold all his clay recipes to Laguna Clays. Laguna built a northeastern clay facility in Ohio and was mixing Karl’s clays under ‘Miller Clays’. I shared with Barbara and Karl my constant pursuit for a quality clay and Karl said, “Kiddo, try Miller 900. I can see from the nature of your work and the glaze responses exactly what you’re are going for. Miller 900 clay will meet your needs.” That was over 20 years ago and his suggestion changed the trajectory of my future as a potter. It was and remains one of the best clays I have ever experienced.I had the vision back then for what is now The Village Potters. What I did not foresee was that one day I would be selling Laguna and Miller clays. I am thrilled everytime a potter discovers a Laguna or Miller clay that is right for them. Karl and I have had many clay talks. He taught me so much about the quality of different materials. He shared what is required to make clays that professional potters can rely on. Now in his eighties, Karl is a true renaissance man. He has made sculpture, pots, outdoor installations, built kilns and buildings, and even raised carrier pigeons. The last time I spoke with Karl and Barbara, they had been to China and Karl was entertaining making some life size Chinese soldiers.
I know from 20 years of experience that Laguna makes every effort to make quality and consistent clays. It is easy for me to recommend these clays.
Please join us on May 12th, 2018 from 11am – 4pm for our Our Open House. This event is made for you, the potter, to check out for yourself our clay center and the clays we sell. We will be giving away clay throughout the day and having loads of fun! This is a great day not only for potters, but for the collector too. Come experience the clay from right out of the bag to fired and for sale. See and learn for yourself the different clays in finished forms. It really is “ALL about the Clay.”
— Sarah Wells Rolland, Founder of The Village Potters Clay Center
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Nurturing a Crafted Life
by Sarah Wells Rolland
How You Can Support Our Emerging Potters on their Journey
Choosing to be a potter requires a creative spirit, a strong work ethic, long hours, and a wild capacity to dream. Here at The Village Potters we have created an environment that fosters these qualities in our 25 Independent Study & Mentoring (ISM) students.The whole team of resident Village Potters do all we can to partner with these interns and encourage them. We offer up to $12,000 in financial assistance to students to help them on their journey. This money is generated through the sale of our work, and through donations made toward their tuition.
This fall we plan to raise $20,000 for scholarships for 2018. This is where YOU can partner with us and help to “Nurture a Crafted Life” for an emerging potter.
You are invited to an all-day event on Saturday, October 14 for three kiln openings here at The Village Potters! I (Sarah Wells Rolland) will have large work in our downdraft reduction kiln, and large work from our wood ash Kazegama kiln. These are significant pieces and will be a great addition to any collection. Judi Harwood will be firing Raku and Horsehair Raku pots made by her and the rest of the Village Potters. These pots are unique and you will see them come from the fire right before your very eyes!New work, large work, and lots of wonderful pots will be for sale with all the proceeds going to our Independent Study and Mentoring Program, which allows students to pursue their creative dreams where they might not without the scholarship program. If you have been wanting a large work of mine, a Raku pot of Judi Harwood’s or one others on our team, then this is the time to come and pick out the perfect piece for a great cause!
We are doing this in conjunction with American Craft Week. Mark your calendar and join in the fun of what will be an amazing fundraiser and pottery sale!**If you can’t make it and want to partner with us, you may make a donation to The Village Potter Independent Study Program online or send us a check. All donations are deeply appreciated and your contribution makes you a wonderful contributor to the sustaining of artists and fine craft!
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It’s a Beautiful Day in Our Neighborhood
The Village Potters are a wonderful creative community teaming with amazingly generous people. Now our block is growing and we are thrilled! Wedge Brewery Co., 12 Bones Smokehouse, and RAD Skatepark are now in our back yard, literally! So, come visit us and see the amazing pots being created here at The Village, stroll through Riverview Station, then walk on back to 12 Bones and Wedge for BBQ and a pint!YOU’RE INVITED:
We will be celebrating our current and new neighbors (Wedge, 12 Bones, and RAD Skatepark) on Thursday, March 2nd from 12:00 – 7:00 pm for our very first “WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD” party – open to the public! Spend the afternoon with us exploring art, a BIG POT show, food, and libations!
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Oh, Bertha!
by Dearing Davis, Red Clay Halo Pottery
The Village Potters is unique and wonderful in that we have a variety of options when it comesto firing our pieces. We have seven electric kilns, a raku kiln, a car-sized gas kiln (Bertha), and a new Geil kiln (Glorifred). We are even in the process of building a kazegama kiln, which will produce earthy wood fired pieces. It is such a gift to have so many kiln options because it allows us to explore different firing techniques as we experiment with form, surface design, functionality, and aesthetic.
All of the pieces we make and sell in our gallery have gone through two firings. This is typical for most ceramic pieces, the exception being once-fired wood pieces. The first time a piece is fired in an electric kiln to around 1940 degrees. From there we decide the next steps for the piece. It is waxed, glazed, and fired again. Each of those processes providing moments for decisions that determine the look of the piece.
I am drawn to gas fired pieces that have experienced a reduction of oxygen while in the kiln. The gas fired look is one that highlights depth and variation in the glaze after being in a changing atmosphere. Bertha, our high fire gas kiln, has always been my white whale. She is mysterious and illusive, taunting me to engage while intimidating me with her size, and her flames. She has valves, dampers, fibers, gas blowers, and pipes leading into her giant belly. Her grandness has left me fearful of firing her on my own….fearful of even beginning to learn all of the information needed to produce gorgeous pots. So I have waited, I have added my pots to Lori and Sarah’s firings with gratefulness.
It was not until a few weeks ago that I took the lead in firing Bertha myself. Hannah, Jenay, Sarah T. and I worked together to pack Bertha full of gorgeous pots. We were hopeful. Months of work and expectations of greatness makes the firing of such a large kiln feel risky. If something goes wrong in the process so much will be lost. With the guidance and help of Sarah and Lori we had a very successful firing. Bertha is being demystified. And now….I can’t wait until I’ve fired this kiln a number of times. Until I know what more of the chemical reactions and conversions taking place are. I can’t wait until that moment where I am able to answer questions for other people, when they are learning to fire Big Bertha.
Making ceramic art involves a series of challenges and conquests. We strive for weeks (sometimes months and years) to do something well, and then we experience great pride and relief upon successful execution. As potters (and as human beings) there is always something to learn, always something new to explore. The Village Potters community celebrates strivings and successes, while encouraging forward movement and pushing creativity to its edge. -
Digging Deeper: Get a Grip.
Oh the handle…that small piece of clay that makes all the difference in the ever popular mug. The handle serves great function on a drinking vessel….to keep our sensitive hands from the heat and to assist an ease of motion to our mouths. Almost every day there is a brief moment where I select a vessel as I reach for a mug to hold my morning cup of tea. All of the mugs in my cabinet are delightful; therefore my quick decision is related more to my mood and level of thirst than anything else. Do I want the small, faceted white mug my friend Amber bought me after a trip to Dobra tea? What about the mug I bought at a craft fair over 10 years ago when I was first enamored by pottery…the one the artist described as his “pizza glaze” (although that glaze combination never even remotely resembled pizza to me)? Maybe this morning I would like to drink out of the mug that Sarah gave me in a care package last year? Whichever one I decide I know the tea will taste that much better as the story of its origin floats in the back of my mind.
Our task for this season in the Independent Study and Mentoring Program is to work on handles and attachments. More than a few master potters have said that the handle (similar to a glaze) can ‘make or break’ the piece. Handles, however, are not as simple and effortless to make as they often look. Due to its integral nature to the pot, there is much to consider when creating a proper handle- its placement, the negative space it creates, its cohesiveness with the base, its style, weight, and fit. The handle needs to flow, fit, and favor its pot (quite a lot to ask of a small strip of clay).
There are also multiple ways to create a handle, sometimes it seems as many different ways as there are potters. A few weeks ago Sarah and Lori each demonstrated their preferred methods of making handles, as well as other ways that we could explore. One can pull a handle off of the piece, handbuild something one of a kind, or create handles from thrown rings. The holder does not often take note of how the handle was made, but rather how it feels. Right now I can imagine the feel of my hands resting around one of my mugs- snuggly using the handle so lovingly placed.
Handles take time, consideration, and for me….patience. I am still striving to improve the design and level at which I create these important little additions. I’ll keep working at it, all the while enjoying those mugs waiting for me and my morning cup of tea.
