For the first time in my 34 year pottery career I find myself embracing dinnerware. Believe it or not, I am making lots of place settings of my own free will! In the past I have always thought of dinnerware sets as fraught with too many problems. If anything was going to go wrong, it would happen when I was making a large set. I certainly haven’t solved all of my technical problems with pots and firings, but I have become confident in making dinnerware in a way that I have never been in the past.
I would like to share my philosophy about sets. First of all, I don’t make sets in the traditional sense, where pots match each other. My sets are more like families of pots. They have common colors and design elements, but there is intentional variation from one piece to another. I carefully weigh my balls of clay, but I don’t caliper sizes, so there will be some slight variation amongst similar pieces. They all have slip designs on them so the patterns will also vary from one pot to another, but all within a common theme. Each piece has approximately 5-7 glazes sprayed in layers and this process leaves its own color and textural variations from piece to piece. I place a much higher priority on each piece having unique character than on pieces matching. At the same time; I feel it is important that pots stack reasonably well so that they are not endangered in handling. I also want them to fit in and survive the dishwasher. My dinnerware is chip resistant, although not break proof! It needs to be handled with the same care that any fine dinnerware requires.
I have no pre-conceived idea what kind of pieces you would like to eat off of, so any combination of plates, bowls, and drinking vessels may be ordered. I might even consider special shapes or sizes that are not in my current repertoire. You are welcome to show me color swatches to see how well my various glaze combinations fit in to your color scheme. Hopefully my palate is broad enough to fit into most peoples homes. Unfortunately, it would take an inordinate amount of experimentation to come up with special colors just for one order, so color choices are limited to my current glazes.
The two things you should consider when choosing glazes are, How will it look in my house? and How will it look with the kinds of food I generally serve? In reference to the last question, I would like to tell you about my newest color combination developed specifically for use on dinnerware, White on White. It was inspired by Kim’s reaction to how succulent food was when served in Sandy Lockwood’s white bowls. As is true with all of my glazes, it is a myriad of subtle color changes, but it is predominantly shades of white, off white and neutral. The thing I like about this combination is that it lets the food be the star of your presentation. At the same time, it is just as rich and varied as you have come to expect from my glazes!
Items currently available for special order:
Dinner Plate $80
Luncheon / Salad Plate 60
Desert Plate 40
Soup / Salad Bowl 60 (perfect for cold soups on a summer evening)
Chowder Bowl 90 (labor intensive, but just wait till you sit down with a bowl of warm chili on a cold night!)
Tumbler 50
Mug 50
As a bonus, orders of 8 or more place settings will receive extra pieces. Approximately 1 extra place setting for every 8 ordered. This is my way of giving a volume discount and also covering replacement in case of breakage. I can always make you extra pieces as needed, but the best match will come from the original firing your set was made in.
Of course there are no rules that apply to everyone. One of my favorite ways to assemble a set of dinnerware is to buy favorite pieces whenever I see them. They could be different glaze combinations from one potter or individual place settings assembled from many potters. Our Gallery Director, Jacque Blatner, has an amazing set that is made up of 1 place setting each from 8 different potters. You are the one who will be living with handmade dinnerware and your job is to decide what inspires your table!
Coincidentally, I just got an invitation from Santa Fe Clay to exhibit in their For the Table exhibition, which will be held at the 2008 NCECA conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
If you are interested in discussing dinnerware, email gallery@centerstreetclay.com or call (815)570-2030.
Pick of the Kiln –
Dinnerware by Subscription!
I have a unique concept for assembling a truly one-of-a-kind dinnerware set that might appeal to the more adventurous. My idea is to pick the best place setting that comes out of every kiln I fire this winter and spring. Either you could come by the studio and choose, or I could pick my favorite place setting for you… At the end of 8 firings you will have a set in which each piece is truly individual, much like siblings in a family. They will all relate to each other, but there should be considerable variation between place settings. The bonus is that each piece will have the passion that lives in the best work. Every piece will be a pick of the kiln!
For now, I will only take one order for a Pick of the Kiln set. After it is completed, the subscriber and I will reflect on the experience. It would be great fun to share that experience with all of you, but of course, that will depend on the subscriber.