It's no surprise that we only eat out of handmade pottery in our home. Having a potter around is of course helpful for this to even be possible, and comes in extra handy when breakage occurs. 😩
Our collection of pottery is an eclectic one, a mix made up of Robin's work - some seconds that aren't necessarily gallery-worthy, but others that are some of the best from previous firings too. We have made many trades with friends and peers from communal firings or ceramic-related trips, and are growing our collection of pots from mentors and colleagues that we have purchased over the years, because really, you just can't have enough pottery, right!?!
This is not unique to our home. I've made the observation that most, if not all potters have a similar set up in their kitchen cupboards. And fun fact - most potters remove the cupboard doors of their kitchen cabinets. Seriously! And for obvious reasons - that all those amazing pots should be seen from across the room, and not be tucked behind closed doors in the dark. Right!?!
Another fun fact about potters.....most are excellent cooks! Seems common sense when you put it down on paper. If you are going to spend endless hours creating the vessels in which we eat, dine, feast with, thinking about how they will be used, treated, handled or displayed, then you should probably have at least some understanding of the culinary arts too.
An amazing project was launched last year in partnership with National Clay Week, which I personally think represents a marriage of two things that perfectly align - pottery and cooking. A cookbook called
The Crafted Dish is the result of a call for entry that went out to all Canadian ceramic artists, to submit a favourite recipe, and photo of the submission in the artist's handmade pottery of course.
Robin and I did a bit of collaborating ourselves and together submitted an entry that is now proudly published on page 48 of The Crafted Dish cookbook. We make a pretty good team in the kitchen, although admittedly, I do seem to break more pottery than he does around here?!?
Spearheaded by our friend Carole Epp, Carole coordinated and has championed the marketing efforts to get these cookbooks into the homes and kitchens of clay and food enthusiasts across Canada and the US. Carole worked together with Reid Flock and sisters Yolande and Julia Krueger to select 61 artists for the book. The best part is that the publication itself is a means to give back. All the artwork, recipes, essays, jurying, graphic design, marketing and support that went into creating the book was donated. AND, all the proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated! The charity that was selected to be the recipient of the profits is an organization called
The STOP , a community food centre in Toronto and one that prides itself in bringing people together around food.
Which really, isn't that what potters ultimately do too?
People like to buy pots in pairs too I have noticed. They often pick out something that they really love and then go back for a second look, often to find something for their spouse or partner. I love when this happens. It's like watching a conversation unravel in their selection. "I like this, but he would prefer this matte surface." "My preference is this design, and we share a similar aesthetic but she definitely needs it to be bigger!" No two pieces are exactly alike when it comes to Robin's work. His atmospheric surfaces ensure that they are all one of a kind.
