The plates, bowls, cups, and mugs we populate our table with every day become as familiar as the faces of our loved ones. So does the daily ritual of choosing among dozens of pieces, accumulated over the years, which we'll pour our morning beverage into. And if you're like me, the collection is almost entirely made by people I know. So instead of a mug, I see a potter's face, and remember, if I'm lucky, something of the last conversation we had.
Dinnerware Place Setting
A grouping of my typical dinnerware pieces.
back row: dinner plate (11 inches across), serving platter (16 inches across)
middle row: coffee mug (4.5 inches tall), tumbler (5.5 inches tall), salad plate (9 inches across), dessert plate (6.5 inches across)
front row: serving bowl (11 inches across), long tray (16 inches long), soup bowl (6 inches across)
Copper matt glaze with stenciled black slip underglaze.
Square Bowls
These are a good size for soup or cereal, or perhaps a small side-dish server. Copper matt glaze with resist brushwork in a branch/leaf pattern.
Small Plates with Branch/Leaf Pattern
Copper matt glaze with resist brushwork
Small Plates
Copper matt glaze with resist brushwork. Much of my brushwork decoration relies on brushes I make out of bamboo and deer tail (see the "Tools" page).
Plates with Black and White Leaf Pattern
White stoneware with stenciled black slip. The surface is unglazed, but because the clay body is smooth and tight a glaze is unnecessary.
Small Plates with Purple Pours
Cobalt purple and copper green glazes
Small Plate with Leaf Pattern
White stoneware with gray and green stenciled slips, unglazed.
Wall-mounted Plate Array
Fifteen small plates with a contiguous floral/foliar pattern. Each plate hangs on an individual cleat and can be taken down for use. A number sequence on the back tells you where each one goes. Stenciled cobalt slip under copper green matt glaze.