[Clayart] Dishes at the farm

[melpots--- via Clayart]

We have collected wonderful sets of dishes from farm auctions and donations from guests.

If you eat breakfast at my house you eat off of ceramic dishes. Big stack of mugs is always out and ready. People have their favorites. Real rich cream for coffee.

Dishes are washed right after eating. I use ammonia in my dish soap and often use a vinegar rinse. I clean the tables and counters with vinegar.

We do not serve bottled water. You take it from the sink. Pure well water and it is freezing cold.

Most of you have grown up with a sense of duty and love of guests. You are proud of your work and show it off. You teach others that class is a wonderful word. It means you appreciate things. You cannot buy it; it is a part of your dna.

Mark Monson stopped with a bag full of Elk steaks, and Byron gave me ten packages of venison. We will have brook trout in a month from the river about 100 steps from my back door. We use garden hackle...that is a worm.

The Ojibwe Indians called this area The Garden of Eden. They were totally correct.
mel
I have the old electric blanket over the pug mill. It is working fine.
Back in full production of pots...
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[Dragonbelly Ceramics via Clayart]

All of our bowls, dishes, mugs are either my own seconds or work I've
bought from or have been gifted by other potters. I've been meaning to make
an intentional set of ware for myself for *years* but somehow never seem to
get around to it. While part of me is annoyed every time I use one of my
pieces that I see as flawed, I've come to appreciate them as a marker for
my progress as a potter. And also for putting something that might have
gotten thrown away into use.

Plus - bonus for all the work I've bought over the years - it makes other
potter's ware even that much better in comparison with my seconds! LOL.

We also live in a community with a lot of active farms - including our
little homestead one - and the vast majority of food we eat is either food
we've grown or gotten locally. I am a firm believer that local food cooked
simply and plated on handmade pottery just tastes better. Especially when
you eat in community with friends.

Best,
LJ

--
http://www.dragonbellyceramics.com
* where imagination meets function*

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[robert hackert via Clayart]

Mel:
Really enjoyed your commentary regarding your use of dishes. My wife and I do likewise.
Our Art center here in North Port Florida was damaged by Hurricane Ian. The city admin has refused to bring the art center and Pottery/ stained glass building up to code. But as usual they decry the loss but refuse to address the matter. So as of September the city will be w/o a place for the populace to express their inner artisan. Gotta love politicians.
Rob Hackert
Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 13, 2025, at 9:56 AM, Dragonbelly Ceramics via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>
> All of our bowls, dishes, mugs are either my own seconds or work I've

> http://www.dragonbellyceramics.com/

[Vince Pitelka via Clayart]

I really enjoyed Mel's post about dishes. My wife and I did that for many years, but when I was a studio potter in Northern California many of our dishes were my seconds. When Linda and I were both teaching full-time, we purchased sets of bowls, plates, and mugs from potters. I have large dinner plates and quite a few lovely faceted bowls from the amazing Hank Murrow, and smaller dinner plates, soup bowls, desert bowls, tumblers, and mugs from our dear deceased Clayart member Paul Herman. I treasure all of those dishes and we try to take very good care of them, but of course there is slow attrition. That keeps potters in business, but of course Paul is gone and Hank keeps threatening to permanently retire from making pots.
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Potter, Writer, Teacher
Chapel Hill, NC
vincep...@gmail.com
www.vincepitelka.com
https://chathamartistsguild.org/

[David Woof via Clayart]

We have absolute freedom to embrace, express, and effectively act out our varied personal Opinions.........

So please tell me why would I lower my aesthetic standards and subjugate myself to use of seconds at my table.

Wouldn't that be on par to choking on a morsel and coughing up one's dentures on one's plate at a dinner?

I'm certainly not one of those 60's hippie freaks that thought changing their underwear meant putting the same pair back on, but inside out, am I?

Shouldn't I seriously consider having a "seconds hammer" hanging out back by the "Quality Control Shard Pile."

Quite sure Mel wouldn't serve me on a "second cull" if I were a guest at his table.

Wouldn't that be on par with serving and savoring a fine wine from a chipped coffee mug?

And wouldn't I be shamed, embarrassed, and out-raged if an inebriated guest, who had taken one high school pottery class from the football coach, wanted to critique the seconds I was serving from?.
I Suppose I could slip behind that arrogant fool and execute a well-deserved "Sentry Takeout" which would give the other guests and Police a needed distraction to talk about for a long time.

But why, why, why, would I even think of using seconds in my home or at my table?
Do I have to question that I and my guests deserve anything other than my best?

If one pays attention and makes enough pottery, the seconds become fewer to relatively nonexistent. And finely hammered and crushed up shards make interesting grog.

It goes without saying, however, that our results from research, development, and experimentation are excluded from this "stirring the pot"..... "RANT"
Also relieved of duty, or excluded, are our beloved Trolls, and the faint of heart who are too scared, or don't know how to grow a pair and tell me I'm just too "Freakin" full of myself.......

Love to all,

Misneach,

Woof.................................................................................................................................................................................
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[William Schran via Clayart]

I hate creating waste. I buy many products at the grocery based on
packaging and whether it is recyclable.I never sell seconds of my
pottery A mug with one small glaze blister might be given away. I
have several seconds mugs in the kitchen that are daily users. Have
one I've been using since the 1970's.I also have have functional
dinner ware without defects that are used daily and with guests.
I keep examples of my changing styles and glazes from when I first
started making in 1970 to remind me of what I thought was good at the
time and how I have progressed, and in some instance, regressed.
Bill

William Schran...@twc.com703-505-1617

-----------------------------------------From: "David Woof via
Clayart"
To: "Clayart international pottery discussion forum"
Cc: "David Woof"
Sent: Friday April 11 2025 3:50:58AM
Subject: Re: [Clayart] Selling or Serving "Seconds" (Why would I do
that?)

Love to all,

Misneach,

Woof..............................................................................................................................................................................

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7:58 AM melpots--- via Clayart <
>> cla...@lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>>
>> We have collected wonderful sets of dishes from farm auctions and
>> donations from guests.
>>
>> If you eat breakfast at my house you eat off of ceramic dishes.
Big
>> stack of mugs is always out and ready. People have their
favorites.
>> Real rich cream for coffee.
>>

>> Dishes are washed right after eating I use ammonia in my dish

/> >> /81ad4a60/attachment.htm

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[ronroy--- via Clayart]

HI David,

You made me think back to my beginning as a studio potter - long story
short - I had to sell all my "firsts" to pay the bills. All we got to
keep were the pots that didn't sell. There were enough of those and it
was a good incentive to make more firsts.

Unfortunately making my own designs was not the best way to make a
living. I sold most of my dinnerware to other potters and have a full
set for myself.

RR

> 7:58?AM melpots--- via Clayart <

Ron Roy
ron...@ca.inter.net
Web page ronroy.net