“A pitcher is a family pot, a party pot. It can be a squat and humble perfection in constant use or an imposing and elegant presentation for a public occasion. Because of the arm-like handle, the mouth-like spout, and the upright and curvaceous shape, it is a form that easily takes on the animation of the animal kingdom and thereby enchants us with personality”. I met Clary Illian one afternoon at her studio. I was visiting a friend in Iowa City, on my way to study clay at a Penland intensive. I was a beginner in clay but I had read her book, A Potter’s Workbook. I found her phone number (in a phone book!), called her up and asked if I could visit her studio. She gave me directions and an hour later I parked my car in the driveway of a suburban house in Ely, Iowa. At that time, Clary had moved her studio back to her house, and she was using earthenware and doing low firing all of which was new to her. She was also decorating her pots. These were massive changes in her work; at the time I didn’t realize how cool it was that she taking all these new risks. We talked for a while and then eventually I looked at her pots and bought some. We ended up sitting in her kitchen talking about writing. I told her that I had read her book and that it was helping me. She confessed that she was writing a novel that was a murder mystery. We talked about pottery and writing, and when I left she said to me, “I’m going to be curious what kind of pots you end up making.” I thought about that statement later when my pots started to change. And I go back to her work to learn and absorb but also just to enjoy her writing. #claryillian #apottersworkbook #pottery #studiopottery #studiopotter #ceramicpitcher #throwingpots (at Cloverdale, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-c3H8lje-W/?igshid=k4fl0b8ainsi
