Tableware

My very first functional project was to create a giant beer mug. This was an indispensable item for virtually any college student.  The training and practice required to produce such a design left me with not only a giant, two-handled, stein but also an enduring love of clay. 

Despite the success of my early effort, I did not create tableware in any sort of quantity until I began participating in a local benefit craft show.  I wanted to produce some inexpensive pieces that would be a little different and generate some excitement.  Using presses from some of my past tile projects, I fashioned a small number of plates and introduced them at the Homecorp Show in 2002.  The reaction was mixed.

The following year, I cleaned up my designs and tried once more.  This time, the response was more positive.  Encouraged by these results, I began to sketch out new ideas though the production functional tableware continued to occupy only a small fraction of my studio time.  This would change in 2006.

I received two commissions to create plates and occasional pieces for a spa in Colorado and appetizer plates and platters for a fishing lodge Alaska.  Tableware had suddenly pushed its way to the front of the creative line.  Numerous designs were developed and new production methods were explored and put into place.  By the time the commissions were complete, the studio was well equipped and the floodgates of tableware design were wide open.

Throughout 2007, I generated new designs on a weekly basis.  As these ideas accumulated around the edges of the drawing board, they evolved and multiplied.  Other interesting projects sprang from my studio classes.  My new focus on functional design opened my eyes to the possibilities inherent in numerous student projects.  A lesson in texture led to the use of natural materials for rims and borders.  Another lesson in mold use led to a challenge where I created seven unique bowls in seven days using only one basic form.  Even monoprint workshops led to the continued evolution of a series of seasonally produced leaf print platters.

With so many great ideas in hand, it was difficult to decide where to begin.  So throughout the summer and fall of 2008 I made everything.  The designs poured from the drawing table to the workshop and piles of plates and bowls started growing on any available horizontal surface.  At one time, nearly a quarter of my upper gallery floor was covered with dishes.  Everything was ready to be unveiled at the 2008 Homecorp Show.

The new lines are a hit.  People love the sushi plates and I am not allowed to go to anyone’s home for dinner without bringing a set of olive plates as a hostess gift.  The leaf plates disappear as fast as the leaves from which they are made.  Bowls and utensil caddies now grace the homes of a number of my tile clients. 

It was a thrill to execute so many projects and have them turn out so successfully.  New ideas continue to add a fresh look to my work.  I cannot wait to get back into the studio and build some more dishes.  Who knows, perhaps the next set I make will be perfect for you.