The One Thing a Ceramist Wants You to Know About Buying Pottery

“When I sit down at the wheel to make a pot, I usually have a sketch or form fixed in my mind. After almost 30 years as a potter, this would seem a straightforward task. But what keeps the work exciting every day is that the clay has as much to say about the shape as I do. And that is what I love most about being a clay artist: allowing the clay to take me in different directions. I respect the wabi sabi, or artful imperfection, of the medium. It has led to some of my most wonderful pieces. One of my pottery heroes, George Ohr, also subscribed to this technique of letting slumped and misshapen pots transform into a work of beauty. The wabi sabi infuses the piece with soul. It’s what differentiates the handmade pot from a commercially cast piece.” —Frances Palmer, Connecticut-based ceramist