Katheleen Nez on wed 20 feb 02
While we're all (well, at least, the Voulkos aficianados) out there in ClayArtLand trying to choose which of the ten pieces on the-anagama website deserve response, I was moved to reread "Otis and Berkeley: Crucibles of the American Clay Revolution" by Garth Clark in Color and Fire:Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics: 1950-2000, which places all the "greats" in the perspective of the moment (the moment being the 1950s-60s) when they were just the "Young Turks", straddling the not-so-distinct line between Art and Craft. Certainly food for thought while you're looking at plate #7 and stack #10 and deciding which happenings you'll attend in Kansas City this year...another must-see URL (that I recently emailed to the group who visited Voulkos at Pete's Valley in 1980 on the way back from Haystack) is http://www.voulkos.com/...what is it someone once said, 'the pot is the person who made it?'...
[Actually, I gotta admit, I couda died and gone to heaven when I first walked into the "Term Limits" exhibition (at the Fine Arts Museum here in Santa Fe) and saw my Anasazi Serving set in a plexiglass box sandwiched in between one of Eddie Dominguez's Fish Tanks and Mr. Voulkos's conventional-looking dinnerware table setting (from the 50s) - whoa, such heady company...I hope I can continue to be worthy of it...]
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Elizabeth Hewitt on thu 21 feb 02
I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who posted to this
thread. I know for some of you, it wasn't easy. For ones who loved/love
him dearly, I'm certain from your words, that your emotions are raw with
grief and shock over the sudden loss of your dear mentor, friend, hero,
example and much more. I hope taking the time to express your thoughts
as you have, brings a degree of healing and comfort to you.=20
I have learned from you. As time goes by and I view his work more and
more, my thoughts and feelings regarding it will evolve, I'm certain. My
initial thoughts are that sometimes you need to know the creator to
fully appreciate the creation. You have given me at least a taste of who
he was and what he has meant and contributed to the world of clay. I'm
relatively new to clay and I still hunger to know and learn as much as I
can about it and the people who are and were involved in it. I feel much
the same way reading your well thought out and beautifully expressed
words, as I did when I first kept hearing the name Hamada and then read
the book, Shoji Hamada, A Potter's Way & Work by Susan Peterson. As I
began to learn more about him, his culture, his habits and personality,
the more I appreciated his works of art. It doesn't inspire me to
attempt to emulate their work but to take into me something from their
work and their personalities in my attempt to find my own way of
expressing myself through clay.
I was 57 years old when I first ventured into clay and I feel an urgency
that seems to say that I won't live long enough to learn all that I want
to about it. Ones who know nothing about pottery have NO idea how vast
and far reaching it is. I have told those around me, if I lived to be
300 years old, I will have only scratched the surface of what there is
to know, procedures and skills to learn, and years of ideas and feelings
to bring together and express with clay. I have such an extensive
pottery library that my hubby made a library on wheels that is dedicated
strictly to my pottery books, tapes, vast notes and magazines. I go
nowhere without at least one pottery book. I feel like I've crammed
about 50 years of learning in these less than five years. What a
challenging and excited venture it's been so far. Are there any books
that I should read in my attempt to know Peter and his work better? I'd
appreciate recommendations if you have any.
I appreciate your expressions of your personal connection with Peter and
what it has meant to you. I trust that I didn't ask too much of you. I
continue to learn from you daily and love being a part of this group. My
involvement with other potters, classes and workshops are limited
because of health issues but in no way do I feel isolated. Clayart
provides a connection to the actual world of clay and there's no need
for anyone to feel isolated, you provide the link to all other potters
around the world, past and present. I pray that I can do my part to give
back to the group. In the mean time, I'll handle your words with care
and respect as you've given a piece of yourselves.
Thank you again,
Elizabeth Hewitt
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