Revisiting the past

I would not say I hoard. I am not keen on accumulating possessions and love a good throw out or pass on. However, one thing I am hesitant to dispose of is glazes. I have buckets upon buckets of liquid glazes from long past repertoires, that I may wish to revisit... one day... maybe. A perfectly understandable notion I think? 

In the midst of my sorting and moving the other day I stumbled upon a rather large bucket of Ming glaze (a deleted Northcote Pottery line) that I realised had not been used for over 10 years and had settled beyond resurrection. Tossed it I did. Very brave of me I thought.

The reason I had held on to this glaze for so long is because it graces some of my earliest pottery pieces that are probably amongst the most used items in my home. I made many of these bowls and plates when I set up my first studio. Thrown, squared slightly and reduction fired. 

I was eating a lot of Thai food at the time.

They have stood the test of time, the most important quality I could wish to achieve in my ceramics. They have not chipped or been broken by hands young or old . They have been versatile in their function, morning, evening and all through the day. And despite my constantly changing tastes in food and decor I haven't grown tired of their aesthetic. They are by no means the prettiest things I have made but their quite solidity has ensured their stable presence in my ever changing life.

Oh, and I couldn't help but notice the slight similarity in glaze colour with these classic Wedgwood numbers that I have recently inherited and remember so fondly for my childhood.

I love the conscious and sub conscious effect of nostalgia on the choices we make in daily objects and I'm looking forward to exploring this more in future work. 

That Ming glaze, however, will not be making another appearance, which makes my somewhat naive and homely bowls and plates all the more special.