Linda Skipper in studio
BERKSHIRE POTTERY TOUR 2019 INTERVIEW BY H. CANDEE For all those pottery enthusiasts out there reading this, they probably want to know how the 6th Annual Berkshire PotteryTour works? Lorimer Burns: Berkshire Pottery Tour is a free, selfguided driving tour of six local ceramic studios. Six potters open their studios and sell their wares for one weekend each fall. We have a detailed map available in our brochure or on our website. The tour is designed in a loop, starting at any studio. Participants can easily visit all six studios in an afternoon. This year, our tour weekend is Sept. 27/28. How did the Berkshire Pottery Tour first begin? It’s exciting, a real treasure hunt in ways, yes? Lorimer: Ellen and Paula had been talking about starting a studio tour for several years. I wanted to start a collective to show work as a group at craft shows and offer support and artistic feedback. Paula and I met for coffee and decided on the potters we would invite and with Ellen’s blessing, the Tour was born! September seemed to be the perfect time to celebrate both local artisanal ceramics andthe breathtaking beauty of the Berkshires. The tour is definitely a kind of treasure hunt for pots, sculpture, artistic inspiration and, of course, food. There are fantastic places to stop and eat along the way; 6 Depot, in West Stockbridge, between Ben and Paula’s, The Roadside Diner between Linda’s and Ellen’s, Prairie Whale in GB and there is rumor that Steam will be opening in Housatonic very soon. 8 • SEPTEMBER 2019 THE ARTFUL MIND
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BPT MEMBERS
Lorimer, please tell us a little about each artist on board, and also, about their guest? Lorimer: Dan Bellow has a large-scale production studio near Railroad Street in GB. He makes functional porcelain ware which he fires in his gas fired reduction car kiln with his many apprentices and students but the best of his work, in my opinion, are the gnarly wood fired pots and one-offs. Dan loves to talk about his work so it’s always an entertaining stop along the tour. Dan will be hosting Brendan Moore. Dan says “I’ve known Brendan Moore for ten years and I love him like a son. He quit Alfred University after his first year to wood fire with our group in New York state. I’ve always liked his work, quiet pots always made with just enough clay, you can see the marks of his fingers, it’s all perfectly organized and there’s obviously a lot of thought in it. He’s an artist at stacking pots in the wood kiln. I like the way he works, too, super focused, quiet. He’s great to have in the studio, and whenever there’s a big project requiring sustained ceramic effort he’s always right there with me because he is my main man. Paula Shalan’s work is mainly smoke fired decorative vessels. For me, her work holds such serenity and confidence, much like Paula herself. Paula describes the work of her guest, Liz Daly "I find a sweet, heartlifting beauty in Liz’s ceramics. Her attention to color, form, and detail is thoughtful and sensitive, yet a powerful strength holds and deepens the work.”
Ellen Grenadier’s work is perhaps the most iconic and recognizable. Her gorgeous platters, bowls and mugs are impressed with leaves and ferns and glazed deep cobalt, sapphire greens, amber and periwinkle. Ellen has many collectors and repeat visitors to her home studio in Monterey, where she makes this production line. I have been intrueged to watch her new body of work over time, partially in response to the demands of our annual pottery tour. Ellen describes her guest artist: “Connie Talbot makes Flameware pots, pots that can be used on the gas and electric stovetop and the grill! Her work has an elegant and timeless quality as she is inspired by pottery, both ancient and modern from around the world. We will be having a cooking demonstration on Sunday using her tangines, pizza stones, casseroles and more. You have to see it to believe it! Lorimer: My entry into professional ceramics, ten years ago, was wood firing with a group of wild women out in Tolland, MA. It was like a gateway drug. My friend, Nancy Magnusson, said “here, just try this...just one firing” and before I knew it I was driving out there at 4 a.m. to take the dawn stoking shift. Wood firing is rigorous, unpredictable and a little bit crazy so when Nancy moved to New Mexico, I wanted to bring those qualities to the work I was making in my own studio with the added element that I was missing so badly from wood firing ; COLOR. I
