As I wrote about last month, my husband and I take a trip every year for our anniversary and buy at least one piece of art while we are away. We celebrated out 3rd anniversary August 13, and our trip took us through 11 states adding about 5,000 miles on our car in about 3 weeks.
Our drive through Indiana took us to Dick Lehman's studio in Goshen. A few years ago I was inspired by Dick's sawdust fired pots with leaf images and decided to give it ago myself. I have had some wonderful results with the process, including one that has been published! Because his work has influenced mine, I had to stop by.
His gallery is filled with thousands of pieces made himself as well as others. There were many pieces that I wanted to bring home with me but our budget was limited. We found some wonderful pots to add to our growing collection, and both were great deals.
It was tough to choose between Dick's wood fired teabowls, but I settled on the one shown. It has the beautiful variation in tiny speckles that I love so much in pottery. I was so excited to find a piece of
his I loved that I could afford.
The second piece my husband and I purchased was a tall crystalline glaze vase. It was a collaboration between Dick and Bill Campbell. I've always loved crystalline pieces, again because of the incredible detail of variation you see up close, and each one is so unique to the next. Generally crystalline pieces are pretty pricey because of the extra work involved
with this unique style. Considering that, and the size and shape of the piece, it was too good of a deal to pass up for such a nice pot.
We quickly took it from the shelve and cradled it in our arms while we finished looking.Included in our bag with our purchases was a newsletter from the studio. It gave the sad news that the studio will be closing at the end of the year. Dick has lymphoma and it has progressed to the point where it will limit his ability to run the operation. The staff has been searching for answers on how the studio can continue to operate without Dick, but unfortunately no answer has come. The landlords of the space have been kind enough to lease the space through the end of the year, despite the lease being up in September.
Dick's staff is currently scrambling to find studio space of their own and they need all the support they can get. If you are in need of any pottery for yourself, or are in need of a wonderful gift to be cherished, please consider purchasing something from Dick and his staff. Information and a picture of the overflowing studio can be found here.
No comments :
Post a Comment