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It certainly has been busy over here. The kiln has been fired and cooled and after one more day of cooling we'll take down the door. This past weekend Mark took me, Joseph, and Julie Jones to Washington DC to visit the archives underneath both the Freer and the Sackler galleries. In large glass cases you can pick out out pots from very early neolithic earthenware all the way up to the 19th century. The collection encompasses everything considered Asian, which includes Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Korea and the Islamic World which at times inlcuded places as far west as Spain. It is hard to describe how fantastic and experience it is to have access to those pots which have informed so much of cermic history as well as being personal influences to me and many others. The best thing about this is that anyone can go up there, call ahead, and schedule and appointment. Its your tax dollars at work...use them.

Here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.

16th century Turkish plate from Iznik

Persian Lustreware bowlAlex with large a large Hamada bowlChinese canteens, probably Ming Dynasty
Detail of 21st century woodfired salt glazed pitcher....