My Pottery

If you had dinner over at my house, I'd be sure and take out all my favorite pottery to serve you. I've been collecting it for years, but my love affair with pottery was sparked way before that. You see, when I was little, I lived next to a house with an apartment up top. For a while, a very groovy chick named Paula Towry lived there. I'm using her whole name, so maybe she'll google herself someday and find me here. Hi Paula! Anyway, she was an artist, a potter, a teacher. She lived in Lebanon as a child when her father was in the service and she taught us how to make the best hummus, which she did not pronounce, "hum-us" but rather a bit like she was clearing her throat. She had a West Highland terrier named Toby, she was a belly dancer and had bright red hair. She dressed in groovy, bohemian clothes, she talked a lot with melody and laughter. Paula probably influenced my bohemian side more than I've realized. She was very cool, very free, very unique. The last time I saw her was at my sister's wedding. She danced all night.


She gave my best friend and me art lessons after school on a table in her back yard. I carved a goat and I painted a slice of strawberry shortcake better than I had any idea that I ever could. She made a silver ring for my 13th birthday shaped sort of like lips. She told me it was fallen leaves, while exchanging knowing glances with my mother. Mom bought and was given a lot of Paula's pottery. She's since given me some of it. It really is the most beautifully thrown and glazed pottery I've ever seen. Paula moved, but we never forgot the very wonderful, colorful gifts she left us, both her pottery itself and her special personality and style.


I have many pieces of Paula's pottery, some plain utilitarian stuff, some especially beautiful like the first two pictures below. I use it all. The rest of my pottery was bought here and there. I have too many pieces to include in a post, but these are my favorite or most unique pieces.




In this one, I keep some oil next to the stove.....

The potter who created this (and two others like it) had it on his "seconds" table for $6! It's, like, my favorite bowl I use all the time!

When we get our new kitchen, I will hang these on the wall.

This teapot's handle was broken by me in a temper tantrum, so now it just collects change I find on my walks.

This is one of three coasters I have....

I have a tiny piece for my tiny jewelry...

and large bowls for things like my heart rock collection, which I gathered on a trip out west.

A good friend of mine is taking up the hobby of making pottery. I've considered it myself, but settled on just collecting it. Hopefully she will add to my collection! Do you ever have the feeling that in order to know you better, one must know certain things about you? That's how I feel about my pottery collection. And now you know. What should I know about you?