"the guild of chimney sweepers...and potters"

Eva Zeisel lived to 105 and was a huge presence in worldwide ceramics and design (our tea kettle on the stove top  was designed by her).  She had a nice way of designing  something useful, sleek, affordable.  A studio potter like me (a studio potter is basically a person who does the whole pottery thing start to finish, as in, wad of clay formed into pot then decorated and glazed and fired in one studio usually by one person--a complete artist and craftsman) would normally SNIFF with contempt (studio potters really do!) at Karim Rashid or others who are called "ceramists" or something when actually, to a studio potter, those people seem to be INDUSTRIAL DESIGENERS.  Meaning, they draw an item or make one item and have a factory do the rest.  THAT IS NOT A STUDIO POTTER, they are designers.  Potters get dirty and generally live in poverty and drink beer.  Designers make millions, drink chardonnay and drive BMWs.  Like I say, potters despise so called "ceramists".

Eva Zeisel is the exception.  She became an industrial designer, a very good one.  But first, when she was young, she lived in Budapest where she was an apprentice potter and a member of (this SO totally cracks me up)
(I was thinking about this the other day because I am a volunteer cleaner of our Quaker Meetinghouse, and we call  ourselves the "Third Street Sweepers")

"the guild of chimney sweepers, oven makers, roof tilers, well diggers and potters"



(mugs by Gary Rith)