By Barbara Falconer Newhall
Lots of wonderful stuff to see at the Berkeley Potters Guild the other day. The work of three potters in particular, each with a distinctive vision, caused me to pull out my trusty point-and-shoot and click away.
Itsuko Zenitani
Just for starters — Itsuko Zenitani’s two small ceramic bowls had a soothing Zen feel to them. They were very much in harmony with each other and the universe.
You could buy them separately, but the two played off each other so insouciantly that, at $30 and $28, you’d be smart to make off with both of them.
Zenitani’s production ware was on display as well, but those pieces were no match for her remarkable ceramic bowls.
Sarah Gregory
Next, a pair of hand-painted vases with an Asian feel caught my eye — blue on a white background.
The artist, Sarah Gregory was on hand and she pointed me to a display of her more recent and radically different vases and bowls with saturated yellows and reds, some stark and plain, others painted with a virtuoso hand. (A few were too fussy and flowery for my taste.)
Dahli Tutman
I almost missed a tall vase by Dahli Tutman, it was as quirky and spontaneous as Gregory’s work was clean and refined. And on the next shelf down, two more charming vases, this time blue, from Tutman.
It was a feast for the eyes. My wallet, unlike my camera, stayed put in my purse the whole time. But now, as I look over these photos, I’m thinking maybe I should have grabbed for the credit cards instead of the point-and-shoot.
Note to readers: I do my best to accurately record the prices on the objects I photograph, but I’m a one-woman show here, and I can make mistakes. Check prices with the potter or the Potters Guild . . . And just so you know, I love to post photos of my shopping adventures, but (with the exception of review copies of books) I do not accept gifts or commissions from the subjects of my posts.
If you enjoyed this post you might also like “The Down Side of Things Beautiful” and “Ceramics Envy at the Berkeley Art Center.”
I absolutely LOVE Gregory’s nasturtium vase. Oh, how I wish I could purchase it, a bit out of my price range!!
Being single with 4 dogs and 2 rescue horses (22 years old ) my budget is tight.
Happy to be a part of your ‘e-mail friends.
If I had that vase and 4 dogs, I’d probably invest in some museum was to glue the thing down — in case of doggie rowdiness in the house