I was attracted to the article in Ceramics Art and Perception on Janet Mansfield (issue 92) primarily because I admire her contribution to contemporary ceramics. She has been so very dedicated to the spread and growing acceptance of ceramic art as a respected medium. Her legacy as a writer and editor and publisher, including the launch of this very magazine in 1990, is one that will be felt for generations.
This article had little to do with these achievements however, it was a conversation about her favorite pot. It seems amazing to me that she could choose one, having made so many, but according to the article, she chose without hesitation. In her discussion of why she loved it so, she discusses the form, the handles, the salt accumulation and the ash, all to be expected from someone who helped the world understand what good pots are, but she went on to note its imperfections, and to include these in the reasons that it was her favorite. She said it’s like people, everyone has a flaw.
It is this accumulated wisdom that I carried away from the read. Her life was spent in clay, and it was her passion. Through making objects she seems to have made herself, and her view of the world. A simple wish to be useful, that carried itself into so many lives and influenced so many others. In the photos she cradles the pot like a beloved pet or a happy baby, it reminds me of the simple pleasure in making objects and the wonders that a life making has to offer.
http://www.janetmansfield.com