Beauty in A Blue-Green Bowl

After the freeze, the camellias harvested on Friday still hold their color. They spring in a lush cascade of color and form from a Shearwater bowl that I salvaged from post-Katrina experiments. Shearwater Pottery having lost its workshops and showroom to the hurricane, two rooms at the Mary C. Arts Center in town were temporarily housing the business while rebuilding was undergone. In one room, my cousin Jim and his son, Peter Wade, carried on with portable wheels etc. And in another, the results of their labor were sold by Jim's sister, Marjorie. As recipes for glazes had been washed away, much experimenting was being done.

As I searched for the perfect pot to hold my pre-freeze harvest, I came across one of Jimmy's experiments. Probably a one of kind... Possibly a mistake on its way to something else. I found it perfect, then. I still find it perfect. I have noticed that frequently what is perceived at first as a mistake is on its way to perfection.