*Pottery
Collection of Pottery Pitchers
Pottery
Day 10 — February 19
A high school friend of mine, John Lee, invited me to his pottery studio and explained that the pots he was firing in his kiln would last thousands of years. I was writing a feature story about him as a correspondent for the Longmont Daily Times-Call just after high school.
Elizabeth loved history, and imagining what life was like at different times and in different places fascinated her. I traveled back in time as I observed John throw a lump of clay onto the spinning wheel and then mold it and shape it, each movement of his hands transferring his imagination and energy to the clay, putting pressure into the center of the clay spinning on the wheel, causing the edges of the pot to rise—as if alive.
John gave me the large pot he was creating the day I interviewed him and I’ve treasured it now for 40 years, although I’ve lost track of him. That was pottery item #1 in my collection that has grown through the years, especially as Elizabeth joined me in appreciating the rustic beauty of pottery. She began collecting pottery pitchers because of their particular grace and functionality.
Twice a year—in the days before the pandemic—the Colorado Potters Guild sponsored a pottery exhibit and sale at First Plymouth United Church of Christ at the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Hampden, just a couple miles away. Elizabeth looked forward to that event in the spring and in the fall, and we invariably adopted a few more pieces in support of the artists whose passion is creating something artful and amazing—out of a lifeless lump of clay.
Day 10: the art of love and loss
view all posts at kentmueller.com
February 10, 2020, was the day my wife, Elizabeth Izant, entered the hospital. She and I were on a hopeful journey following her heart transplant five months prior. On March 1, she entered hospice and died March 11. This series is not about her medical journey. This is about sharing stories and reflections about our life together. In our 29 years of marriage, we collected a piece of art or two each year, often in celebration of our marriage anniversary. Each day from February 10 to March 11, I will be sharing an image of that art. And a story.