Sometimes a piece consumes me a little – like this one.
It seemed I had stumbled on a good reminder for me – and maybe others – at yoga a few weeks back. I had worked on getting the shape just the right amount round, just the right amount not exactly round. I had measured out where words and details went inside the piece. I had spent quite a while determining how I would finish it (glaze choices are always one of my most difficult decisions). And then, after the final firing, a small crack through one side of the dish appeared!
So, I thought about tossing it for a bit but that didn’t seem right. Then I remembered reading about Kintsugi, which is a process for repairing pottery that highlights the joinings with gold, silver or platinum. Since I couldn’t part with the piece just yet, I decided to try it. And, I’m so very happy I did. I don’t know that I’ll go breaking work on purpose to do it again (maybe), but I do think it adds to the character of this piece. It’s perfectly imperfect or imperfectly perfect . . . or both.
LePennyJ 