Merry Meandering …

There are a number of craft routes around the country, and claiming to be the oldest of them is the Midlands Meander – now in its twenty sixth year. I have not given enough coverage to the Meander in my ramblings to date, something I’ll put to rights starting from today. To my mind too many establishments on the route  are accommodation and hospitality providers, diluting somewhat the focus on the artists and craftsfolk who were its foundation. True, these do provide the necessary sustenance and accommodation for long-distance visitors, but it is mainly the creative concerns that I’ll be visiting. Fittingly I have chosen an image of ceramics for today – taken at Hillfold Pottery – the studio of Lindsay Scott – fittingly, as one of the founders of the Meander was ceramicist David Walters, now resident in Franschoek, in the Western Cape. I have never tried throwing a pot (in the craft sense at least), and hope one day to rectify that omission. I admire the skill of the potter in that ability to shape a soggy lump of clay into a durable utile object and the distinctive beauty of the glazed decorative finishes many achieve is a bonus. Years ago I attended an exhibition of the work of Ian Glenny in Durban and I will get to his studio in the Dargle Valley soon. Sadly Ian is no longer producing due to declining health.

Of the shots I took at Hillfold I like the structure and order of the display shown here, somewhat at odds with the general surrounds of what I imagine is the typical chaos of a working potter’s studio.