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Back while working in Cleveland there was a rather rich environment of people actively working within the majolica idiom, at CSU Dick Schneider made quite a few pots in that style as did Bill Brouillard at the CIA followed along by their students. Having worked in proximity to both and then with Linda Arbuckle it just became natural to add majolica to the styles that I worked in and it worked well with my terra cotta clay body. Over the years though I have found myself making less and less of tin glazed pottery with only the occasional use of majolica as much to keep up with the technology and experience as anything else.

The illustrated medium plate was part of a small group set aside and majolica glazed and decorated; four plates, four bowls and several teabowls that I fired at the bottom of a terra cotta firing. All in all the plates and bowls came out okay but the designs that I used on most of the teabowls just didn't work out all that well which explains why I used a rather tried and true grasses and abstrakt background decoration on the other pieces. Decorating and firing these pieces was a real clear reminder that I enjoy this process but in an effort to keep up with what decoration works well with what forms I will need to practice this more than once or twice a year moving forward.

"Everyone should do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice."  William James