When asked what my favorite ceramic color was, without a moment’s hesitation I declared blue. Now as I sit in my studio trying to write about this, I look around and at first glance see absolutely no blue. Well, not quite no blue - but I see green, yellow, rust, a lot of red and orange, white, gray, and black. So why do I say with great certainty that blue is my favorite color?
I think it is because of the universal historic importance of cobalt and blue in the development of glazed ceramic decoration. As soon as I pick up a brush and paint with some form of cobalt on a piece, I am putting it into the context of ceramic history, from China to Persia to Holland, Portugal and Italy. As certainly as by making a vase the central element of my pieces, I am connecting them to all the vases or images of vases that have ever been made.