In which we begin our modest pottery collection

This weekend we began our pottery collection at the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair. We now have potters as friends, and we love how their kitchen cabinets are filled with handmade bowls, cups, and dishes. We want to do the same. Over time, of course. We only bought a couple of things we would consider "fancy," aiming more for utilitarian than artistic this round.

A potter from Wilmington, NC had plastic bins full of little pots and bowls, and we purchased the above collection for a total of $12.50. (I can hear our potter friends wincing!) The blue bowl will be a cereal bowl, and the little green bowls we'll use for dips and candies. (I eat a little handful of M&Ms every day, and those green bowls will be perfect for them!)

This was our most artsy buy of the day. Wendi's been in the market for a new favorite drinking glass after hers broke, and rather than glass she went with clay. The picture doesn't do these justice. The color is a soft blue, with vertical streaks. And the cup is light as a feather. The little bowl, of course, is another candy dish for me. We loved this artist's work. Her larger bowls had scroll work of carved clouds around the tops and bottoms. Just gorgeous. We hoarded our modest pool of cash during the fair and made sure we had some to spend on her when we returned. And did we write down her name? Of course not, because we're brainless. She did tell us she'd be at the Weaverville Art Show in September, so perhaps we'll get down there to see her again. She did tell us her partner worked at the Energy Xchange down in Bandana, but she doesn't have a studio there. We'll find out who she is. Eventually.

Our final two purchases are good bowls for an even better cause. Both are bowls created by local potters (some of whom are high school students!) for a program called "Empty Bowls," which sells pottery to raise money to fight hunger. The bowls cost $20 each, 15 dollars of which goes toward the purchase of food for the needy.

Each bowl has a little Empty Bowl stamp, marking it as part of the project! Very cool.