THE POT IS THE MAN..

The pot is the man/sweater...

I think it was Bernard Leach who penned the idea of 'the pot is the man'..However, on Monday, a visit to our studio by Swellendam potters John Newdigate and Ian Garrett, revealed a case of the sweater echoes the pot, echoes the man..

John was wearing a sweater in the same colours as his ceramic pieces, lime greens and blues in various tones and shades. The sweater was knitted for him by Ian who spins the raw wool on a simple spinning wheel, dyes it(from his own plants - woad and indigo for blues, weld for yellows and greens) and then knits in between burnishing his own pit-fired pots. What a cherished activity to be carrying out in our age of fast, ready-made consummables! They live in the country which may to a certain extent account for such dedication and perseverance...