Sunday, January 29, 2012

Haystack

It’s been a lot of years since I spent those wonderful days at Ray Grimm’s kiln building workshop at Haystack.

I was a neophyte to pottery, and had newly injured one arm besides. Ray was more direct than any instructor I’d had, yet he was kind, even to the few beginners. My husband and children came down and watched on the periphery as we baked newly caught Alaskan salmon on the first completed kiln and laboriously built and tried out all the other kilns. My favorite was the Indian smoking mound on the beach, and I still smile when I notice the
pebble-shined blackened pottery we fired that day and replay a strong sense-memory of the heat on my face as we moved the pottery and the fire closer to each other. I met wonderful potters there who became friends, and couldn’t wait every morning to get back to kiln/clay instruction. All these years later, though I don’t remember all his words, I still feel the camaraderie of that time, and the admiration I felt for the Master. I will always be grateful for having had at least one experience learning directly from Ray Grimm.

- Maria Jakub

1 comment:

  1. Maria, thanks so much for that story, I was quite young but remember loving our time at the beach, it is so very special and delightful to hear stories from Dad's work...Thanks

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