I just stumbled upon this place and see that I could easily be hooked. I'm an occasional underachieving potter (with skills), but a full time ceramics aficionado. I drink more coffee and beer than tea (it's what we do here in Portland) but I do drink tea occasionally (unless you count herbal tea which I drink every night).
I started drinking Turkish black tea in art school as it's what my mother made at home. It is some of the best black tea in the world and not commonly found in the states unfortunately. I'm also a big fan of Jasmine and brown rice tea, and have developed a taste for matcha (I need to justify buying tea ceremony bowls right)?
In college (Mass. College of Art) I fell in love with Momoyama period pots such as Karatsu, Oribe, and of course Shino. Hamada was a huge influence on the way I trimmed pots as well as some of the form language. I also love Song Dynasty pots as they embody some of the best form language ever expressed in clay (to my brain). I was lucky to have seen some wonderful pots in Boston at the MFA, and Sackler and Shimaoka's work at the Pucker Gallery.
Anyway... when I'm not being a pottery nerd I race bikes (cyclocross) and cook, and eat and paint watercolors (I was an illustration major) and raise three egg laying hens
I look forward to making some friends here, and getting to know you all.John
