Nesting Sugar and Creamer c. 20th century

Anne Elliot made this Nesting Sugar and Creamer from clay, likely sometime in the last 30 years. It’s glazed in simple, earthy tones. I find myself focusing on that pale, greenish-grey wash – it reminds me of the quiet colours you find in nature, like a misty morning, or stones in a riverbed. The process seems very present. Looking closer, you can see how the glaze pools and drips in certain spots, revealing a darker ochre. I wonder how Elliot decided where to let the glaze run free? Was it planned, or did she embrace the unpredictable nature of the firing process? It's this combination of control and chance that I find so compelling. It makes me think about Philip Guston who similarly allowed the paint to drip and congeal in unpredictable ways. These little pots seem simple, but they hold within them a whole world of decisions, experiments, and happy accidents. They remind us that art, like life, is an ongoing conversation, full of possibilities and open to interpretation.