Photo courtesy of Teagan Durkin.
Several weeks ago, at the annual Long’s Park Art Festival, nestled between a booth showcasing bubbling glass sculptures in a myriad of pastel smears, and another booth whose artist twisted found objects of wire into anamorphic monsters, one could discover Goldfinch Pottery, an eclectic assortment of handmade mugs, pie plates, garden pots, and morel mushrooms. Dipped in two main glazes, one a soft buttercup yellow and the other a crisp linen grey, the pottery was welcoming.
Warm.
Demure, even, if one wishes to revise the slowly fading but still beloved term.
One could easily imagine a piece of pottery tucked into their windowsill, perhaps holding some flowers. Or, if the pottery is destined for a dorm, living next to a half-dead plant and a cold cup of Blue Line – pardon, Diplomatic Cafe – coffee.
Goldfinch Pottery’s main artist and founder is Leah, who wishes to connect an increasingly modernized and automated world with the past, present, and future. Items range from lower-priced pieces, like $4.00 pinch pots soaked in glaze or a $13.00 morel mushroom, to higher-priced ones, such as an old-world country crock or a sculptural pumpkin. In particular, the morel mushrooms, which are alien appearing entities with pebbled heads and wonky roots, would be a charming addition to any succulent garden. Located in Lancaster County, with a completely online store and occasional pop-ups, this local pottery studio intends to create pieces with intention and integrity. Pieces that will last through generations.
As one looks at their crumbling CC sandwich container leaking with ambiguous sandwich juices, or the pile of plastic cups tumbling beneath a feral squirrel who occupies one of the many trash cans scattered across Hartman Green, one must truly consider the importance and brilliance of purposeful, lasting pieces.
Plus, pottery really tones down the sterile ambience of a college dorm.
Junior Teagan Durkin is the Opinions editor. Her email is tdurkin@fandm.edu.