The following items are those that were in the China cupboard.
There were a couple of others in the main dish cabinet that I didn’t get photos of.
Jamie L. Manser
The following items are those that were in the China cupboard.
There were a couple of others in the main dish cabinet that I didn’t get photos of.
I checked the St. John’s Pottery website Aug. 12, 2026. Under “Pottery”, you can see pictures of many pieces by Richard, a good many no longer available, giving names of the patterns. Worth checking that out.
A couple of the small, slightly rougher drinking cups were souvenirs of a kiln firing, which takes place usually in the fall, when the kiln is completely full of pieces to be fired. The Johanna Kiln is enormous, fills most of a large building, three stories high. It’s fired by a huge supply of oak logs brought in by volunteers, all sourced sustainably from a woodlot deeded to the pottery years ago. Guests are invited to take a cup from a large supply table, and fill it with wine, which is also provided. Richard, in traditional Japanese potter garb, climbs all over the outer structure of the kiln, sprinkling it with salt and sake. Eventually he is handed a lit torch, with which he kindles the mass of logs inside. He lifts his sake in a toast, and we join him.
The ceremonial firing is followed by a communal feast, for volunteers and other guests. We attended one of those. Found ourselves sitting near a woman from Little Falls, who had been a volunteer. She and her husband had been living simply on a small farmstead. (They were back-to-the-landers, like us.) Her husband had died suddenly. She had come to Richard, asking what he would charge for a funeral urn. He said, Japanese tradition said there should never be a charge for a funeral urn, and he would be glad to make one for her. “The least I could do was volunteer to help fire,” she said.
The firing goes on day and night for several days. I note from the website that the most recent firing was in 2024.