Well, there are tributes to Malcolm Davis all over the internet, and since we all have our memories, we wanted to share. So here I go…
I attended classes at the Art School at Old Church, in Demarest, NJ for 7 years, and during that time was privileged to be able to volunteer at their annual pottery show, curated by Karen Karnes. Those shows, the outstanding work I saw every year, and the wonderful, generous potters I met every year changed my life.
Malcolm Davis was always approachable, easy to talk to, and even a friend, to a star-struck pottery student. I took a few workshops, and then joined him at his first workshop at La Meridiana, in Tuscany. It was a wonderful experience. I had never been to Italy before, and who better to share the food, the wine, the beauty of the scenery, and pottery making, than Malcolm Davis! It was a magical experience. I know everyone who was in that workshop has some great memories. It was a little rough around the edges, but truly exhilarating.
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Malcolm petting the beef before dinner - Poggio Allora |
Malcolm was describing to me the strange reaction he got when he sent them his material list, including a few toilet brushes for the glaze mixing. I think his explanation strained everyone’s translation abilities. So he asked me to take a photo with them…voila!
I later sent the photo to Malcolm, and a few months’ later it appeared in my new deck of Studio Potter Collector Cards! I was so proud.
Malcolm was a great friend. I still feel overwhelmed that he would take time to gossip with me, exchange recipes, make plans. He really was a Dr. Seuss-like character (not my original observation, but totally true). Malcolm Davis was a great man, and I consider myself really lucky to have known him.
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| Malcolm and Ellen, Itsuko behind camera! |
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