Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1525828
Pottering About: Frances Palmer at home in Connecticut By Pam Sommers. Photography Frances Palmer. F rances Palmer is the doyenne of a self-made mini-empire dedicated to the complementary arts of pottery making, garden stewardship, and photography, all three of which are on ravishing display in her best- selling 2020 book, Frances Palmer: Life in the Studio (Artisan). I was lucky enough to visit Palmer in her hard-working Connecticut Eden in June, and though my visit was after peak peony season and before the blooming of her justly famed dahlias, a tour of her gardens — two ample plots, separated by rows of lovely fruit trees — was nevertheless the embodiment of fragrant abundance with dozens of rose varieties, irises, and lilies, along with an enclave of humming beehives in a shady corner. After our walk around the grounds, we retired to the cool respite of her … well, pottery barn — an airy two-story workspace dedicated to the making of her different ceramics on the ground level, with an informal showroom one flight up where hundreds of her creations are displayed on huge rustic tables organized by the four main families of pottery Palmer works in: the white glazed earthenware she is perhaps best-known for, which contrasts wildly original silhouettes with a charmingly wonky handcrafted vibe; elegantly translucent high-fire porcelain; earthier woodfired pieces with their always surprising ash glazes; and the elemental red-clay terracotta pieces most evocative of the ancient urns and vessels that are but one source of Palmer's inspiration. Another long wooden table is kept scrubbed and bare for guests invited to share simple, honest lunches that Palmer spirits across the yard from the main house's kitchen and presents, of course, in serving pieces of her own creation. The table, set with the Cirrus collection creamware she designs for the English company 1882 Ltd., is punctuated by tiny arrangements of just plucked flowers from the garden. (When asked if her house is also always filled with fresh arrangements, Frances Palmer's Louvre Pedestal Bowl 80