"PITTI SING" from "THE MIKADO" series of dessert plates
I thought it would be interesting to create a series of hors d'oeuvre plates decorated asymmetrically with the characters and related decorative elements taken from Gilbert and Sullivan's "THE MIKADO"
6" by 6" Adaptor Aesthetic Trellis Tile
Many of my first designs were created for application to a 4"by 4" or 4 1/4" by 4 1/4" tile. Above a certain sized area, the resulting appearance became very busy even using the corresponding blanks. To increase the scale and to calm the "mouvement", I created this simple trellis grid to e applied to a 6" by 6" tile. Used alone, the effect becomes more open and delicate. (When used in this manner, the darker guideline square is removed, thus revealing only the bamboo "trel
Aesthetic Movement inspired scene
One of the very first "antiques' I ever purchased was this English tureen transfer decorated in the Aesthetic Movement style. To a child of the late 1950's and early 60's, surrounded by the "modern" and "contemporary" designs of the day with the emphasis on elimination of detail and decoration, the fanciful images of juxtaposed patterns, fine detail, and mixed abstractions and realism impressed themselves upon me. Now, nearly half a century later, I still admire the aesthet
A "bain de Marie"
According to "LAROUSSE GASTRONOMIQUE" the term "BAIN MARIE" was originally a term used in alchemy which eventually evolved to refer to a water bath for keeping cooked foods warm without allowing them to cook further. "IN THE CLASSIC CATERING KITCHEN A CYLINDRICAL BAIN MARIE (WITH A HANDLE AND A LID) IS USED TO HOLD SOUPS, SAUCES, AND CREAMS. THIS IS PLACED IN A SHALLOW RECTANGULAR BAIN MARIE DISH, CONTAINING WARM WATER, WHICH MAY BE LARGE ENOUGH TO HOLD UP TO TEN SUCH CONTAI
David B. Kelly Design: "TREE PEONY"
THE TREE PEONY PATTERN FIRED ON A HALL CHINA OVAL SERVING PLATTER I am satisfied with the balance of the large scale image of the blossom and the serenity induced by the unadorned area.
Everyday Earthenware
Should the plates and bowls that one uses every day for meals somehow be considered as unimportant-something prosaic, something that might even be disposable? Meals themselves sometimes are judged to be a necessary nuisance. "Let's just order a pizza!" Hectic lives, conflicting schedules, and diminishing amounts of time to be spent for meal consumption, let alone preparation, mitigate against qualitative shared experiences. It was my observation of a friend's family's habit
