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Those colorfully brilliant blooms, atop, are tenderly cared
for by the potter Frances Palmer at her Weston, CT home, and often provide
inspiration for her sensual, organic ceramics which are now attracting a wider
following thanks to new production techniques. Palmer’s monochromatic
assortments – under the moniker Pearl Collection – launched two years ago after
two decades of pricey, time-intensive, one-of-a-kind ceramics that garnered a
zealous cadre of fans. Now that she works with Niagara China – the upstate New
York foodservice producer – Palmer’s organic, asymmetrical tabletop is
cultivating more than just cult fandom. “I wanted a broader audience,” the
soft-spoken Palmer begins, “and the handmade dinnerware wasn’t practical for
everyday use.”
But that’s all changed.
With Palmer’s ceramics the shape is the thing. “I try to design something new
every day,” she says, particularly as this virtually new enterprise gets off the
ground. Palmer’s decades perfecting her craft have paid off; the Frances Palmer
Pearl Collection has quickly curried favor among retailers across the country.
“It’s my goal to have all of the great specialty stores carrying our product,”
Palmer says. “That means a lot of volume and we can handle it.”
To hear the erstwhile studio potter confidently carry off servicing a growing
roster of accounts is as much a shock to Palmer as anyone. “I continue to be
surprised by the way my business changes,” the modest artist allows. And change
it has, from the moment she serendipitously discovered a love of ceramics almost
a quarter-century ago thanks to a postpartum case of the blahs. (More on that
later.)
Always artistically inclined – Palmer fondly recalls traipsing through museums
absorbed in the history behind the artwork – the New Jersey native was
preoccupied with sewing, drawing, and printmaking. Programs at Georgetown,
Barnard, and Columbia motivated an already extremely disciplined artist. “I
developed an appreciation of how every culture and every period has its own
contribution to art,” Palmer tutors. “I became good at researching styles and
understanding why political periods produce particular artists.”
One of Palmer’s first jobs was at the nascent P.S. 1, a New York-based institute
known for its cutting edge experimental approach to art, a veritable melting pot
of alternative artists and a welcome cauldron for the wide-eyed Palmer. “It was
a great experience being in touch with what was happening in the New York art
world 30 years ago,” Palmer notes. “That time still informs my work.”
When the young artist moved to Connecticut to begin married life, ennui set in
after the birth of her daughter 22 years ago. “I didn’t know what to do with
myself,” Palmer acknowledges. “I was happy to be a mom and stay home but I
wasn’t prepared to do nothing that fulfilled me.” Husband Wally – president of a
design and licensing firm – suggested his wife pursue an artistic path. Palmer
was a great fan of the Bloomsbury Group, the well-known English collective of
friends whose work at the turn of the last century was influenced by the
progressive themes of the day. “I loved the idea of making the things you live
with,” she says. “Gardening, painting, clothing, ceramics, doing it all
yourself.” Fiddling with ceramics especially intrigued Palmer so she enrolled in
a throwing class. It was love at first touch. “What a great beginning,” Palmer
enthuses.
continued . . . .
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