This stunning thing is a ceramic tray. John and our good friend Gary Hootman did a deal so John could get me this.
Gary is a world-renowned wood-fired ceramic artist. (The Japanese consulate has given his work as diplomatic gifts, for example.) I collect his tea bowls for the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
Gary recently rebuilt his wood kiln using a new design and fired it for the first time at the beginning of December. He got into the kiln for the first time on 13 December and prepared work for a private showing at his studio last weekend. I bought three new tea bowls (more about which later…) but I coveted this and didn’t buy it. John obviously made other arrangements.
It’s a large tray encrusted with coarsely crushed minerals (the white circle), glazed, incised in patterns, and imprinted with textures from small shells. This picture does not capture its stunning beauty. It showed up this morning. I am deeply honored to have it.

John’s good friend Kevin Bierman turned these gorgeous cherry bowls. Our friends David and Mary Taylor had a cherry tree felled earlier this year. John and his friend Grant recovered all the wood and had it sawn into planks for future use. John also reserved several burl-like pieces for turning.
Kevin’s a master turner. I knew that John asked Kevin to turn bowls as a thank-you gift for David and Mary. What I didn’t know is that John also asked Kevin to make these for me. As with so much beautiful wood, one can only appreciate in person their silken texture and deep, translucent finish.




Our decorations for Yule are just this simple: a wreath with four apples and a candle.





