Monday’s Muse: Edith Heath

It’s the earthy tones, the pairing of colours, and the simplicity of something so durable, honest, and hand-made that makes Edith Heath’s ceramic works so distinctively charming. The heart of Edith’s ceramics beats from a place of necessity and responsibility. During the years of the American Great Depression and the following years of World War II, returning […]

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It’s the earthy tones, the pairing of colours, and the simplicity of something so durable, honest, and hand-made that makes Edith Heath’s ceramic works so distinctively charming.

The heart of Edith’s ceramics beats from a place of necessity and responsibility. During the years of the American Great Depression and the following years of World War II, returning soldiers and new families created an excessive need for home-ware products and materials. California became the mecca of D.I.Y, home-made goods, crafts and objects.

After a trip to New Mexico, a place where Edith first saw Native American pottery – a big influence in her work – Edith asked her husband to build her a pottery wheel. In 1948, after a sold-out, one-woman exhibition, Edith founded Heath Ceramics. Known and loved for its mid-century modern ceramic tableware and architectural tiles – all of which are still made according to the artisanal traditions of Edith’s practice. Heath Ceramics still operates today in Sausalito, of the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Monday’s Muse is dedicated to celebrating the local, the functional, and the hand-made.

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