...a madness for minis...Torquay Pottery

 ...this blog post is adapted from a piece I just prepared for "The Collector" ...the members' magazine of the North American Torquay Society.  

 

I am hoping by sharing it here on this blog, I may generate more interest in the Society and our beloved Torquay Pottery... 

(click these links read more about the North American Torquay Society -- NATS and the British Society's info pages on Torquay Pottery)

Anything that can be held in the palm of the hand has a certain playful, toy-like charm. My madness for small things and minis began a long time ago. 

I was the little girl that lovingly decorated the dollhouse made for me by my Dad (Jim Graney fellow Torquay lover and NATS member), dreaming that one day, I would have my own home to decorate. I loved tiny things…and still do.
 

Look above at the image of a display within a display filling a tiny doll house sized hutch within another hutch…these are all less than 1” in height. 

(Look at the large dresser tray peeking out from behind the display for scale)

But most of my minis are the size of these below....

none of these items is more than 2.5" tall...

 The mottos on the minis are those short and sweet adages that speak with such common observation. With little space on the surface to decorate, the quips and mottoes are direct and often the ones cited most within our vernacular.

Here are a few on a shelf that Sue Parker gave me...

 and some more in a tiny cupboard...I love that I can fit them in here and there!

Conversely, I love the HUGE grand LARGE pieces of my collection, but as the shelves fill — even as I move and play and re-do arrangements in cabinets — I can never say there is not room for one more mini. Indeed I have had a tough time passing up any I have had the chance to buy. They are a wonderful, tuck-in size and I love them for being small, affordable and utterly adorable!

What’s also fun is that they get me to look at patterns and shapes I would not otherwise pursue.  You can see among these photos a variety of patterns not elsewhere in my collection…the cockerels, cottages and even tiny toby jugs and the only commemorative pieces I have in my collection.

As a toy collector as well, they seem to blend in well with my other displays.  The tea sets make great companions to Jody Battaglia's folk art monkeys sitting in a child’s hutch in the guest room.

And I owe a big thanks to my great gal pals, Kathy Nuttall and Kathy Collins, for the find of my new wall hanging “mini shelf”. 

We found it in a booth at Brimfield and it wasn’t until I got it home that I realized how perfect it was to host them all. I am grateful that they encouraged me to buy it and lug it through the fields back to the truck.

 Well worth it! I had had the minis among some different cabinets before, 

and now have my faves in one place... 

You can learn more about Torquay Pottery at the upcoming NATS CHATS at the Country Living Fair... see the BLOG post of 10/9 for full details...

...xxoo Jen...

...hello Monday hello things from Devon...

Hello Monday...

It's a good time to share a peek at what's been going on here...

It's time to greet the week with a hope of sharing a bit about a recent jaunt 

I was fortunate to make to the annual convention of NATS!

If these images of British ceramic art at a recent sales mall mean nothing to you, I won't be offended if you skip this post...

 

You see, some of the circles I travel in are not always concentric to family, 

or kids, or my business. But for many years....

28 to be exact...I have collected Torquay pottery...

 I love the stuff...don't know what it is???

That's ok...hello to learning something new...

This included here as excerpted from http://torquaypottery.co.uk/

‘Torquay Pottery’ has become the generic term covering the numerous potteries that made Art Pottery and later souvenir/household pottery, from around 1860 until the late 20th century, mainly using local sources of red Devon clay. These potteries were based within about 5 miles of Torquay, in Devon, but also include a few other West Country potteries which copied the Torquay style. They were usually established by craftsmen who had learnt or practised their skills in Torquay.

That said hello to all the wonderful pottery friends I have collected over the years...the friends trump the pottery any day...

 Hello Sharon...thanks for the Open House...hi Kathy!

Hello Bob...adored your talk on North Devon pots...

even better to finally meet you!

Hello Chris...you know those wonderful mottoes about treasuring the moment...well attach one of them mentally to this picture!

Hello Barb...all the way from Toronto...
loved hearing about your Egyptian pieces and your family's musical nature...

Hello Allison and Judy!  Could have talked to you two all day long...LOVE that HOTCAKES necklace Allison! We seem to have more than pots in common and Judy, I sure hope I can make it to Arkansas next year...

Hello Lyn & Kathy...you know how much I adore simply being with you two! 
And Lyn, what are friends for??? You even got me to eat Buffalo!!

Hello again Kathy and Judy!

Hello Allison...sure hope you can make the 

Nashville Country Living Fair this coming April!

Hello June & John...always a treat to chat with you...

Hello Brenda and Ian...

you two get the long-distance award traveling all the way from England!

 thanks for making the effort to share such amazing pots in the SALES ROOM!!!

Hello new week and old friends. Hello Jer & Di, hello Terry.

Hello Shelby & Charlotte...you were missed...so sorry plans went sideways...

Hello to pretty things, and treasuring them over the years.

Hello to playing catch up...there is so much to do around here, 
if I think about it, I am gonna lose it!

Hello to making time to share an hour, an afternoon, a day with a friend...you can learn so much from them.

Hello NATS ... Hello TPCS ... 

Are you in American and interested in collecting...click here 

In Britain... click here 

(be like me and consider joining both!)

Hello DEVON!!!  I miss you...what a great part of the planet you are...

Hello to all of you and have a super week...how about some hellos...

leave a comment...

xxoo Jen

PS   See you soon Kathy! CANNOT WAIT!

Hello Monday and hello Torquay and Friends and Pots and more...

Hello Monday, my name is Jen and I am a collector. 

Through and through, since I was a little girl I have loved pretty, hand made things and many a love affair, adventure and pursuit have come my way with my special treasures and things.

You really are a collector, or not. You are born that way...

Among my oldest and most treasured collections is Torquay (said Tor-key) Pottery....as ceramic folk art, it has had my heart for many, many years, and the story of how the potteries were started in Devon as rural economic redevelopment effort during the industrial revolution speaks to my interests as an urban planner...

I got my first piece when I was 17 on a trip to England with my parents...

It was this lovely lustrous pot with a deep blue glaze and had -- 

in a folksy, sgraffito writing this quote:

"Life is mostly froth and bubbles,

Two things stand like stone.

Kindness in another's troubles,

courage in your own."

Can you see how this spoke to me as a teen...

well, I fell in love and then as I learned more about this type of pottery 

and how and where it was made, I fell deeper...I needed to know more, needed to learn about the various patterns and potteries....

Without getting to much into that now (we'll save some for a later date), I am just happy to share how an appreciation for British Ceramic Art has brought these wonderful folks into my world.

 I had a wonderful visit from Kathy Collins and Brenda & Ian Kimber...

what a great morning we had...

Hello friends!

The North American Torquay Society (NATS) is the US enthusiasts club and organization....the folks are great fun and I am hoping to steal away to TN in late September to join them for their annual convention, but we'll have to see what time allows....

You can visit the NATS site for more info on domestic events and such...

The British Society -- of which I am also a member is TPCS...their site has a wealth of info on the history of the potteries...

I will be blogging more about the history of this fabulous ceramic art...I have a photo shoot scheduled at Kathy's house for this week and I am hoping to share more image of her collections here and via some of the mags you read.

I adore and respect these lovely ladies and

 I am grateful to know them and share a passion...

 

Hello Monday and HELLO Shelby and Charlotte!!!

Hello to friends near and far, it's wonderful to find something in common with folks out there...

Hello to getting on the road, heading to Boston soon.

Hello dusting, ummm you see this cabinet, yeah, well it needs it!

Hello to the summer, it's looming large and the list of summer projects is looming larger!!!

Hello to my dear friend Anne....this wonderful Aussie is coming in soon...she loves Warwick! 

xxoo and hello Monday and a good week to you all

Jen