I truly believe ceramics can touch people’s lives in more ways than just the simple daily use of the vessel itself.  In October of 2017, the deadly wildfires of Northern California swept through Sonoma County.  A friend and co-worker, Westin Miller and his wife Amy, tragically lost their home.

October 2017 Wildfire

When they returned to sift through the remains, literally the only thing they found were a set of coffee cups I had made for them and one butter knife, everything else was completely destroyed.  Somehow, the cups fell from an upper shelf in the kitchen and didn’t break.  The heat of the fire certainly changed the appearance of the cups but for the most part, they were left intact.

Recovered from the fire

I’m happy to report that Wes & Amy are now rebuilding and will soon be in their new home, along with the set of cups.