Deep in the Mendocino County woods, Cliff Glover creates beauty for the table.
Ceramicist Cliff Glover in his studio
Three hours north of San Francisco, in Albion, a dirt and gravel road laces through a redwood forest and enters a small clearing marked by a Buddha statue. A few hundred feet away, ceramicist Cliff Glover (cliffgloverpottery.com) lives and works in a modest home and studio.
Last summer, I encountered Glover’s work while dining at the Harbor House Inn (theharborhouseinn.com). The inn’s chef, Matthew Kammerer, loves Glover’s work and uses it for tableware at his two-Michelin-starred restaurant. “The beauty of Cliff’s work is what drew me in, but the more I learn about his process, the more I realize it parallels our ethos here,” says Kammerer. “You should go out to the woods and meet the guy. He’s kind of amazing.”
The artisan’s beautiful pieces, which are used at the nearby Harbor House Inn, showcase the art of wabi-sabi.
And so I do. Glover greets me and asks if I would like to sit for tea, leading me to a small patio with an umbrella and chairs. Instinctively, I ask him questions about his work, but he turns the tables and asks me about my work and family. This isn’t an interview; it’s a conversation about life and tea. I learn that Glover studied the Japanese tea ceremony, chanoyu, with Dr. Shozo Sato, the Lebron James of tea. Sato received the Order of the Sacred Treasure from the Emperor of Japan in recognition of his contributions to teaching Japanese traditions.
We later wander into Glover’s studio and check out his old kiln, looming like a dragon in the woods. “My work is influenced by wabi-sabi,” he says, referring to the Japanese philosophy that cherishes the beauty of imperfection, impermanence and simplicity. “I want my pieces to have meaning.”
While Glover’s bowls, plates and cups are functional, there’s timeless allure in each element. They could have been crafted 10 minutes or 100 years ago. Up here, where the sky, wildflower-laced fields and sea merge into one, owning Glover’s work is like holding time in your hands. Gallery hours, by appointment, Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 707.684.6634, [email protected]
Photography by: MICHAEL MCCARTHY
