Riches and Muck

Holding Hands
Originally uploaded by notionnanny.

In her East Putney studio, Prue Cooper showed me lots of examples of her work and we discussed the use of slogans in the history of slipware. Sometimes these are meant to commemorate a special occasion, but most often the expressions you might find are about friendship and togetherness, ostensibly because the plate is used at gatherings to serve food. This idea, interpreted politically, has lead Prue to write statements with a social bent, as in the example described in the previous post. Another slogan she has used is "Riches and muck are best spread around."

Perhaps not surprisingly, the pieces she makes with this kind of message are not big sellers at the craft fairs. More popular are pieces with this signature motif of holding hands. And since she needs to make a living from her work, the more radical messages end up tucked away in cardboard boxes between sheets of newspaper.

"Get them out!" I said.