April Guest Blogger: Katie S.

Our Guest blogger for April is Quimper Club co-founder Katie Sledge. I recently wrote to Katie and asked her to tell us a little about herself and this was her reply.

In true blog style, getting to know me a bit from A to Z

A - Age: 40
B - Bowls: I have so many! I am always drawn to them even thought I don't need just "one" more.
C - Chore you hate: Cleaning showers/tubs
D - Dog's name: Willow an English Bulldog. I wanted a French Bulldog but had to meet husband half way (he wanted a Boxer!).
E - Essential start your day item: Coffee, I actually look forward to it before I drift off to sleep...
F - Favorite cheese: Goat Cheese
G - Gift Wrapping: Love it - my favorite part of Christmas is wrapping not shopping.
H - Home: Will always be California although I can't imagine ever moving back.
I - Ice Cream: I always get some sort of chocolate variation
J - Juice: I live on Crystal Light.
K - Kid(s): Two under the age of 5.
L - Lead Awareness: I feel passionate about this issue and kudos to France who has been way ahead of the game! They started to restrict lead use in the 1800's.
M - Mountains: I love going there but I hate the windy roads as I still get car sick.
N- Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is my favorite white wine at the moment.
O - Organizing: I think I am more organized then I really am.
P - Perry Como: I think he is (was) sexy!
Q - Quimper of course! I prefer this French faience over others.
R - Reading: I love, love to read - I have already read about 20 books this year.
S - Sushi: Favorite eating out food.
T - Topiaries: I'm always drawn to them.
U- Umbrella: Own an Alexandra Sojfer from Paris (a gift from friend which I find too pretty to use, and I am just nervous I would leave it somewhere.).
V - Vegetarian: Every once in a while I go "veggy" only to crave a rare roast beef sandwich
W - Ways you run late: Feeling the house has to be perfect before I leave.
X - Tic Tac Toe: I always opt to be an "X"
Y - Yummy food you make: My husband says French Onion soup and my children would say Pumpkin Loaf.
Z - Zoo membership has gotten me through many a tough days with the children.

"Sojourn in Savannah" QCI Annual Meeting. October 2010.

News just in is that acclaimed artist Philippe Lalys has accepted your co-hosts invitation to be a guest speaker at the QCI 2010 meeting in Savannah, later this year.

Below is an excerpt taken from an article that appeared in the December 2005 issue of the Quimper Club Journal, author Judy Datesman.

“When the HB Henriot factory in Quimper reopened under the ownership of Paul Janssens in 1984 Philippe was hired for a newly created position, that of responsable création, followed a year later by a promotion to directeur artistique, a position he held until 1991, when he left to open his own atelier as an artiste libre.

Fresco splashback in Philippe Lalys' kitchen; the vase was an Odetta creation of Chanteau.

According to Philippe, working with pottery is not like working with porcelain. Painting on porcelain is work that is done on a surface already glazed and fired; the substance is more solid and the designs can be much more detailed. There are three stages of firing, and the third stage can be repeated several times to develop color and design layers.”

Cerelle B wrote about her love of Philippe's work when she was our guest blogger last year. Click here to see it again.

For more information regarding this post contact quimperpix@gmail.com
For more information regarding the Annual Meeting contact savannah2010@quimperclub.org

Keraluc flasks..........by Gay S.

Cheers !
One advantage of collecting Quimper is that there seems to be something for everyone - there are several manufacturers, hundreds of different styles and representations of several era's.
As an example contrast these jolly, mainly plaid flasks, perhaps best described as 'retro' with the Porquier Beau botanicals recently shown on this blog.

These flasks are made by the Keraluc faiencerie and were usually made to hold various Alcoholic drinks....Cognac and Whisky we are familiar with. Guignolet d'Anjou is a dark cherry liqueur, served without ice as an Aperitif. It's also an ingredient of guignolo a cocktail where the cherry liqueur is added to champagne.

Vieille Prune is a plum brandy aged in oak caskets that has a smooth taste typically its produced in Souillac.
Liqueur de Vieux Presbytere could have been made for a restaurant or hotel of that name, but that is just a guess !
A few flasks are not for alchohol: perhaps Sante Sobriete was for a non alcholic drink as health and sobriety could be an odd thing to find on a bottle of spirits !

Most of the flasks I have seen are plaid but there are a few that are decorated in more of a cartoon style - so far I haven't been able to add any of these to my collection but I'm keeping my eyes open !

Ecuelles....by Gay S

As some of you will have read before I'm gradually packing up my Quimper so that the builders can start a 'project' as I packed I noticed just how many Ecuelles (lugged bowls) I have.......
How many of us started our collections with such pieces, only to swiftly move on to more ‘exciting’ forms?
Yet my feeling is that the humble Ecuelle or bowl is much underrated.

To begin with they come in many sizes; some could serve as little salts, while at the other end of the scale some are large enough for mixing and serving.
Some come with lids, some do not.
In addition they come in a great variety of decors : Petit Breton, Geometric, Ivoire Corbeille, Florals, Tennis ball, Basque, Broderie and Soleil to name just a few.
They can be used in the kitchen or for eating – for a breakfast ‘chocolat’ with croissants, cereal, soup, scrambled eggs, olives, snacks, nuts, chips, dips, deserts etc.

In the office a small size Ecuelle makes a charming holder for paper clips on a desk.

Or they can be decorative: I’ve displayed small plants such as African violets or little Kalanchoe in them, filled them with pot pourri or given them as a gift filled with cookies or sweets.

For home decorators they are a boon - they are just so 'Country French' and there is something very satisfying about a 'nest' of these bowls in the kitchen.

I'm sure other collectors have other great ideas for these lug bowls too.

Sometimes you will find the foot rim of the bowl is pierced, this makes displaying them a real snap, just thread some string through the holes and make a loop, or if the foot rim is plain you can buy special bowl stands or hangers.
For novice collector one of the most attractive aspects of buying Ecuelles is that are nearly always very reasonably priced, if you want to use the bowl it’s best to make sure the glaze condition is good, no hairlines or chips where it will matter. The more modern bowls will happily survive the dishwasher.
Next time you are viewing online auctions or looking around an antique fair do look out for a bowl or even two.
Hey presto - your collection has started !

Gay.

Quimper faience: Forms and Decors. Candle holders.

The QCI Journal is published twice a year and always includes a very interesting and informative article describing a form or decor. These articles are written by a club member who has a particlar fondness for the subject and always include plenty of full colour photographs of a variety of pieces to illustrate the text.

I have gathered together some back issues of the Journal as I thought it might be interesting to review some of these articles not just to reacquaint ourselves with the abundant choice available to Quimper colletors but also to share with visitors to the QCI Blog who may be just beginning to discover the wonderful world of Q.

In the December 2003 issue 2nd VP Cerelle Bolon wrote a superb article on candle holders, here's a taste of what she had to say.

The Edits Sumptuaires of 1689, in which Louis XIV declared that all gold and silver must be given to the Court, meant that the use of gold and silver in titled homes was forbidden. The absolute coup came in 1709, when another Royal edict, the Edict de Fonte, was imposed, making even the ownership of silver and gold illegal. From that moment the titled and wealthy had no dinnerware and no decorative pieces which had once made their table settings objects of prestige and envy.

Since the seret of making true porcelain had not yet been discovered, the material of choice was faience. All manner of beautifully painted, immense and amazing objects were crafted. Candle holders and candlebras were among these.

As with other forms of faience, inspiration has been taken from previously existing items fabricated in gold or silver. Of all the various and creative forms the most desirable and useful pieces are these myriad types of candleholders. Ranging from the classically formal to the amusing and even grotesque, there is a plethora to choose from.

And for those of us who are collectors, I must admit they still inspire covetousness!

I'm linking this post today to one of my favourite memes, Mosaic Monday @ Mary's the little red house Do head over and visit Mary's great blog and all the other "mosaic makers".

Q and A Friday.....................Desvres??? and Barack Obama @ Mrs Wilkes, Savannah, GA.

QCI Member Liz M has asked for help in identifying this lovely figurine.

We  probably all think it's Desvres but can anyone identify the mark?

I think I have an idea and will comment later.

Liz has volunteered to help Savannah 2010 co-host Nina with planning some aspects of the Annual meeting this coming October.

One of the events planned is a private dinner at Mrs Wilkes Dining Room in Savannah. No sooner was this information shared with our members than one VIP just had to get in on the act.

Click here to see the YouTube video of President Barack Obama having lunch at Mrs Wilkes earlier this week. He recommends the chicken!

Latest QCI news: Sojourn in Savannah.

Sojourn in Savannah...............As co-host, with my good friend and fellow club member Nina, of the QCI Annual Meeting this year I would like to share some important news with QCI Members and also visitors to this blog who may be considering joining the QCI.

QCI Members will soon be receiving an email from Nina & myself, and we think that you'll want to open this one!

In it will be your first glimpse into all that the upcoming 2010 Meeting, taking place in Savannah, GA. USA, in October, holds in store for us all.

Our base will be the magnificent Hilton Savannah DeSoto hotel, which has recently benefitted from a $12 million dollar renovation.

The DeSoto is situated in the heart of the historic district, within easy walking distance of many of Savannah's lovely squares, Forsyth Park, City Market and funky River Street.

Our email will have details on how to make your hotel reservations; pre meeting events planned to make your trip even more fun; and the all important event schedule.

If you are bringing a non member guest with you we hope also to be able to offer interesting things for them to do whilst you're admiring Q, listening to guest speakers and visiting historic houses. Depending on how much interest there is, a round of golf and a visit to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, GA., could be arranged. Nina's other half Tom is the man to talk to about these events, early sign up is recommended to ensure arrangements can be put in place.

Meeting Registration documents will be mailed to members in June but you can make your Hotel reservations now.

The Members Only page of the QCI web site will be regularly updated with information concerning all aspects of the meeting, so do check back there often, and plenty of non member specific info will appear here on the blog.

See you in Savannah!

Maggie & Nina.