Two people I greatly respect were in the local paper recently.

First, Ian Shelly, a grad student in ceramics here at the University of Missouri who has been a student of mine in the past (and whose studio I often stop into  to see new work and chat with [or head out to Klik’s for a beer or two of an occasional evening]), was featured in the Niche column of the Columbia Tribune. Check it out here.

The author of the piece, Aarik Danielsen, is also a friend of mine. Aarik is a great writer (and music aficionado) and has crafted pieces for PopMatters, Ethics Daily, among others, and is a zealous advocate for beards. Good stuff.

I’m enjoying this synergy of people I like doing things that I like. Best line by Ian from Aarik’s piece:

“The pots I like are brown,” Shelly said. “Nobody likes brown pots.”

Ian enjoying a famous ceramic work, Spring 2009