90 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: LEE MIDDLEMAN and some did not speak much English. Lee and his wife provided room and board and, when not working in the studio, they would show them around the Bay Area. Lee estimates that he and Donnie have hosted around 30 people so far, although the Covid epidemic put a temporary halt to their home-stay program. As one might expect, it was a learning experience for everyone involved. “A lot of Asian potters also love to cook,” says Lee, so the first field trip with guests is usually to a Korean grocery market where they stock up. Lee and Donnie are planning a trip to China in the fall and hope to reestablish their artistic residency program after they return. Looking around his tidy, wellorganized studio and the adjacent, well-lit gallery space where examples of his work are beautifully disclay and other objects. Once the deeply rendered impressions are in place, he has to avoid touching the outside again. Working with his hand inside of the pot, he creates the shape he envisions by maintaining a careful balance between the textured exterior and the thickness of the clay wall. “The most difficult thing is making the edges meet,” Lee says. “The whole process requires a careful feel that I have honed over time.” His favorite shape is one he calls “oblate,” like his piece, “Desert Sunflower.” “The wall is very thin and it is a challenge to get it just right,” he notes. After the initial firing, the pots are glazed and fired again. Lee says he has his technique down to a science, using just five different glazes that he applies by spraying. His palette leans towards earthy hues of brown, gold, rust and celadon. But even with all of his experience and precision, sometimes things go {home & design} wrong. “I try things and they won’t work, but I just move on.” Lee is quick to explain that he never anticipated making a living doing ceramics, but he aspired to be successful enough to allow him and Donnie to travel around the world in search of new ideas and techniques. That goal has been met as the couple has taken multiple trips to Africa, China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. One unexpected result of these adventures is that Lee felt a need to reciprocate the kindness and welcome he experienced while working abroad with fellow potters. Lee initiated an informal residency program. Potters—usually two at a time—come to California and stay at his home. For a two-week period, the visiting artists work in his studio and discuss and share techniques. Many of the visitors had never been to the United States ABOVE: (from left) Portola Valley artist Lee Middleman’s Carved Bottle and Tri-Red Globe vase.
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