Beatrice Wood (1893 – 1998) taught me more about love. Not the love for ceramics (I already have that), but the loves in life…
“I never made love to the men I married, and I did not marry the men I loved. I do not know if that makes me a good girl gone bad, or a bad girl gone good” (Beatrice Wood, 1985)
Something that never ceases to amaze me is how my interest in handmade ceramics takes me to every nook and cranny of life.
Glaze theory leads to the hidden world of quantum mechanics and the beginning (and the end) of the universe. Clay to the origin of mankind, the mastery of fire and the origin of civilizations, culture and art in every corner of this planet.
And ceramic artist Beatrice Wood to love…
Love and ceramics: think before you start
Research is a big part of my ceramics process. I read, I test, I try to fathom and understand. That is my way of learning and living.
But in my love life, I never considered that. Little read about it, no reflections and discussions. Brash in it, following my instincts.
I watched the sweet film version of Camille Claudel’s life from 1988 with difficulty. “Giséle” by Susan Smit, a romanticization after the life of the Dutch artist Gisèle d’Ailly-van Waterschoot van der Gracht, I put aside after a few chapters feeling a bit queasy.
It should be clear, I do not research the romance in life. In fact, I prefer to actively withdraw from this.
Beatrice Wood: Mama of DaDa
But with ceramic artist Beatrice Wood it is very different. I got to know her in the 1994 documentary about her life “Mama of DaDa.
Born in San Francisco in 1893, she lived the sheltered life of a daughter from a well-to-do family. But she freed herself from this oppressive milieu and became an actress on stage in New York. She learned to appreciate modern art and the men who made it.
After her acting career (and various wanderings) she settled in Ojai California where she opened a pottery. Her ceramics interest awoke in the Netherlands, where she bought a baroque plate with a luster glaze. These glazes have become her signature in her ceramics.
Beatrice’s work is now part of the permanent collection of several museums, including the Metropolian Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.
Beatrice Wood: I Shock myself
In 2018, her autobiography “I Shock Myself” from 1985 was republished. Beatrice Wood is one of my first ceramic heroes, but I hadn’t read her book until now. Fortunately, I recently corrected this omission.
In her autobiography she tells very openly about her life, her work and her loves. No romanticized swoon, but almost childishly honesty, she wrote down at the age of 90 what she thought, felt and how she acted at that age.
Beatrice shocked not only herself, but also me. I can certainly read about love, provided it is written down by a ceramic artist with self-insight, life experience and humor.
Beatrice Wood passed away in 1998 at the age of 105. She remained active behind the wheel until a very old age. When asked what her secret was, she replied:
“I owe it all to art, books, chocolates, and young men.”
A life motto that I (almost) endorse in its entirety…
… and what about Giséle?
Oh well maybe I should try Susan Smit’s book “Giséle” again. Maybe I’m more romantic than I thought… (then I really shock myself 🙂 )
Learned something from this blog? Give me a cup of coffee so I can write the next with new energy!
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