Thirty years is a long time in the making. What started as a hobby became a labor of love. What a delight to take the earth itself, transform it with fire and hope to turn it into a thing of permanent beauty. Our seven children were a definite asset. All are creative and supportive, four have worked directly with the pottery: Anne, Susan, Cindy and Becky.
My specialty has been Indian and animal portraits. I make no claim to artistic excellence but do feel I have a sensitivity to my subject matter and hope this love is conveyed to those who own Rozart pottery. George is very good in design and our daughters all have their flair for special creative talents.
Like any endeavor we have had our share of disappointments , encouragements and some humor. A lack of chemical knowledge obviously has its drawbacks. I have had some art training but not a great deal, being an English major in college. Fred Radford (of Radford pottery) led us onto a company that supplied pigment for our colors. This was a big step as we could not use hobby ceramic paints which were too flat and did not allow for slip buildup.
Encouragements came in the form of satisfied customers, a number of articles in some major publications, and the realization that our product was steadily improving. Also it gave us a basis for spirited conversations with our children who shared our interest in art and ceramics. Now their children are doing the same.
Humor was provided by the trash people who took our rejects from our curb and held things up while they sifted through our discards. This required us to carefully break up all such pottery. Even today these pieces are turning up with antique dealers. Another interesting item is that someone is putting cups and saucers (there could be other items) out for sale with a paper sticker bearing our Rozart name. We never made cups and saucers and certainly never used a paper label.
Today George is retired, our children grown and on their own and we are free to see what can be done with it and where it will take us. Certainly, it will provide a permanent legacy as there are few items that survive time better than gold or pottery and I canŐt afford the former.
Here are some samples of Rose's work:
