The Work of His Hands

My cousin, Jimmy, is Shearwater's master potter. Before him, his father, Peter stood in his place at the wheel, hands spinning magic before the eyes of all who watched. Today I was privileged - after a timid request - to stand beside Jimmy, my camera focused on those remarkable hands that daily spin formless clay into shapes of beauty and function. Today he was making sugar bowls, so he said, perhaps implying that nothing exciting was happening. But for me, something was. Though I had thought of asking him before, today I braved that sacred space of the potter's wheel. I was feeling as awed and shy as I once felt when approaching his father. Childhood momentarily returned to, I held my camera with awkward discomfort, unable to focus on anything but those hands. Those beautiful hands...

Extra photos: A color of the one above, and the bowl in its earlier stage.