A few generations ago, nearly every bride started her marriage with a hope chest full of handmade lace tablecloths and doilies, lovingly made by her female relatives. She might have also had a few lace-edged or tatted items in her trousseau or a veil or gown embellished with Chantilly or Brussels lace. But through the years, lace fell out of favor and those heirloom pieces were relegated to attics and seldom-opened drawers.
Asheville ceramicist Michael Hofman has an entire “lace library” full of these discarded treasures: rolls of trim, pieces of old curtains, tabletop doilies and runners spanning decades and going back at least a century. They can be white or colored, cotton or synthetic, damaged or in pristine condition. Rips and gravy stains aren’t a problem. What Hofman looks for is just the pattern, which he’ll press into wet porcelain to create a texture that becomes the part of the complex layering process used in creating each of his hand-built ceramic pieces.
Hofman didn’t invent the idea of pressing lace into clay to transfer its pattern, but he’s taken it into new territory with his range of dinnerware, vases, and practical pottery pieces. Each piece — whether it’s a vase, mug or platter — is built by hand through a process that’s deceptively simple. Hofman rolls out a slab of porcelain and flattens it with a rolling pin, then presses the lace onto the surface. It may be a small motif cut from a larger piece of lace or a whole doily. He then hand-shapes the slab into the desired form, whether it’s a plate with a crimped edge or a bowl that’s wrapped around a mold for shaping. The piece is fired, then glazed, a process that Hofman repeats to achieve differing colors and effects, from a deep, multi-colored look to a more uniform surface appearance. Edges are left raw and seams obvious. “We have what the Japanese call a wabi-sabi sensibility,” says Hofman. “We don’t try to hide the way things were made. It makes the piece feel more accessible, comfortable and human.”
Porcelain is a dream to work with, says Hofman — it’s forgiving of mistakes, incredibly durable and looks beautiful once fired. And although he assures all of his clients that each piece is dishwasher and microwave-safe, many say they would never put such a special piece in either.
Originally from Indiana, Hofman moved to Asheville around 10 years ago from San Francisco, where he did everything from performance art to operating a bed and breakfast. He bought the gallery from a couple who were retiring about seven years ago, and since then has turned it into a destination not just for art lovers, but for artists in nearby studios, who stop in to use the kitchen in the back of the store. The kitchen has inspired not only socializing, but fundraising dinners for Hofman’s favorite charity, Earlier, a Greensboro-based breast cancer awareness organization.
Hofman’s love of entertaining — and of food — has inspired many of the forms he creates, from the baguette basket to the “pit pot” that can be used for olive pits and discarded shells during dinner, although some men have reported using them as pipe rests. “I love to eat and I love to cook,” he says. “A lot of the pieces I design come from the experience of being a home chef.” The quiche plate he designed, for example, was born out of the need for something aptly suited to the dish he loves to make.
Perhaps fittingly, many of Hofman’s clients are brides and their fiancés, shopping for a unique and meaningful set of dishes as they set out in their new lives together. Many bring a piece of heirloom lace for Hofman to use in creating custom patterns for their dinnerware or a special vase or serving piece. Sometimes a couple will bring in lace pieces from each family to symbolize their union or ask him to create pieces that they then give to members of their families in honor of loved ones who have passed on. Although many young couples would never dream of keeping Grandma’s lovingly made pink lace tablecloth out on a regular basis, her beautiful patterns can still be part of their daily life in a way that matches their modern lifestyle.
Pay a visit to Michael Hofman Studios during the River Arts District Studio Stroll on June 8-9 at 111 Roberts Street in the River Arts District of Asheville. For details, visit www.hofmanstudios.com.