I have been making pottery for fifty two years. I enjoy making my wares by hand on a potter’s wheel. The physical involvement places me in the process.  The sound of the wheel and the soft resistance of the clay in my hand are at once comforting and pleasant. Pleasure is an important element of our life in this world. It gives meaning and balance to the confusion, pain and sorrow we encounter here. I hope that as people encounter my pottery they will recognize some of the experience I have had in making it and will find pleasure of their own in use. 
         The influences that most powerfully shape us are located in the household and family. I want my pottery to be there and to promote and influence that growth, however small it’s part may be. The family dinner table is sacred space and the venue of first choice for my pottery.
        I prefer domestic pottery that is plain, quiet and understated. I try to make pots that will play in the background, that speak gently but carry a great deal of information to those willing to wait and listen.
        From time to time I have made plates with words around the rim. These words are intended to introduce or reinforce ideas that I feel are important to the life of the body and spirit, the soul if you will. They are taken from different voices. They represent ideas I strive to live by as part of my ongoing search for light and understanding.
For this show I want to bring some of these pieces into focus. The are made to be used and rigged so that they may also be hung on the wall for a reminder when not on the table. Some of them are quite large and may be only used on special occasions.
I hope that they will serve these purposes.

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- Joe Bennion