Gordon Moore

I’m so happy with how this latest pair of Paisley Lamps turned out. These were made in a larger 22” H × 16” W scale and finished in a custom brown surface I achieved using a slip I made from local “wild” clay from Martha’s Vineyard. I’m endlessly grateful for clients like @finnmcclendon who place their ideas and trust in me to help bring their vision to life.

The Sunrise Lamp—inspired by foggy sunrises over jetties and rocky coastlines—available now through my website. Of everything I’ve made thus far, this is one of my favorite designs. I had to get this close up on my main grid! 📷 @emahoney_97

Lately in the studio.

Two essential parts of the studio space: the mug shelf and wheel station. I also want to give a shout-out here to my friend @nas.patryck , who hooked me up with all of the mahogany I used for these builds. The mug shelf now holds a mix of test tiles, works from my past, collected objects, and, most importantly, my growing collection of mugs from other makers I know and appreciate. Each morning, when I head into the studio and choose a mug for my coffee, it almost feels like choosing a maker to spend my morning with. My wheel setup includes two wheels. One is set up on the floor for throwing large pieces and coil throwing. For smaller pieces, I’ve switched over to a standing wheel to take some pressure off my back. As a result, I now have two different working heights. My dad had a 25 year old plank of white oak left over from the trees he first milled when the lot was cleared to build the house my studio is in. I really wanted to work with and honor this piece, since it felt so connected to the place I now work in. I ended up creating this two leveled shelf by cutting the white oak in half and bisecting it with a mahogany column. It’s held together with joinery alone, then fastened into studs at each cantilevered end.

Last week, in honor of spring’s arrival, I gave my new studio a good spring cleaning. Then Vallery (@highvskin ) helped with a studio photoshoot. Seeing the space fully up and running and full of light made me want to look back at where it started. Seeing such a satisfying before and after was a good reminder of just how far it’s come and how much work was involved, by me and so many others, to bring it together. In no particular order, I just wanted to give a shout out to some of the people that helped make it possible. @tully.mcdonough breathed life into this space and played a crucial role, wiring the room for power, setting up a sub panel for my kiln, hooking up lights, and just being an overall great guy who I’m grateful to know. @langille123 generously mailed me a bunch of speakers and drew out a diagram showing how to wire and install them in my ceiling. The vibe is 🤌🏼 My dad @andrewmoorepainter gave me access to this basement room in his house, helped find other homes for all the bikes, windsurfers, longboards, surfboards, and fishing gear we had in there, and trusted me to have my way with it. @merryfarmpottery helped me move my kiln down into the space and continues to provide me a roadmap for living a good life working with clay. @pajorpots lent strong arms to help unload our U Haul of clay and equipment brought from Brooklyn. @poseybacopoulos generously sold me several pieces of equipment and tools I use every day. Heather Sommers gave me her slab roller many years before this studio existed. And most of all, my wife Vallery, who has been a supportive teammate through all the stressful moments that came with moving and rebuilding.

A peek into the testing and trial that goes into creating a new finish. This brown surface was developed through many experiments with slips made from local Martha’s Vineyard clay bodies, along with different iron-rich slip variations. A lot of learning along the way, and very pleased with the final result.

Some fun dimmer knobs options for the Paisley Lamp.

A weekend for love and butterflies, celebrating @alex.trett and @sabrinasetton .

I am always drawn to reaching down and picking up rocks that catch my eye. Rarely are any perfectly shaped, or perfectly smooth. They are all different and textured and colored differently but I like to imagine where each came from, and what forces enacted upon it to form its patterns, and how long it took to be worn away until it was the size that it is when it lays before me and in that spot. Rocks give a whole different perspective on time, where my whole life and everyone I know is just a little blip. And I wonder whether it’s a selfish act to pick one up and throw it back into the ocean after it spent so many lifetimes trying to arrive at its current resting place on the beach. Or, god forbid, if I remove that rock from the beach and dremmel a hole into it and epoxy it to a porcelain vessel. But I like to imagine (hope) that to select a rock because of some imperceptible quality that caught my eye, and attach it to an object of routine where it will be endlessly looked at and held and appreciated is the ultimate honor. All of these thoughts crossed my mind while making this little experimental series. I love to hold rocks, so why not turn them into a mug handle? I like the way their weight and texture contrasts the delicate porcelain, and they become sculptural, slightly impractical—but ultimately functional—objects of use. Some of them have an obvious way they ask to be held, while others force repositioning and adjusting, rotating or regripping until it feels right, just like picking up a stone from the beach. Some of these never stop feeling a bit awkward to hold, but their sculptural presence made that feel like a worthy cost. Sometimes I feel like the end goal of all of my practice and experimentation is to make something as beautiful as a rock on the beach. For now, I will settle for borrowing their sculptural beauty and attaching something I make to it.

The Paisley Lamp, shown here as a pair in black and white. Hand painted, wheel-thrown stoneware. Radial dimmer perched just inside the shade’s upper opening. Custom sizing and finishes available.

Detail shots. For the grid 👀 Another iteration of the porcelain lantern, seen here in a more organic form. I still need to make this one a base of its own, but it can be available on a short lead time.