My grandfather, the ceramicist

Last year I was asked to write a profile of my grandfather, the semi-renowned Maine ceramicist Weston Andersen, whose Andersen Design line of hand-decorated, slip-cast bowls, vases, and wildlife sculptures are lurking on the shelves and mantles of a great many homes here.

The piece, "The Arts and Crafts of Andersen Design", is in the current issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors. Unfortunately, it's not available online, but readers here in Maine will find it on most newsstands.

My grandfather (who studied under Eva Zeisel and the pioneer industrial designer David Dohner) and late grandmother (who met him during the Blitz in her native London) came to Southport Island in the early 1950s, making their wares in a swallow-infested barn. More than half a century later, my grandfather is still at it over in East Boothbay, collaborating with my aunts. If you enjoy the magazine piece, drop by their showroom there to see designs both old and new.

My grandparents, Weston and Brenda Andersen, at home on Southport in the 1950s.