Elena Bowes

New York-London design & culture writer of a certain vintage looking for meaning and wholeness in life

Frances Palmer – Force of Nurture

September 6th, 2020
Weston, Connecticut
People

For those of you who don’t subscribe to House & Garden (tsk, tsk), here’s the perfect Sunday read – HandGOctLifestyle – It’s a profile I wrote with the help of my partner in crime, Anne Hardy,  about an inspirational woman – Connecticut-based potter Frances Palmer who seizes each day quietly with the wisdom gained from thirty years at the wheel.  Determination, routine, prioritisation and perspective all play a role  in her  daily life. Oh, and a wee bit of  natural talent…

Not only does Palmer make pots to die for,

she grows dahlias, keeps bees and makes heavenly cakes (trust me on the latter), – all of which play an interconnected role in her creative ecosystem. She also takes all her own photographs.

For those of you who want to learn more about Palmer, you’re in luck- her debut book Life in the Studio, Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity comes out later this month. (I pre-ordered mine months ago).

And for those based near Connecticut, Palmer has two shows opening this month  – a photography exhibition at Wave Hill exhibiting a selection of photographs from her book.

The photographs bring together the abundance of her garden with the individuality of each vessel she creates.

And her pots will be part of an installation – Object + Thing at Noyes House  in New Canaan.
 Palmer will be speaking at H&G’s The Calico Club – Cultural Adventures for Curious Minds later this autumn.
Stay tuned- this is a women to watch and learn from. She does not sit still, and we are all the luckier for it.
September, 2020