Last week I got a phone call from my mom delivering some unfortunate news.  She was calling to tell me that my grandmother had died earlier that day.  I was so upset because I had such a close relationship with my Gram.  This was the same grandmother featured in last week’s post, A Kettle and Two Reminders.

Let me refresh your memory:  a few days into my stay here, I bought a teakettle for my grandmother as a gift from my travels.  Colm De Ris, A friendly potter who creates beautiful artwork, sold it to me.  I knew my grandmother would love it and I could not wait to give it to her when I returned home.

A few days after writing A Kettle and Two Reminders I received the news of her death.  After hanging up the phone from my mom, my face covered in tears and smeared makeup, I grabbed the kettle, put it next to my bed and stared at it.  At first, the only thing I could think was how she will never get to see it.  That kettle suddenly changed its meaning to me completely.

Now, the kettle that I bought the other day at an art fair as a souvenir for my grandmother is going to stay with me forever.  Part of the reason I wanted to buy this for her was because growing up, and even today, we always would share conversations over a cup of tea on Sunday mornings.  Those mornings were some of the best moments with her, and now the teapot will not only be a symbol of my grandmother, but of those mornings

The Celtic symbol, The Triple Spiral, displayed on the kettle has earned a new meaning to me too.  Some say each of the three spirals stand for life, death, and rebirth and how they are all connected.  Or in other words, that the spirit never dies.  This will remind me of my belief that my Gram is still with me in spirit and that she will always watch over me.  Others say that each spiral stands for grandmother, mother, and daughter.  How appropriate.  The two most important women in my life, are my mom and my gram.

So, you might be wondering how this relates to crafts or even art in general, because I was too, until it came to me a little bit ago.  My fingers are typing away and rambling about a kettle and my grandmother, and I realize: this teakettle, that a stranger designed and made with his own two hands, has such a strong meaning to me now.  Artists design pieces usually for other purposes, but often artwork builds such a strong personal meaning to the owner.  All over the world, people own craftwork, whether it be jewelry, quilts, crocheted blankets, wooden clocks, or pottery, and often these crafts have personal meaning and are passed down through generations.  I hope my Gram’s teapot is too.

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