Minimalism at the Table

So this is what I call modern tableware. Andy Shaw creates beautifully usable art that I love, in spite of the fact that it couldn't be farther removed from the Italian, Spanish, and French pottery that I'm importing.

He takes minimalism and functionality very seriously:
"In my pottery, I examine this format of vacancy and the tenuous balance it requires of the viewer-participant in establishing completion. Knowing that the porcelain will become active components within someone’s home, I design each piece so that it can adapt to place and to the personal preferences of the homeowner. In my studio I resist the artistic impulse to create overall resolution and completion, opting instead to leave room for improvisation by the cook whose own need for creative resolution is just as necessary as mine. By leaving the glaze color neutral, cooks recognize the invitation for a spinach, strawberry and almond salad or perhaps for a grilled turkey club panini with purple onion. In this way, color is not a fixed quality in the pottery, allowing it to have an active role in daily kitchen creations.

In order for a pot to be functional it must be used. As the potter I design the porcelain with opportunities for the addition of color and the complement of other objects and patterns as an invitation to the homeowner to incorporate the porcelain into their active home lifestyle. These purposefully designed thematic openings promote substantial connections between the pottery and its audience by drawing out practical and aesthetic utility within an advocacy for creative living."
(http://www.theclaystudio.org/exhibitions/shaw.php)

In my opinion, there's room for minimalism as well as more decorative and colorful tableware. Don't get me wrong, I believe in a simple background for showing off bright and complex foods. But there are other times when food presentation can be improved upon by the dish in which it's served. Imagine a simple pesto pasta, chips and salsa, asparagus, corn on the cob, or a fruit salad. Really, I think just about any food is given a new look depending on the dish in which you serve it. That isn't to say a spinach salad isn't set off perfectly in a simple white bowl by Andy Shaw... it simply creates a different feel than the same salad served in a blue and yellow Italian-style dish.