Traditional plates are beautiful, but they’d be better with a dash of added excitement. That’s my aim with my Calamityware plates. In this drawing the entire landscape is bending into the insistent spin of a turbulent vortex. Don’t you hate it when that happens?
Top quality. Like the previous plates in this series, these plates will be produced at the award-winning Kristoff porcelain workshop in Poland using the in-glaze technique. Final production will feature a rich blue image on 10.5″-diameter, white porcelain that’s destined to become a treasured family heirloom. Food safe, microwave safe, and dishwasher safe, these plates are sturdy enough for daily use and beautiful enough to hang on your walls.
Series 2. This plate is the fourth in the in-glaze Calamityware plate series. In-glaze plates are fired at extra-high temperature to allow the image to melt slightly into the surface of the plate. Connoisseurs will appreciate the beauty of the in-glaze technique which the artists at Kristoff have been refining since 1831. This is the look of porcelain you see in museums. Sweet.
Previous Calamityware plates. If you missed the previous Kickstarter projects and want to address a gap in your Calamityware plate collection, you’ll find earlier plates from both Series 1 and Series 2 at Calamityware.com. There are some other unusual products there too.
Will all the plates in this series match? No. The designs of the plate borders and central image of each Calamityware plate are different. If you appreciate the notion of “eclectic,” you’ll be delighted. But if you are a perfectionist about matching, you should order enough of your favorite Calamityware plate so all your guests have the same design.
When can I expect these plates? Assuming nothing calamitous happens, you should be dining with the vortex by the beginning of December 2015. Probably sooner.
International shipping. Calamityware plates can ship anywhere in the world. Orders outside the US have a postage charge that varies depending on where the package is going. Porcelain plates are heavy, so postage costs are shockingly high. But for a treasured heirloom that may last generations, you might be able to justify the expense.
In some countries, customs duties may be applied to plate shipments. I have no way of predicting if they’ll apply to your shipment. It’s all very willy-nilly.
What’s going on? Sponsors of this project will receive periodic updates through Kickstarter as the project unfolds. You can also receive a trickle of news about designing, producing, and enjoying Calamityware plates (and the other projects Don is working on) by liking theCalamityware Facebook page.
Questions? Send me your questions and I’ll add them and the answers to the FAQ section of this page.
What’s coming next? I’ve been working on designs for small plates and bowls to complement the Calamityware dinner plates. These beauties will be my next Kickstarter project after this vortex project closes. Remember, small plates make all your food look bigger!
Series 3? Let me know if you want me to keep going with dinner plates, Series 3. I see an infestation of frogs, flying reptiles, and something that looks Sasquatchy.
Want to see more of Don’s drawings? I post a new drawing of something almost every day on Flickr. You can see my preliminary Calamityware sketches and drawings in this Flickr album.
If you are curious about production, you can study this overview of the steps involved. (Too small? Click image to download PDF.)
Questions and answers that I will post in the Q&A section after the project launches:
Does the porcelain of Calamityware plates contain bone ash? No. These plates are just minerals—feldspar, kaolin, quartz. Combined in the right amounts and fired at high temperature they turn into a sturdy, white porcelain. This is the good stuff.
Do I need to worry about heavy metals? (Prop 65) No. A sample plate will be tested to confirm that the glazes are free of cadmium, lead, and other potential troublemakers. These are the same glazes that are used for dinner plates in the best homes and finest restaurants.
What if I want to hang my Calamityware plates? Hanging Calamityware is an excellent way to enhance your domicile. I use invisible plate hangers that glue to the back of the plate and can be removed later by soaking. These big yellow stickers are completely invisible behind the plate. I use the 100mm size. You could probably build your own with duct tape if you prefer DIY.
What about small plates and bowls? As I said up above, small plates and bowls are coming after we pull the plug on this project. Watch my updates for details.