Seven Questions for Catherine Bailey of Heath Ceramics
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Simple. Good. Designed to last a lifetime. That’s three ways to describe the products of Sausalito-based Heath Ceramics, the pottery founded in 1948 by Edith Heath, but “beautiful” is usually the first word that comes to mind. One of the few remaining mid-century American potteries (and the last one left in California), Heath Ceramics handcrafts tile and tableware in its original factory and recently opened a Los Angeles outpost with a storefront that looks plucked from an Ed Ruscha painting. The company is still going strong thanks to a dedicated team of artisans and Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey (pictured above), the husband and wife team who purchased Heath in 2003 after careers designing products for the likes of Motorola and Nike. In answering our seven questions, Bailey, Heath’s creative director, tells us how she discovered Heath, why eBay isn’t the best place to buy ceramics, and the oddest custom order the company has received so far.
1. How and when did you first encounter Heath Ceramics?
I’ve always been interested in pottery from the early to mid century. When I was in college (in the late 80’s), I found a few pieces of Russel Wright‘s—this represented great American industrial design to me. Later, I was collecting Eva Zeisel and came across some Heath at vintage stores and also on eBay in the mid-to-late 90’s. The interesting thing is that I don’t think I really understood Heath until I entered the factory store in 2002. Unlike Zeisel’s distinctive and expressive forms that are evident even in a poor photograph on eBay, Heath’s beauty and uniqueness is understood once you pick up a piece, or at least when photographed in a way that the materials and textures can be understood.
2. How has your previous career as an industrial design consultant affected your approach/work at Heath?
It made me appreciate the holistic nature of Heath. As a consultant, I was focused on a specific design need of my clients. At Heath, I get to design the whole company and not just the brand and products, but I can steer the direction of the company based on my values and beliefs.
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