In 1972 Mil and I came to live in Glasgow when I married Anthony. We were invited to a posh party by friends – I was rather anti-social at that time about posh parties, and I certainly didn’t like sherry parties, but this party was golden for me because at one point I was given a glass of sherry by somebody called Robert Findlay (whose nephew Willie is about to marry Fiona Brown). He was a great kind influence on me in Scotland, because he took one look at me and said “I think you’d like Iona, Alison – there’s going to be a conference in three weeks at Easter time – why don’t you come?” I went, and the result was very far reaching because at that conference I met some very very interesting people, and set down a lifelong love for Iona and the Western Isles.
One of the people on the conference was a lassie called Alma Dowle. Alma is an artist and a singer with a beautiful voice – a nice fragrant girl who is very much part of the Rudolf Steiner movement. It was with Alma that I started a long friendship that ended up with our going to Bulgaria, teaching with Paneurythmy, and all sorts of things to do with the Great White Brotherhood. Through Alma I made some very very important friendships – particularly with somebody called Philip Carr-Gomm, a druid (!) who taught the Paneurythmy the first time that Alma and I met.
This particular piece comes from the Flockfield pottery at Ettrick, near Selkirk, where Alma and her husband Ray ran a pottery for many years. I think it’s rather fun, and I particularly like the care with which she added white porcelain to the plates and bits round it… I think I bought this around 1975, and it has always lived on the dresser.
Alison
The Royal Collection 