Weston’s Long Oval Platter, decorated gracefully by Brenda Nash Andersen with a Blue Leaf Tree Pattern, Vintage 1950s, 16 inches long, 7.5 inches wide. There is no signature on the back, indicating that it may be one of the first platters made,e when there was not much thought about signing it. The platter is slightly larger than later platters, indicating a very early version of the platter.

Brenda Andersen designed many of Andersen Design's production patterns, and in the process there were times when she produced unique and spontaneous one-of-a-kind objects of art. Brenda was so self-confident in her craftsmanship honed by the discipline of repetitive patterning that she could freely interact with the inspired imagination of a creative artisan. Repeating the hand-decorated patterns allows the artisan to know their natural hand so well that they can execute unique images with great spontaneity. This essential concept of the Andersen Design production process confounded conventional concepts of production, thanks to Brenda’s unique contribution that sets the standard.

This Platter decorated with a blue-green tree exemplifies the way that Brenda was able to decorate in a style that is at once controlled and lyrical. The graceful leaves and branches require a discipline of will to maintain their consistent character,r but there is never a feeling of a mechanized routine in Brenda's work. Although the leaves have an elegant consistency in form, the intuitive arrangement of the leaves and the branches expresses a faith in a spontaneous unfolding of the world.

You may observe in the photographs a section of the platter that looks as if it has tape on top of it, but that is an illusion. There must have been an occasion in which tape was laid on top of this latter before firing. I can think of no other explanation for the strange marking.