Vieux Bassin of Honfleur

The old harbour at Honfleur, at the mouth of the Seine. The slate-fronted houses on the Quai Sainte-Catherine lean six and seven stories above the water, their facades doubled in the basin below. The view drew Boudin, then Monet, then Jongkind, all of them trying to catch the same wet northern light. The basin was carved out in 1681 by order of Colbert, when Louis XIV needed a deep-water port on this coast. The fishing boats still tie up bow-in along the quay. The restaurants put tables out as soon as the sun finds the wall.

Slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, in our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee.