--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Finally if I had a pot that needed…" description: "\"Finally if I had a pot that needed decoration, I would hand it to Alix [MacKenzie] and I would say, \"Can you do something with this?\" And she'd look at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/warren-mackenzie-4654_brushes_finally-if-i-had-a-pot-that-needed-decor_2413257.jpg" --- # Finally if I had a pot that needed decoration, I would… ![“Finally if I had a pot that needed decoration, I would hand it to Alix [MacKenzie] and I would say, "Can you do something with this?" And she'd look at it for a while and then proceed with a brush to embellish the form and enhance the form, and it was wonderful. She could bring the pot to life…” quote by Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/warren-mackenzie-4654_brushes_finally-if-i-had-a-pot-that-needed-decor_2413257.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/warren-mackenzie-4654_brushes_finally-if-i-had-a-pot-that-needed-decor_2413257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0d/warren-mackenzie-4654_brushes_finally-if-i-had-a-pot-that-needed-decor_2413257.jpg) > “Finally if I had a pot that needed decoration, I would hand it to Alix \[MacKenzie\] and I would say, "Can you do something with this?" And she'd look at it for a while and then proceed with a brush to embellish the form and enhance the form, and it was wonderful. She could bring the pot to life, whereas if I did it, it was a disaster.” [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker praises Alix MacKenzie's ability to transform a plain object into something beautiful, highlighting her skill and artistic vision compared to his own attempts. **In simple terms:** Alix can make a simple pot beautiful; he cannot. Key Takeaway Seek collaborators with complementary talents. Themes creativity collaboration artistic skill Mood admiration inspired Type artistic collaborative When to use this quote - pottery workshops - design projects - team art installations Key Concepts aesthetic transformation skill development Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify and partner with those who complement your weaknesses? - What projects could benefit from a fresh artistic perspective? A Different Perspective Even skilled artists may lack certain creative instincts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bring Pot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bring-pot-6082369/) [Brush Embellish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brush-embellish-6082368/) [Brushes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brushes/) [Decoration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decoration/) [Decoration Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decoration-hand-6082370/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Needed Decoration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed-decoration-6082367/) [Pot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pot/) [Pot Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pot-needed-6082366/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [I thought I was going to be able to use my painting ideas as decoration on pottery, but my painting did not translate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-able-to-use-my-painting-ideas-as/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [So I very quickly stopped almost all decoration. I was interested in the three-dimensional form of the pots, but my decoration was nonexistent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/so-i-very-quickly-stopped-almost-all-decoration-i-was-interested-in/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Alix \[MacKenzie\], on the other hand, found that her painting would translate much more readily into decoration, and she could play with the spacing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/alix-mackenzie-on-the-other-hand-found-that-her-painting-would/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [The drama embraces and applies all the beauties and decorations of poetry. The sister arts attend and adorn it. Painting, architecture, and music are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/the-drama-embraces-and-applies-all-the-beauties-and-decorations-of/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Decoration Day is the most beautiful of our national holidays… The grim cannon have turned into palm branches, and the shell and shrapnel into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/decoration-day-is-the-most-beautiful-of-our-national-holidays-the/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [It is better decoration when, in painting, some monstrosity is introduced for variety and a relaxation of the senses and to attract the attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo/it-is-better-decoration-when-in-painting-some-monstrosity-is/) [Michelangelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo/) > [Humorists of the 'mere' sort cannot survive. Humor is only a fragrance, a decoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/humorists-of-the-mere-sort-cannot-survive-humor-is-only-a-fragrance-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Love Is the Treasure The temple of love is not love itself; True love is the treasure, Not the walls about it. Do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/love-is-the-treasure-the-temple-of-love-is-not-love-itself-true-love/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [ The combination of an individual\[i.e., a client\] with a positive idea of living and a good designer is the great force in contemporary decoration.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-day-truex/the-combination-of-an-individual-i-e-a-client-with-a-positive-idea-of/) [Van Day Truex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-day-truex/) > [Yet he saw that in all places there was originality, resulting from the human efforts at decoration and ingenious methods of survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-he-saw-that-in-all-places-there-was-originality-resulting-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men's clothing is more pure in design. It's more simple and has no decoration. Women want that. When I started designing, I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yohji-yamamoto/men-s-clothing-is-more-pure-in-design-it-s-more-simple-and-has-no/) [Yohji Yamamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yohji-yamamoto/) > [People live and work in uninspiring environments, but look inside those rooms. Look at the painted walls and the decorations. People rebel even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/people-live-and-work-in-uninspiring-environments-but-look-inside/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [She surrounded herself with books at work and at home. Her living space was a testament to her first and abiding love with shelves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/she-surrounded-herself-with-books-at-work-and-at-home-her-living/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Les trois quarts de nos exercices intellectuels ne sont plus que broderies sur le vide. Three quarters of our intellectual performances are no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-crayencour/les-trois-quarts-de-nos-exercices-intellectuels-ne-sont-plus-que/) [Stephanie Crayencour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-crayencour/) > [The aim of art is to create space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/the-aim-of-art-is-to-create-space/) [Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/) ## More by Warren MacKenzie > [ \[Kathleen Blackshear\] just said, "Have you thought of looking at this?" and so on and so on and so on. And it was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/kathleen-blackshear-just-said-have-you-thought-of-looking-at-this-and/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Some years ago I was working on some forms which were vase forms with a fairly narrow base, and it was after \[Hans\] Coper… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/some-years-ago-i-was-working-on-some-forms-which-were-vase-forms-with/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I found out later on that was not true, that life drawing tells you a great deal about rhythm, about the structure of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-found-out-later-on-that-was-not-true-that-life-drawing-tells-you-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ At the end of that two weeks Bernard \[Leach\] asked us if we would like to sit with him tending the kiln, the big… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/at-the-end-of-that-two-weeks-bernard-leach-asked-us-if-we-would-like/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I got drafted into the army and by pure chance was pushed into a silk-screen shop at this camp where I was, because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-got-drafted-into-the-army-and-by-pure-chance-was-pushed-into-a-silk/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[In the Field Museum of Natural History\] we could see very simple, primitive, hand-built pottery from Babylonia and ancient Egypt and so forth, Greece.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/in-the-field-museum-of-natural-history-we-could-see-very-simple/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [Chicago is a wonderful area because it's blessed with a tremendous number of museums of various sorts, not only the Art Institute of Chicago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/chicago-is-a-wonderful-area-because-it-s-blessed-with-a-tremendous/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ It was a wonderful opportunity. And so for two and a half years we lived with \[Bernard\] Leach. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-a-wonderful-opportunity-and-so-for-two-and-a-half-years-we/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ We thought \[with Alix MacKenzie\], if those are the kinds of pots from every culture that interest us, why would we think that it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/we-thought-with-alix-mackenzie-if-those-are-the-kinds-of-pots-from/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I went to the Chicago Art Institute, which was the best painting school in the area at that time. And I took painting classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-went-to-the-chicago-art-institute-which-was-the-best-painting/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [It was there that we really first came in contact with the work of Shoji Hamada, who was Bernard's best friend from Japan, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/it-was-there-that-we-really-first-came-in-contact-with-the-work-of/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ Bernard \[Leach\] was making pots which were duplicates of his drawing, and that was a difference of approach, which I think is quite critical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/bernard-leach-was-making-pots-which-were-duplicates-of-his-drawing/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I don't know, it's very difficult if you're in a strange country to just barge in and say, "Hello, I'm Warren MacKenzie, and aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/i-don-t-know-it-s-very-difficult-if-you-re-in-a-strange-country-to/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [ \[Shoji\] Hamada seldom drew an exact drawing of a pot that he was going to make. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/shoji-hamada-seldom-drew-an-exact-drawing-of-a-pot-that-he-was-going/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) [Explore all 108 Warren MacKenzie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) ## More Brushes quotes > [People say I've had brushes with the law. That's not true. I've had brushes with overzealous prosecutors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-edwards/people-say-i-ve-had-brushes-with-the-law-that-s-not-true-i-ve-had/) [Edwin Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-edwards/) > [Yet, it had been Dimitri’s gentleness and thoughtfulness mixed with that deadliness that made him so wonderful. The same hands that wielded stakes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/yet-it-had-been-dimitri-s-gentleness-and-thoughtfulness-mixed-with/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“They are not brave, the days when we are twenty-one. They are full of little cowardices, little fears without foundation, and one is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/they-are-not-brave-the-days-when-we-are-twenty-one-they-are-full-of/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [The body is living art. Your movement through time and space is art. A painter has brushes. You have your body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/the-body-is-living-art-your-movement-through-time-and-space-is-art-a/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [Well, I do expect a lot of myself. I'm a harsh critic because I know what I'm capable of. I have hit those occasional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-stevens/well-i-do-expect-a-lot-of-myself-i-m-a-harsh-critic-because-i-know/) [Dave Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-stevens/) > [Our fans have been branded with the same brush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-atkinson/our-fans-have-been-branded-with-the-same-brush/) [Ron Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-atkinson/) > [Everything we do is escapism, because we'll all be dead and everything we do is completely meaningless. Why brush your teeth? Why not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/everything-we-do-is-escapism-because-we-ll-all-be-dead-and-everything/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [It's as if a child with a brush and too much enthusiasm has been set free with a tin of black paint inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/it-s-as-if-a-child-with-a-brush-and-too-much-enthusiasm-has-been-set/) [Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/) > [My whole philosophy in survival is to take down brush as soon as you get in a situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-teti/my-whole-philosophy-in-survival-is-to-take-down-brush-as-soon-as-you/) [Joe Teti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-teti/) > [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [I grill almost all of my fish with the skin on because that gives you real protection at least on one side. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/i-grill-almost-all-of-my-fish-with-the-skin-on-because-that-gives-you/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [I don't have much to compare it to because I really didn't know much about theater. After I signed on, I started reading a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taissa-farmiga/i-don-t-have-much-to-compare-it-to-because-i-really-didn-t-know-much/) [Taissa Farmiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taissa-farmiga/) > [Enlightenment is like witnessing the brilliant sun for the first time in the morning. It is like seeing the beautiful flowers that grow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/enlightenment-is-like-witnessing-the-brilliant-sun-for-the-first-time/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [O, how much simpler things would be If eyes could paint or brush could see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/o-how-much-simpler-things-would-be-if-eyes-could-paint-or-brush-could/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The only thing I can do is wipe my arse, brush my teeth, turn up and do the best work I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hardy/the-only-thing-i-can-do-is-wipe-my-arse-brush-my-teeth-turn-up-and-do/) [Tom Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hardy/) [Browse all 592 Brushes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brushes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Finally if I had a pot that needed decoration, I would hand it to Alix [MacKenzie] and I would say, \"Can you do something with this?\" And she'd look at it for a while and then proceed with a brush to embellish the form and enhance the form, and it was wonderful. 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