Dragon Stoneware Bowl Early Work Of Ben Watford Folk Art Pottery Signed 1970

Description

I bought this bowl and a few other things at an estate sale here in the Florida Keys.  After doing a little research, I found out that the previous owner and the potter who made this bowl, Ben Watford, were very good longtime friends.  They were teachers in the same school out on Long Island in New York.  I'm guessing that Watford gave this bowl to his friend near the beginning of his interest in pottery.  At the time, he was very into dragons.  I copied the following from another site:
"It is a well known fact among dragon lovers  and dragon lore that all dragons have three toes, breath fire, and have large bulging eyes." - Ben Watford
I have decided to donate all of the profits from the sale of this bowl to an organization that is important to Watford, the Crocket Miller Slave Quarters, part of the James City Historical Society in North Carolina.  Please do an internet search on Ben and the James City Historical Society.
The bowl is in excellent condition.  No cracks, chips, or breakage.  The bowl is about 6.5" wide, not counting the dragon and about 4.75" tall.  There is an area on the bottom, next to the signature, where the piece had to be broken free from the kiln shelf because the glaze ran and fused the two together (see next to last photo).  Also, inside the bowl there are some things that became fused to the bottom of the inside of the bowl during the kiln firing.  There is no practical way to remove them (see last photo).  This is an early piece and if you have seen some of Watford's other dragon pieces, you have discovered that the dragons have evolved over time.
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