We were very sorry to hear of the death of Maggie Berkowitz, a long-standing Green Door member. Angie Mitchell has written the following tribute:

“I first met Maggie over  25 years ago at her Exhibition of How to wear a cat at the Brewery Arts Centre. I was blown away by the Tiles and have been an admirer and fan ever since. Among Maggie’s favourite themes were birds, children and cats all which were drawn with a beautiful Piccasoesque   quality of line.

I got to know Maggie over the years through exhibiting with Bay Potters but got to know her more when I lived just a couple of miles away at Carr Bank. I would often call into see her for coffee at her Milnthorpe home and studio , which was an Aladdin’s   cave of beautiful tiles and colourful found and collected objects.

Coffee was always freshly ground in an antiquated grinder fixed to the wall ,( much of which ended up on the floor) and was drunk from a selection of her favourite and famous  potters mugs.

There was always the smell of orange peel drying on the Rayburn and evidence of preparing apples and quince which grew in her garden.

Her studio was a riot of tiles, Sketches, glazes and under glaze , slips, bins and buckets and kiln furniture. 

Among her many achievements she was fluent in Italian, Swahili and Japanese , was an avid reader(no TV) and loved to play Scrabble .

She was an artist, ceramicist, teacher, parent, grandparent, mentor, traveller, friend and an inspiration to many many people. Her tiles cover swimming pools, arts centres, hospitals, town centres, loo’s homes and schools and much more!

My lasting  image of Maggie ; driving past her house and seeing her at her table in the glow of her  angle poise lamp, reading her newspaper . All was well in the world!”