gleena seconds giveaway

Four rustic bowls, glaze irregularities and a small piece of kiln shelf coating on the bottom of one of the bowls.


Two roomie cups, uneven glaze, and a small bald spot.


Two wee tea cups, uneven glaze with a few bald spots.

The pieces above have glaze imperfections, and I would like to find them a home. Each piece was made by hand using my special formula porcelain, but the glaze just did not sit right. The pieces are food, microwave and dishwasher safe. Leave me a comment and let me know which items you are interested in adopting.

I will be away for two weeks, and if there are a lot of takers, I will draw names out of a hat and announce the new owners upon my return on July 13th. Shipping is included in the free price, though I will only ship in the US. Click on the images for a larger view.

monday inspiration

The three day sale at the Newport Flower Show was a mixed experience: beautiful location, incredibly organized event, super fun neighbors, very slow economy. This morning, feeling a bit run down, I looked around the web for some inspiration, and came across these typographical works by Hanna Viktorsson. Hanna's "Incomplete Manifesto on Growth" reminded me that it is important to do what I love and to love what I do, the financial rewards are secondary. I broke even at the sale this past weekend, and that's pretty darn good.

flowers and tents at rosecliff mansion

Flowers and foliage on exhibit at the Newport Flower Show.

The Newport Flower Show is being held at Rosecliff, in whose ballroom The Great Gatsby (1974) was filmed. The location is stunning, and my view from the booth is of white tents and the ocean. After a stormy Friday (lightning and thunder), today was gorgeous. The sun dried the lawn in the morning, and in the afternoon, the fog rolling in off the water cooled things off. A three day sale is tough, but this location makes it so much easier. I take frequent breaks to look at the many many incredible flowers and arrangements on display. Click on the images for a larger view of the loveliness.

The back lawn overlooking the ocean, dotted with vendor tents.



The facade of Rosecliff, designed by McKim, Meade and White


The ominous sky right before the thunderstorm on Friday.

flowers for the flower show

For the next three days I will be at the Newport Flower Show. The weather promises to be warm, but rainy. Perfect for flowers, but not so good for my frizzy hair. Here are a few pieces all ready to go into a decal firing. The images will turn a sepia brown color in the firing. Visit me in Newport to see how they turned out.

astro tiles

I had a grand vision of creating a wall of oversize tiles with vintage etchings of astronomy, meteorology, mathematics, and physics. My porcelain is not cooperating. The size of the tiles is just too big for the strength of the clay. They twist and sag and crack in the high fire. Out of four, only one survived. I think I will switch to making a wall of plates instead.

back to drawing

My grandmother gave me water color drawing lessons when I was very little. We drew from a still life, which grandmother would set up. Here we all are, in the "cold room" at the dacha, focusing on our works. Funny that I (on the right) am faced away from the still life on the table, hmmmm.


Grandma was a master at watercolor, she made it look easy (it's not).


I visit the dacha every three years or so, one of my watercolors was in the kitchen a few years back. Here it is behind me on the table.


I have not drawn in years, and decided to give it a try, remembering grandma's words that a shaky line is much more interesting than a perfectly even one. It's a start.

playing with type

I purchased an assortment of metal letterpress type, and for the past week have been experimenting a bit. There are so many options. The following samples are not fired, still dry clay, or "green ware". I'm excited to glaze them and see how the color enhances the letter forms.

still life saturday with photographer roland bello

all photographs are from rolandbello.com

Roland Bello is a photographer living and working in New York City.

plaster meets buddha

photographs courtesy of Arlene Shechet

The work of Arlene Shechet caught my eye because of its gutsy use of materials and surface decoration. A fellow RISD alum, Ms. Shechet is a widely exhibited artist working with clay, glass, and plaster. Her work moves between the abstract and concrete, between figure and imagination. I am moved by her courage to put work out there that she needs to make, unexpected explorations of form and medium. Her Buddha series embodies tranquility with a hint of frustration, the serene figures splattered with violent color. There is a haste in their making, building out of hydrocal, a plaster that dries relatively quickly, a process contradictory to the subject. Buddha is all about patience and acceptance, Arlene Shechet is not.

lines & shapes

Two artists continually impress me with their desire to create and to collaborate. Maria Vettese and Lena Corwin founded Lines & Shapes to publish the work of artists who share in their view of the world.

Maria Vettese lives in Protland, Maine and first came to my attention as one of the creators of 3191, A Year of Mornings. Lena Corwin is a textile designer in Brooklyn, New York, who is also a teacher, a writer and an illustrator. Within Lines & Shapes Maria and Lena have assembled a group of artists who inspire with their soulful approach to design, photography, illustration, painting, and printing.





photographs from Lines & Shapes

tourmaline

I love checking in with Akira, who runs twist on line. She is always pointing me toward beautiful, tempting jewelry like Margaret Solow's tourmaline necklaces. Tourmaline is a semi-precious crystal, and comes in a variety of watery, translucent colors. Myths abound about its calming, balancing, and protective powers. Margaret's simple, elegant shapes remind me of gently washed beach stones, immediately bringing to mind soothing sounds of the ocean.

photographs from twist on line

ecoresin

My neighbor Seth Stem introduced me to 3form, an environmentally conscious fabricator of translucent plastic panels for interior and exterior use. I am inspired by their organics line, panels of beautifully preserved natural materials, as well as their eco-friendly philosophy.




Here are some of their organic patterns: dried leaves, flowers, and branches pressed between clear plastic panels, like botanical specimens. Click on the images for a larger view.


photographs from the 3form website

for the love of type

photographs are from Letterpreservation239, an ebay store

I have been looking to expand my metal letterpress collection beyond the letters t, e, and a, which I currently own. On ebay, I found an incredible shop that makes my mouth water. Letterpreservation239 carries a plethora of full sets of metal and wood type. I am hoping to win a set of Bodoni, so I can spell out more than just "tea" on some of my ceramic pieces.