my mama's table: November 2009

The Brooklyn Flea Gifted Show in Manhattan,
a must visit

Click here to view a super fun Good Day NY TV segment about this wonderful event. You can catch a glimpse of my booth in the back right-hand corner when the news anchor models an A.S.I.S. knit hat: gleena's 1/2 second of TV fame! In case you blinked and missed it, here is a close up:

My new Circus Font plates debuted:

I highly recommend Gifted if you are in Manhattan. I got through half of my holiday shopping list, and did not spend a fortune. The show runs through Dec. 24th, Wed-Sun, noon-7pm. About twenty vendors are there for the whole month, and thirty vendors rotate in and out. So go back weekly to see new stuff!

swirl plates

Late last night I finally finished the set of swirl plates commissioned by my friend, unfortunately not in time to ship them to him for Thanksgiving. If only he lived in Providence!

My mom sent me the gorgeous linen tablecloth and napkins, so I couldn't resist setting the table for a mini photo shoot in my loft.

To see the plates in their "green" (dried but not fired) stage, click here.

simrin botanicals

I love the linen botanical napkins from Simrin, wouldn't they be lovely on a Thanksgiving dinner table? Available at burkedecor.com.

set satisfaction: no. 4

gleena platter decorated with a lovely fern watercolor by Cynthia Treen. And a roly poly bowl, with vintage butterfly. This set is now available on gleenashop.

insects

I am still digesting my amazing trip to French Guiana last February, and it slowly shows up in my work. What struck me the most about the jungle was the amounts of insects everywhere, swarms of them on every millimeter of the forest. These two bowls are in celebration of the vast amounts of bugs I encountered.

nyc

Besides being a ceramist, I freelance graphic design, with most of my clients being in New York City. Having lived there for ten years, I love the city, its energy is an inspiration. The building where I am freelancing at the moment has fantastic, dizzying, views of Central Park as well as downtown Manhattan. It is quite the contrast to my quiet life in Pawtucket, RI, and I love this diversity. Click on the images for a larger view.

The above image is titled "How many yellow cabs can you find?" (15)

What a crazy place of juxtapositions, towering skyscrapers surrounded by water on all sides, with a giant park in the midst of controlled chaos.

shipping and receiving

I've been shipping out many gleena packages lately, and have to admit, I very much enjoy the packing up process. I try to picture the person opening the box, and want to make it as much of a gift-opening experience as possible. It was such a fun surprise to see Nellie's post about receiving her gleena order. Nellie ordered six blue rustic bowls, numbered 1-6. Here are her images of unpacking the box:

What a rare glimpse! Thank you, Nellie.

berry season

On my walk along the local boulevard, I found recently pruned berry branches that were about to be thrown out. They were gorgeous, and made a sculptural addition to my home. Click on the images for a larger view.

still life saturday with diana brennan

Diana Brennan's camera captures all the natural things that inspire. Diana's timeless photographs are available in her shop on Etsy.

thank you apartment therapy and sarah rainwater

I would like to thank Sarah Rainwater for her wonderful article about my loft which was posted on Apartment Therapy yesterday. Sarah took such lovely photographs, and I am now fortunate to have her among my friends. Visit Sarah's beautifully written story here. Click on the image below to enter the house tour.

custom wedding gift

My client chose the organic bowls set and the butterfly platter for special occasions, and the roomy cups for every day cups of tea and coffee. She wanted the pieces personalized, and decided on the couple’s names and date of their wedding on the serving pieces, and their initials on the cups.

This wonderful commission combined my two loves, graphic design and ceramics. I so enjoyed collaborating with my client, and designing the round mark for the couple. I used Mrs. Eaves typeface for the names and date. Applying it to porcelain instead of paper was very satisfying.

When the pieces fire in the kiln, part of the type and image fade by melting into the glaze and porcelain, creating a slightly antique feel. A lovely combination of old and new.

geninne zlatkis’ inspiration board

Via the latest issue of Uppercase Magazine, I found Geninne Zlatki's inspiring studio, and wonderful watercolor illustrations. I love her collections and inspiration boards, click on the images above for a larger view. What beautiful arrangements of natural materials, paintings, photographs and books. Visit Geninne's blog for more of her life and exquisite work.

From Geninne' journal.

Geninne's A to Z of birds.

mmmm friday...

photograph by Diana Brennan

Don't you just want to be there, doing that... I have never been happier for a Friday.

This beautiful image is available on Etsy, at dsbrennan.

bison australia’s envious color palatte

I love this color palette from Bison Australia Ceramics, it's just so tasy, as is the tableware they produce.

Read more about this fantastic little company here.

pattern paradise

Hawthorn Threads website has a brilliant function: you can search through their fabric stock by color. Not only are their textiles beautifully curated, their website is incredibly user friendly and inspiring. Maybe I will trade in my kiln for a sewing maching? At the very least, these lively color combinations and patterns will jumpstart a few plate projects.

artists in their home: no. 7

For Halloween, my neighbors Rich and Julie transformed their loft into a spooky pharmacy. With their combined talents for lighting design and graphics, they created something spectacular, and a little bit creepy.