silver lining

Retail shows are hit or miss. Some shows are amazing, the audience totally gets my product, and I get incredible feedback. There is a certain high that comes along after a really great show. And on the flip side is the poorly attended sale, or when my work is completely wrong for the venue, or both. The feeling after those kinds of sales is, well, humbling.

Yes, it’s a huge bummer when you pack up as many bins as what you brought, but there is a very precious silver lining... I have met talented, generous, and overall incredibly lovely people during the very slow, poorly attended sales. While not busy with selling, fellow vendors have a lot of time to get to know each other, and the conversations form long-lasting bonds. We also do a lot of trading, and yesterday I was fortunate to meet, get to know, and trade with a very lovely horticulturalist. Krista’s flowers and plants now fill my home with beauty and joy...

I will also be contacting Krista to consult on my soon to be flower garden, and that is a very bright silver lining, indeed.

sometimes it takes a while for me to like new things...

I’ve lived with my drip glaze vase for a few months now, and I’ve decided that I like it and will make a few more to show at the NY Gift Fair in August. I wasn’t sure if the messiness of the glaze would bother me after a time, but it has grown on me instead. There is something liberating about glazing messy. I like it even more with spring blossoms and fresh green leaves...

glazing and firing the curvy vase, a four day process

the inside of the curvy vase is glazed first, the drips wiped off and the vases left to dry overnight. the outside is glazed the next day, again left to dry overnight

the vases are loaded into the kiln, and fired over the next twelve hours, going up to 2300°F. after reaching temperature, the kiln takes about eighteen hours to cool down before it can be opened

the glaze melts, and the inside color shows when the vases have been fired to 2300°F, you can also see how much the vases shrink in the firing, about 10%

lovely registry for Christine and Peter

I love how Christine chose mostly ivory for her set of dishes, accenting with mustard, pink, green, and orange on a few pieces. So elegant, and fun.

still life saturday with photographer paulette tavormina

Paulette Tavormina’s work is on view through April 7th at the AIPAD Photography Show, click here for details and to see more of Paulette’s work.

the hummingbird, the bat, and tulips, here’s to spring’s arrival, and a great weekend...

i have an obsession with multiples...

In studio, lines of curvy vases waiting to be glazed and fired...

At home, a line of lit votives...

maria sibylla merian: naturalist, scientific illustrator, entomologist

Born on April 2, 1647, Maria Sibylla Merian was honored today with a Google Doodle. And that is how I discovered her delicate illustrations, and read up on her career as a naturalist. Maria is considered one of the most important contributors to the field of entomology.

My image research in the naturalist world lead me to the dissection of a plant shown below (not one of Maria’s). I just love this kind of detailed scientific diagram: