my mama's table

artist in her home: no. 6

all photographs are from The New York Times

I found this fairy tale (which hapens to be a true story) in The New York Times today. Hope Sandrow encountered an unexpected muse while taking a walk in the woods, a Paduan chicken. Ms. Sandrow is a mixed media artist, whose work is in permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney and the Met. After a long period of not producing any work, she met Shinnecock, a large blond confident rooster, and began to create again, mostly chicken-related art.

Even the eggs laid by her now numerous chickens, are looked upon as sculptural installations. You just never know where inspiration will come from. More fowl-inspired art, including a video, can be seen at hopesandrow.com, there is even a live web cam. I love it.

fog linen

Yumiko Sekine is the designer whose simple, natural aesthetic makes Fog Linen irresistible. Yumiko produces her designs in Lithuania, bringing a modern sensibility to a country known for beautiful classic linen work. Fog carries everything linen for the home, as well as linen clothing, which I just found out I can purchase at Pod, in Brookline, MA. I just emailed with Yumiko, and she will be sending me her catalogue. Can't wait.

Here is a link to other shops that carry Fog Linen products.

glazed type

The typographical tray finally came out of the kiln. I had to fire it twice because the first time the glaze did not melt enough. I decided to experiment and fire to a lower cone, it was not successful. I should just stick to what I know works.

I am happy with the final result. The glaze pools gently in the letters, creating a subtle pattern. Some have expressed concern that food will be hard to clean out of the letters. The glaze filled in the indentations, so I don't think it will be a problem.

the farm affair

above photographs by Alec

Last week I spent several days on a farm, helping Alec weed, dig and plant in an organic veggie garden. Alec is spending the summer creating a large garden for his friends, who own a farm in Navarre, Ohio.

It was such a treat to wake up to a big sky, birds chirping, trees swaying, and have my tea and breakfast on a small porch overlooking the fields where cows grazed peacefully. Did you know that cows are super curious, yet shy, have a cowlick and really long eyelashes?

It is hard work to tend a garden, and to dig up new beds, but it is oh so satisfying to walk down to one of the beds and pick fresh spinach and lettuce for that night's dinner. There was so much spinach that we had to think hard of dishes to use it all up. Alec made a spinach lasagna, I made a spinach pie, and I also froze some of it. All you have to do is blanch the spinach before throwing it into the freezer in a plastic bag. Way better than buying a bag of it at the grocery store.

I live in an industrial area in Pawtucket, RI, where putting your hand in the dirt could be a health hazard. I came back from the farm completely refreshed and energized, appreciating the hard work it takes to raise food for the table, and wanting to do more of it.

and the new owners are...

Thank you everyone for your kind comments. This giveaway was so fun for me, and I will definitely do one again.

Dear Diane, Lazysundae, and Michelle, I am so pleased that these pieces will be a part of your homes. Please send me an email at asya@gleena.com and let me know your address.

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.