my mama's table

Martha Stewart American Made 2013

This year I was honored to have been invited back to participate as one of the vendors in Martha Stewart’s American Made Market. I loved being in NYC’s Grand Central Station, it has been so beautifully renovated since my days in New York. We had three days of bustling activities, with sales and attendance way up since last year’s event. Big thank you to the organizers, who worked from wee hours in the morning, to late at night to ensure a very smooth set up.

Also a big thank you to Martha Stewart, who was at the event every day, hosting the awards ceremony, meeting vendors, doing workshops, signing books. She still inspires with her energy, and charisma. Martha was the one who inspired me to create my own brand, as I’m sure she has done for many many others.

Here are a few moments from the event, there were oh so many more...

gleena next to Cricket Radio linens. Don’t we look good together?

mabo kids clothing. super adorable, beautifully made. i wish they came in big people sizes.

sydney hale soy candle. the most delicious, and subtle, fragrance. yummy and addictive.

It was a joy seeing so many incredible American makers recognized publicly at a beautiful event. There is a lot of talent in this country, small businesses doing what they love. I’m proud to be a part of this amazing community.

in a blink of an eye, summer is gone

Where have I been? My last post is from August 17th, while I was at the NY NOW show. I find it hard to believe that I blinked and more than two months went by. I got lost in purchasing a house, renovating it, moving in while it’s under construction, and juggling the contractor, the plumber, the electrician, the tile man, the painter, and well, my dog, Berrie (who freaked out over the whole thing). Then onto the RISD Alumni Sale in Providence, and the Martha Stewart American Made event in NYC’s Grand Central (all in one week). And of course there is my studio work and filling all the amazing orders I got at the NY NOW show. Whew. Now I have a moment before the Holiday craziness really starts, taking a breath to enjoy my favorite season. Hello Autumn, you snuck up on me...beautifully

gleena past and present

I am in NYC for the NY NOW show, and am staying at my dear friends’ house in Brooklyn. M&A have collected my work from the very beginning, and keep it beautifully displayed (and constantly in use) in their kitchen. I love the way they have mixed early (the turquoise) and current gleena in with vintage serving pieces and french cafe o’lei bowls.

I am very grateful for M&A’s continuing support, their encouragement keeps me going and inspired.

how to make a cover for an ice bucket, out of liquid porcelain, hmmmm...

The cover had to be spacious enough for the ice bucket to be removed easily. Making a model is a hard process, made more difficult by the fact that my porcelain shrinks about 10% while it goes through all the firings.

For the ice bucket to fit well, the model had to be at least 10% larger than the final product. Quite a design challenge.

I created a model out of plaster, it is giant, and heavy, and took about two months to get right, the first and second try ending up being too small.

The mold for the cover, also out of plaster, is even larger.

It takes 5 gallons of porcelain slip (liquid) to fill the mold all the way to the top.

It is impossible to empty it out by myself, and I end up spilling the slip all over.

When the cover finally comes out of the mold, it has a very rough edge due to being drained upside down.

While the cover is in the ”leather-hard“ stage, I cut out the handles, and clean up the edges with a sponge.

You can see how much the cover shrinks, the knob of the lid is peeking out on top. It is well below the rim in the previous photo. The carrying handles double as a resting place for the ice tongs.

I made four covers, one for me, and three for the client, Lippincott, a graphic design firm in NYC. The covers are glazed blue inside, and ivory on the outside, to match Lippincott’s other gleena dishes, click here to read more about their custom tableware set.

gwyn hanssen pigott: 1935 - 2013

I first saw Gwyn Hanssen Pigott’s work at Garth Clark Gallery in NYC in the early 2000’s. She had a profound influence on my approach to ceramics. Her simple porcelain shapes glowed with subtle glazes, each with a distinct personality of its own. Hanssen Pigott’s pieces were frequently displayed in families, creating the “in between” spaces that define relationships.

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott died on July 5th, two days after suffering a severe stroke; working, traveling, and exhibiting until the end of her life.

I saved an issue of Australian Vogue Living from 2007, it features Hanssen Pigott’s house in south east Queensland. Here are a few of my favorite moments from the article:

“Pots on shelves and kitchen benches ... always within easy reach to use and enjoy — eating, pouring and drinking from them is her especial pleasure.”

From an interview with Hanssen Pigott:
“I wanted to say that when pots come out of the kiln; quite often, I mean very often, I just want to say thank you, because I feel they’re a gift...”
I agree, Gwyn. Thank you.

magical studio light

glazed, but not yet fired, porcelain

what remains...after glazing

I love the pattern left over by the bottoms of pieces after glazing...like a minimalist painting.

bearleader chronicle

Berrie and I had a lovely visit from Daniela Stallinger, the founder of Bearleader Chronicle, an online travel publication scheduled to launch this October. Along with my gem of a city, Providence, RI, gleena is very honored to be featured in the premier issue, here is a sneak peak:

photo by Daniela Stallinger

photo by Daniela Stallinger

And here is the talented Daniela herself, surrounded by gleena boat vases:

You can follow Daniela’s travels through Bearleader Chronicle’s Instagram.

Oh, and we had a fantastic meal at Birch, a brand new restaurant downtown Providence. Yummy.

Thank you so much, Daniela, can’t wait to see the first issue of Bearleader Chronicle!

of double rainbows and post-stormy skies

Some days bring those rare moments of clarity, when your thoughts are true, and your path is illuminated. The experience is like a post-storm double rainbow and skies, which magically appeared last night here in Providence.

and you feel... heroic... and ready.

big thank you to squam art workshops for a beautiful evening and inspiration

Where does inspiration come from? I think it seeps into us as we move through our daily lives, experiencing places, people, conversations. We carry it around with us, until it is time.

This platter came out of the firing last week, it was an experiment, an assortment of blues in my glaze collection, some are matte, some are glossy, some are semi-glossy. I didn’t really think about the application too much, just letting the glaze flow over the surface.

For the past few weeks I have been preparing for the Squam Art Workshops Art Fair, my third time there. The platter and Squam did not connect in my mind, until last night.

Right before the sale, I was eating my dinner on the dock, and it became very clear that this is where the pattern for the platter came from. From the serenity of Squam Lake, it surfaced from my memory to my hand to the platter.

Thank you, Squam, for all the loveliness and connections that have emerged from meeting you.

please visit gleena at squam art fair, squam lake, nh

for list of participating vendors and directions, please click here.

southern magnolia: from bud, to bloom, to decay, to seed

On my recent trip to Florida, I was lucky to live in a house with a southern magnolia tree, magnolia grandiflora, right out front. I was enamored with the blossoms, the scent is very subtle and sweet.

The tree blooms continuously, the stages of the flowers shown above happening at the same time. Even when decaying, the flowers are stunning.

I wish I could grow one in New England, but alas, it is too cold for this beauty. The New England magnolias bloom and shed their flowers in a span of a week.