An Important companion

 Our kitchen/dining table is probably the most used piece of furniture in our house. I bought this antique English pine farm table before Wesley was born, knowing that it would see us through many years of family meals and it has. It looked so pretty tonight as we were getting ready to sit down and have supper, I took a photo for you.

As Wesley was setting the table she got out our cups. Each of us has a yunomi that Hollis Engley made. Wesley picked out hers when we stayed with them at Cape Cod, it had a tiny place that was unglazed and it leaked, even though it was a beautiful thing, and Hollis sent another one. That one she took to school. She took one bowl, one spoon, one fork, one cup, that cup (the one behind the bunny in the photo above).

Tonight as she was holding it, she said to me, "this cup was an important companion to me this past year." Sigh........... could a potter hear words any sweeter to their ears?

She continued to say that she drank everything from that cup, water in the morning, hot tea, warming hot chocolate, comfort to her on those cold dark lonely nights in her dorm. She had some very lonely times, but she found comfort with this cup. I think that speaks volumes to those of you that make functional pottery. So here is to all of you that make beautiful work that brings a smile, a moment of joy or comfort, or laughter, or a memory long forgotten. Thank goodness artists are not easily defeated!

Taking my girl to the beach this week for some head clearing. She went with her dad to cover the Nascar race in Charlotte this past weekend, and I think her head is about to come undone from the shear intensity of this southern unexplainable sport.....  Gerry has covered Nascar for almost thirty years now. Last night Wesley said, "I just don't see how he does what he does." I don't either, but he does it well.

Peace to those of you in Oklahoma, prayers for all
xo

Great Shakori Video

video courtesy of Gerry Broome


So.... remember Gerry was shooting a video at Shakori? Wesley helped with audio and it turned out fantastic. I didn't think I would be able to post it because he was making it for AP video. It took Gerry three days to shoot the thing, three days to edit, then it went to the video peeps and they took awhile to get to it, then got back to him saying it was a week old and they couldn't use it...... what?
So lucky for me, I got it for my blog. YAY for me, too bad for AP!  Susan and TIm are so talented, this deserves to be seen!
Enjoy......

Friday night fun, no wait, Thursday night!

 Congrats to my friend Laura for an awesome first night of her show!!! Lots of folks came out to support her and it was a fun night for all. There were even red sold dots on some pieces. That's the way you want to open a show!! This cloud piece wants to be mine, but some more art needs to get sold around here so I can afford it :(

 Laura has some great friends. I'm not sure I even know as many people as she had come for the opening. I really should rethink this reclusive lifestyle, but it would be impossible for me I fear. I like my aloneness :-)

 Another favorite piece, love her sweet smile....

 What a surprise! Wesley's old band mate, Matt Phillips, from Cole Park was there with his new band, playing on the front porch. It was so great to see him, brought back the old days of all those rehearsals in my house. My loom now sits where drums and amps and keyboards and guitars used to sit.....
notice the byob mug from Mark Heywood, it makes the perfect traveling companion!

The Korean barbeque food truck was really good. Let me just say this: Duck Fat Tots, OMG!!!! so good!
All my art pals were there last night and it was so great to see all of them. I am surrounded by talented friends, it's just amazing.

Laura hates it when I post pics of her on my blog, this seemed like a good solution, haha!

Thanks Barbara for the email to say that TODAY is Friday, I have no concept of time.....

Outsiders

 If you are around Durham this evening, stop by Outsiders Art Gallery! My pal Laura Farrow has an opening tonight and it is going to be a good one! Check out Laura's blog for more pics of her work here
at Tossing Ashes
Robert Bullock is the other featured artist and the show is called Anthro/Morpho.
See more at Outsiders website here

Outsiders is a great gallery, if you haven't been and love folk and outsider art, you really should check it out sometime. Tonight will be fun. Pam, the owner of the gallery is a fantastic hostess, Koyku Korean Barbeque food truck will be there and Wesley's old band mate Matt Phillips will be there with his new band.

This is my favorite piece, I can so relate to having my head in the clouds most all the time....
I hope lots of folks show up tonight to support some great art!!! See ya there!

New work

 I'm finishing up the commission for Woods Charter School principal. Fingers crossed. You know how it is, if a piece hears that it is designated for someone, it will kill itself every time. So, shhhhhh..... don't tell it. I like how it turned out, now to survive the fire.

 I also got this piece finished. It has been in my head for awhile.

 I went to see a performance by the Alvin Ailey dancers and the dance Revelations was breathtaking. There is one scene when the dancers all raise their hands together and all I saw was hands coming out of the roof of a barn. I envision lots of hands coming out at some point, but I'm going to start with three and see if they survive. I want to raku this piece, it's scary to think about, but it might work, no harm trying, this one doesn't have a destination yet. Since I am left handed I sort of like the three left hands, I could get all metaphorical if I did that sort of thing :)

Ignore the weather

 I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Mine was lovely, did a bunch of roaming around for a few days, but it was fun.
Like many of you, I had an outdoor event on Saturday. I was driving down to Saxapahaw and the clouds got darker and darker and finally right before I got there, the rain came. Of course.... Wesley was with me and we just pretended we didn't see the large drops of water hitting my car. I refuse to be defeated by the weather this year, I am mostly going to ignore it if at all possible!
It let up just a bit when I got there and then found out they had moved the market over to the Haw River Ballroom, which is a fantastic space, an old converted mill that is now a music venue.
The band got to play on the stage indoors, great for them, the sound system is fantastic. I had a choice to be inside or under the porch and I figured it would be better outside, so I set up right at the front door. I could see and hear the band and I had a lot of traffic. Did pretty well considering the weather.

My iris bloomed for Mother's Day, aren't they pretty?

 I sold another weaving. I really need to make more, it's fun to see people buying them.... my quick and easy set up is so hippy dippy, but I don't really care. It takes me no time to set up, the market only lasts for 3 hours, so I'm not really into a big ordeal. I still made money so it's all good. I'm bringing mostly pendants and a few inexpensive items, then just a few barns, which people pick up, oohh and ahhh over and then buy an $8 dish or $15 dollar necklace. It is what it is.....

 Mipso was the band, really good, I bought one of their CD's and we listened to it on the way home.

 View of the Haw River from my table, not bad, this river smells so good, takes me back to our paddling days when I smell that smell of a river.

 I sold one of the little houses on stilts, but mostly I sold pendants...... women will adorn themselves when they can't buy food, I am convinced of that!

We also went down towards Charlotte this weekend to visit Gerry's family, his sister came along with us and there was lots of laughter and catching up. Family is a funny thing. You can go for months and not see each other, then get together and pick up right where you left off. We love each other in spite of all the craziness that comes along with being a family, we share the good and the bad with each other without shame or embarrassment.

 Wesley and Gerry gave me a beautiful orchid. They also gave me a hand crafted cedar planter box from a gentleman at the Carrboro Farmer's Market. I have been looking at them for a year or more wanting to get one. I need to go out today and pick up some herbs to plant in it. I also need to get back to work in the studio this week. Finishing up the haiku barn, it's coming along very nicely!

Happy week, all
xo

There are messengers

There are Messengers

Who come forth from old trees

Bless us like sunlight

                                                     .........Wesley Broome

I have started working on the barn commission for the principal at Wesley's old school. He is a charming man, loves art, plays the piano, loves nature. He wrote a blog post about sitting in a Japanese garden and after I read it I was inspired to stamp a haiku on the barn for him. I asked Wesley to write it for me and this is what she gave me this morning. I got a little teary reading it. I knew she would deliver, she has a love for words like no one I have ever met. When she was at this school, she wrote many many haikus and she was inspired musically so many times by this principal. I remember once she came home and told me about walking in on him, alone at the piano, playing Colors of the Wind, her favorite childhood song. It was such a special moment that she will always have a memory of. 

I'm excited about this piece, it will be very special. I like commission work for these barns most of all, and that may be where I leave them. I can't see me making lots of them for sale anymore, but who knows.... right now, it's all about the small inexpensive work for the summer. And just getting back to enjoying the process.

Walt opens tonight, love opening night at the theater! I am still gathering props, jeez! with just 10 hours before we open, pretty typical. This used to make me nuts, now I just go with the flow.....