stacking gleena bowls and plates is just so satisfying...

warm gray, mustard, and turquoise dessert bowls

beachstone celadon rustic bowls, salad plates, and platters

rose, with blue interior, rustic bowls

patience...

I wrote about Penny Elizabeth Neal’s work a little while ago, and once Penny’s shop re-opened on Etsy, I purchased this lovely collage...

Photo by sparrowsalvage

Photo by sparrowsalvage

Here is the description of it from Penny:
Men and Women wonder... 

An original paper collage 'exquisite corpse' poem, made from strips of found text from a 1940s encyclopaedia set and sticky taped on vintage book paper. The theme in this poem is the landscape of science and human thought, how sometimes the answers aren’t found by hunting and analyzing, but by sitting still and listening. 

I choose sticky tape rather than glue for these poems because I wanted to evoke a feverish, amateur feeling- as if someone had patched the poem together in some mystical revelation rather than methodical artistry. I wanted a Close Encounters moment.

And this is what it looks like on my mantle.

And what it looks like when the votives are all lit up, creating a small altar to mother nature and patience...

monday, monday...

Mondays are hard, I work on the weekend, so Mondays are always hard. Doing what you love is not all roses and lilacs. Though I do love how lilacs look in this gleena boat vase on this Monday morning...

big thank you to BH&G for featuring the animal wee t’s!

The animal wee teas are featured in the May issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Thank you!

to South Korea with love

Definitely the largest order I have ever worked on, I was honored to create a unique collection for Shinsegae, an upscale department store in South Korea.

The many carefully packed boxes were picked up today by a giant semi, and it was sad to see them all shrink wrapped and leaving. I know, it’s a little strange to get attached to an order, but it had been my life for the past two months. A lot a lot of work went into it. It took about a week to pack it all up. I hope it arrives to its final destination safely, and is appreciated once there.

saturday, may 4th from 10am till 4pm, on Benefit Street in Providence, RI

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: