friendly friday!

helloooo, internet! 

i'm feeling excited today, not only because the sun is out and its warm, but today is the first day of my new series of posts called friendly friday.  ff will focus on highlighting the work of people and things that inspire me, and since inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere, so will these posts.  i am really looking forward to channeling my creative energy in this way, and i welcome you to share with me the people and things that inspire you for potential feature in this series.  i'd like this to become bigger than me, if you know what i mean.

i am also excited to launch this little project by showing off my talented, enthusiastic, hard workin' assistant, Jeremy Jorgenson.  his creative, curious, engineering mind and amazing knowledge of processes and tools have essentially revolutionized the way things get made here in the studio, all for the better.  

here are just a few of the things he can do: graphic design, mold making, machinery design, building design.  he can turn a 2 liter soda bottle into a 5 foot tall soda fountain, be a great dad, work outside in the snow when the temps are below zero, and put up with my shenanigans, as well as my silly dog (no small feat).  he plays guitar and sings too. a true renaissance man!

most recently, he completed the process of building a CNC machine for us to use here in the shop.  check her out...

our new addition.  a heavy dose of awesome sauce.

the planning and execution of this is an amazing accomplishment. i am beyond impressed, and, honestly, i don't really even understand how he made it all work. magic is how i like to think of it, but i know its not that simple. it was about a year in the planning, and a few months in the building and a couple of weeks in the programming, and now i am proud to announce that we have just recently gotten our first test pieces to work. 

the designing and building was painstakingly planned by jeremy, and the rest has been accomplished through a little trial and error, (always the best teachers, i think) tweaking and re-tweaking, and trying again.  all of this, while a little scary, has been super exciting and fun. the thing is a game changer in so many ways for both the business and my own personal health and well being. priceless!  i think he had fun doing it, too.  

jeremy and the kids figuring it out.

but this isn't just about the amazing machine, its about Jeremy's can-do attitude and continued enthusiasm to tackle big projects and generally just make things better, even when i drag my heels. i am thankful for his willingness to stick with me, sometimes at his own expense. you just don't find people like that everyday, and i am lucky to have him.  

so, here's to Jeremy for being super awesome! he inspires me to be a better maker and business owner, and his ability to help me muddle through the day to day is sometimes amazing.  i am so grateful.  

he'll probably be embarrassed, but the world needs to know! 

yay!

thank you reena!

last weekend i went to my hometown to celebrate and honor one of my heroes, Reena Kashyap.  it was the annual benefit for the clay art center, which this year honored Reena, who stepped down recently as executive director.  this woman is amazing, for those of you who don't already know. despite the traffic that made me 2 hours late and almost miss the event, i was glad to have at least been there for the part where everyone spoke about Reena.  also i'm glad i got to see her and give her a hug.  she doesn't know it, but she is one of the biggest and best reasons i am still working in clay.  and even if she did know it she would act like its no big deal. but it is to me.

growing up in rye, ny i had worked at the clay art center in the 80's when it was owned by elsbeth woody, who i never met as she was always traveling, and the studio was run by a couple of guys from nyc, i believe.  i did a work exchange there and was responsible for cleaning one of the big downstairs rooms, which was then just a huge, dark, mostly empty room. "cleaning" was kind of a futile exersize given the condition of the room, but i think they were just trying to find something for me to do...now that space is cleaned up, well lit, and houses many working artists, thanks to Reena.  i made a few things there during that summer, but the clay art center at that time was just a shadow of what it is today.  under Reena's guidance and unwavering effort, enthusiasm and hard work the studio has grown and flourished in amazing ways.   

sick of my desk jobs, i became determined to attempt a life in clay.  i pretty much cold called CAC from colorado, where i was living at the time, thinking it would be the same as when i had worked there before, but i was in for a huge surprise.  there were new folks in charge.  my call got connected to Reena, and i told her what i wanted to do, that i had worked there in the past, and i asked if i could come do a similar work exchange as i had before.  she said i could come, and to come see her when i got to ny.  it was a short and simple conversation, but because of it i packed up my things, said goodbye to colorado, and drove the 33 hours home.  it was kind of a crapshoot, really.  there was no guarantee that she would have space for me, and i think she was surprised when a month later i showed up in the office, ready to go.

there was no studio space available for me to use when i got there, so she let me work in the classroom in exchange for helping out with a few classes. the place had been completely overhauled!  there were studio spaces upstairs and down, the old apartment had been turned into offices and a community kitchen space, the big dark room i used to sweep was now a giant studio buzzing with about 10 or so studio spaces, and there was a gallery and a classroom.  the glaze and kiln rooms were the same, but now things were happening and everyone was making and energized about clay.  there were people all over the place making things and talking about making things. i was blown away.  it wasn't just a big open space with a few folks milling about...it was a hive of activity.  after a few weeks i knew i had found my place and my people.  it makes me tear up even now, some 13 years later.  it changed my life forever!

i worked in the studio for 2 years, getting my portfolio together to apply to grad school.  it was such an amazing time for me.  i learned so much, from so many people, some of whom i am lucky enough to still have in my life. but, i am forever grateful to Reena, for not only did she give me space to work, but she actively took a role in making sure i learned as much as i could while there.  she let me teach classes, she introduced me to established artists, she opened my eyes.  and i'm not the only one she has done this for.  there are countless others who have had the chance to learn and be supported by her.  she created a welcoming and inclusive community that fosters the sharing of knowledge and love of ceramics. her enthusiasm is infectious.  i haven't even touched on her community outreach efforts, which extend far and wide, and have brought clay to so many people who otherwise would have no means to access it, let alone know that they wanted to! 


in her speech last week Reena said "take a clay class and you can live forever."  she will live forever in my heart, and judging by the turnout of the event, many other's hearts as well.

i am so grateful for my time at the clay art center.  i am lucky that i got to experience the energy and education that was going on as a result of Reena's efforts. being in the room at the benefit with so many familiar faces from that time, and seeing so many new ones, made me realize how truly blessed i was to be taken under her wing, if only for a short time.  i wish i knew back then what was really happening, because i would not have taken one second for granted.  i didn't know how good i had it! i miss CAC every day for so many reasons, and it will always hold a special place in my heart.  i wouldn't be where i am without it.

THANK YOU REENA!!

new york new york big city of dreams

hello!  so, i went on a lovely trip to nyc a couple of weeks ago that i'd like to tell you a little about.  it had been a long time since i had been there, so it was quite nostalgic and inspiring at the same time.  i stayed with my lovely cousin on the upper west side, so i got some family in there too.  i spent a lot of time in the city while growing up, so though i now live in vermont, i still have a very soft spot for that crazy place.  it was a little amazing to me how easy it was to shift right back into 'city-mode' after being a country mouse for so long.  i liked it.  it felt good.  grounding.

i went on this trip for a few reasons...to check out new york design week, to hopefully get inspired to make some new things, and to research some potential new venues for my work.  i saw a LOT of beautiful and inspiring work, but, of course, was mostly inspired by the city itself.  here are a couple of details of a huge wall of glued keys in a crazy pattern i saw in the west village while wandering around aimlessly.

i also stopped by this GORGEOUS shop called the end of history.  it was packed to the gills of beautiful and impeccably preserved glass and ceramics of all kinds. i could have moved in there, but instead i just took a bunch of pictures.  many thanks to them for their generosity in that respect, because i went a little crazy. i doubt there is a better place to see so many quality pieces all together.  amazing.  really.  love.

so needless to say i got a lot of food for thought while away.  there are, without a doubt, going to be some changes afoot here in the studio within the next few months.  though i'm not quite ready to reveal them now, (i'm honestly not even sure what some of them are yet) stay with me, because as they become clear i will share, i promise.  

and hey, i'm still blogging, so that's something!  happy june!

xo

welcome spring!

it is spring here in vermont, and with that comes the awesome and sometimes overwhelming feeling of wanting to clean out, start fresh, and just generally be awesome.  my intentions are always strong, but with so many things on my plate i wonder if i'll be able to do it all! 

here is a partial list of things i want to do in no particular order:

• work on new designs
• play in the studio!
• test new glazes
• plant a garden
• organize my office
• update the website
• blog more
• decorate my house 
• ride my bike more
• go on a kayak adventure
• eat well
• get in shape

i figure if i write it out here i will be more accountable for accomplishing at least *some* of these goals!  

i have spent many years working hard in the studio to build this business and i am just starting to poke my head out of the ground.  i need to remember to be gentle with myself...i don't need to be militant about having fun!  also, sometimes i can get paralyzed with choice...if i take a day off and its nice outside i have trouble deciding if i should garden, or hike, or just go lounge by a river somewhere.  tough life, it sounds like, i know.  but i always want to use my time off wisely, and sometimes the path is not clear.

i know myself well enough to know that i will probably not complete every task on the list.  so i hereby give myself the gift of allowing partial completion, because some progress is better than no progress, and because its important to me to be spontaneous, flexible and open to whatever comes along that sounds enticing and/or fun and/or worthwhile.

and, hey!  check it out...just like that i am blogging.  maybe its easier than i thought (anticipation is always worse than reality, for me at least)  now if i can just keep it going....

happy spring, y'all!  wish me luck...

th

new blog!

yes.  its true.  i have a new blog.  a fresh start.  stay tuned for happenings, new items, pictures and good vibes from inside the shop and inside my head. this is a new beginning!  i am excited!

th