Little Surprises

My son Evan gave me this tiny piece of coral that he found while scuba diving in Panama last year. I think it is one of the most wonderful , beautiful and hilarious gifts I have ever received!
He was amazed that he found it at all. It is right up there with the Raven skull a high aged boy on San Juan Island gave me. Great treasures.

Gallery Walk

Last night was Gallery Walk in Port Townsend. Lorna Smith has opened a tiny gallery that is all local ceramics and primarily features her work. She recently added my work to the gallery and I went to town after a day of packing to see how my work looked in her shop. I was more than pleased, delighted in fact. My little critters are in the window on glass shelves with great lighting. While I was looking at the display from the outside 2 women came up and commented on the work and went in and picked up several pieces. Lorna says she has been selling at least one of my pieces a day. She is happy and so am I. I'll try and get her as much work as I can before I leave for the southeast.
Here is a photo of me taking my hot critters out of the kiln at 1850F degrees so I can raku them. When it is really hot outside I end up covered in sweat. Fall and winter are better months for this work as you can imagine. I'll most likely will get up really early in the summer months in North Carolina to do the rakuing. I always enjoy firing. I love the spontaneity of the process. All raku artists are pyromaniacs at heart.
My studio and kilns will get packed last. The time I spend in the studio these days is my solace and refuge. The chaos of packing up the house is very upsetting. Yesterday I packed all my wall art and the house looks bare. Next I'll pack my treasures (shells, bird's nests, feathers, bones,rocks etc) and some of my ceramic art collection. Last will be the kitchen and clothes and studio. everyday I end up giving something away or placing things in the box headed for the local Goodwill. Sept 26th is the day I head out.

Cross Country Travels - Life is Change

I am starting to pack for my move to North Carolina.

To say that my life is changing is an understatement.

My house has sold in record time in a slow market just as Sara Creekmore said it would. By the end of 2009 I will be divorced after 35 years of marriage. My two grown sons will most likely be living in the Northwest so I will be a long ways from them. I have been living alone for the first time in my life.

I don't like it.

I am moving to NC to explore a new relationship and to explore an artistic collaboration. One Hundred Horses will continue as a business and new work will be evolving and added as I am ready to share it with the world. The last few months have been very up and down and full of discovery, pain and joy.

I am overwhelmed by the amount of treasures I want to bring!

Packing up the studio will be interesting to say the least.

Driving across the country will be an adventure. I have no idea what it will be like but usually I enjoy the spontaneity of travel and love being an onlooker and explorer in America and Canada.

My last cross country travels were back when I was 21 and hitch hiking across Canada and America several times in 6 months. I became addicted to the road. Back then I had a small journal that I drew in. Above is some of the work I did back then when pen and ink was my medium. Maybe I should bring the same journal and add to it?

North Carolina Landscape

I finally got to fire my first sgrafitto tile. I got up at 6:00am so I could take it out of the kiln after it cooled overnight. I'm hooked. I'd like to make many, many more. It takes me back to the drawings I have always done while sitting in class or talking on the phone. I am a serious doodler.

Salmon Treasure Boxes & New Raven Tiles

I have been designing some relief tiles and raku firing them. Along with the tiles I am working on some new designs for the Treasure Boxes. I have been experimenting with doing several salmon designs. I have to admit these are a lot of fun to do and I happy that both the tiles and Salmon Boxes are getting ordered by some of the galleries I am in. Expect more new work this spring after Jim and I do our designs this winter. More examples will be posted to my website:

www.onehundredhorses.com

Life is change.

I am beginning to get organized for my move across the country. My new home will be in Horse Shoe, NC.
Horse Shoe is in the mountains in the far western part of the state, 20 miles from Asheville and 10 miles from Hendersonville. So here I am going back to living in the mountains on the east coast. I spent 20 years in Vermont. I have been out here in the northwest about the same period of time and spent 19 years in CT before that. 20 year itch? So where will I be heading when I am 76?

Moving a studio is a bit daunting. I find myself working happily in the studio trying to get as many orders out as I can before the move. I have kiln anxiety. I sure want little Oscar (my small custom raku kiln) to be well packed. I'll be releived when I am unpacked and up and running in NC.
I have been contacting galleries I am already in in the region to let them know I will be a local soon. One gallery I contacted that I have not sold to in the past has placed an opening order with me.
I am going to explore all my options from retail shows to getting in the Southern Highland Guild that has 5 regional galleries.

I going to NC to live with Jim Whalen. We will be working in the same studio, he doing his amazing pots, me doing One Hundred Horses and then collaborating on Critter Pots together.
Kind of like his, hers and theirs when couple with kids get together and then also have kids of their own!
Packing up my inventory should be interesting. I will have to hit the ground running as this is my busiest season. My house has sold and I have to clear out before the 25th of September. I don't stop shipping until early December so it will be a busy fall.
I am planning on driving across the country with my dog Shadow. I'll see a lot of the country I haven't seen before and I will surely have some adventures along the way. I hope to see some family and friends as I wander south and east.
I know very little about the mountains of NC and I am going to enjoy exploring and learning about this new place I will be calling HOME. I'll miss the northwest. It has been very good for me to live here. If NC is half as good I'll be happy. Someone recently asked me if I have gypsy blood? Who knows?