Our Front Window Display

It started way back in January. Artist Lynn Peterson (she of the crucible of love creation....see the photo below and know that this is probably the single item which I have sold the most of over the years at Passionflower) and I were brainstorming some ideas for a front window.

I had just received this great handmade card from Portland artist Sue Tackmier.

"Okay, great!", Lynn would do a front window with a blackbird theme for Halloween. And here it is coming on October and Lynn has sent me some pictures so we can have a sneak peak of what she's up to.

She calls these Raven's Curiosites.........

This should be a window to remember. Stay tuned for photos of Lynn's window which is going up on October 5th.......

Visiting Potter Mary Briggs

One of the really fun things about my job is that I get to go to the homes of some of the artist's whose work we carry at Passionflower. One such outing took me to the very charming home of potter Mary Briggs who is going to have a show in our upstairs attic gallery this coming Friday.

Here's a shot of Mary's desk which kind of gives you the idea that she has some affinity for the past, for a time when life was a little simpler.

And above is a shot of some of her work which definitely gives you the idea that she is interested in a simpler time. Her work references french country pottery in it's choice of materials and colors and then she draws bucolic nineteenth century pastoral themes on the clay. Mary is one of those artists who is channelling another time in history.

Here's a shot of her studio - gives you an idea of the small scale she is working on.

And here's her kitchen where she keeps a collection of cups and mugs all made by favorite potter friends. Every one has a story. I love that.

She also keeps ducks and has a little pond for them in her backyard.....See all the things you can learn about someone from going to their home?

And I also got a deeper feeling for her craft. She takes glazed pieces before firing and draws into the clay.

It's like she's scratching the drawing onto the pot.

And another thing that happens when I visit is I get to see what else they might be up to- what they're incubating.

In Mary's case she's been practicing sculpting the animals with clay instead of drawing them.

Here's a spectacular flower frog that she made of a brown cow. We sold this piece last year.

I wish I had a better picture. The glaze had big solid crackles all over it. Everything was perfect about it. It was maybe 8 or 1o inches tall.

And here's some pieces that are sitting in small plastic rooms in her studio as they dry.

Be still my beating heart!!!! A woman and a minotaur. Mary wants to turn these into lamps.

Leda and the Swan. I asked Mary if these would be ready for the show but alas and alack she said she is having some problems with them. Pottery can be so fickle. I'm not sure I could tolerate working on something for so long and then having it come to naught because the glaze did something wierd, or something exploded, or one of any number of things that can happen. I guess if you're a potter you get lots of practice in turning over control to the forces that be and letting go.

But I definitely digress. In the meantime, I hope you have a chance to check out the show Mary is curating upstairs at the store. It will feature her pottery displayed in a very,( well how shall I tempt you ?) well a very peasant, boar hunting lodge kind of a way (if that's at all tempting).

The show will be up through most of the month of October.

Underwater Living

I was at the most enchanting Oregon Coast Aquarium last week. Where I got to contemplate all sorts of lifestyles so different from my own (and I don't mean sexual orientation or do I?)......

Strange and beautiful creatures of the sea -

The distinction between plant and animal seems all blurry underwater.

And everything moves in such a fluid way.

I beheld (and if that sounds a little biblical, it's because it was a transcendental experience) such a huge diversity of forms.

Mystery at every turn.

And I haven't even told you about the jellyfish or the octopus.

Dreaming is Good

So if I had eight weeks with nothing to do and no bills to pay and about $10,000 to do whatever I wanted with.....I'd take this class on classic and old photography techniques at Penland School of Crafts (in North Carolina) taught by artist Dan Estabrook whose work you can see above and click here if you want to see more of his dreamy pieces.

The View from Above

Sometimes, when I'm out a little early in the morning, I'll go about 5 minutes out of my way and head up to Skinner's Butte and take in the view. Kind of widens my perspective.

Good way to start my day.

Marcia's Memorial Service

Tomorrow at 3 in the afternoon at Opus VII Gallery will, what I am sure, be a very beautiful service with good people and good memories as we gather to remember our love for Marcia Macdonald. And I am also sure there will be good music. I remember Marcia walking to work one morning listening to her ipod, tears streaming down her face. "What's wrong? Are you OK?", I wanted to know. Perfectly fine, she was perfectly fine, just the piece of music was so beautiful, it had brought her to tears. Marcia was like that.

And here's something that brings me to tears. One of her last pieces she made, in which she was working through some of her feeling about having cancer. And which, with characteristic generosity she donated to a craft fundraising auction. I wonder who's wearing that piece now.

Many people will be wearing her work at the memorial tomorrow and I think that's a beautiful thing.

Remember this shot from Lark Press in Portland? Do you see the green and white print that is at about dead center in this photograph?

Well, I have another question for you.

Exactly how good do you think that print looks in my house? Well readers, that is what is known as a rhetorical question, because we already know the answer. I love everything about this print.... the color, the subject, the literalness, the mystery.......Also, and I know this goes against blog etiquette but I have to talk price here. This is a handscreened print by the artist, it's 5 out of 10 and it cost $50.......and that my friends, wether you shop at Goodwill or Gucci, is a bargain.....or maybe better known as affordable art!

The Jungle of Earthly Delights at Passionflower

While I was gone.....

We replenished our supply of butterfly wings....

got a whole slew of mounted

insects

and many more beautiful framed winged creatures......all of which I think inspired Becky

to raid our stash of fun papers and to cut loose with her favorite striped paper (vintage Target) so that she might dress her boy in some butterfly finery......

Could he be more charmant?

She calls him Jungle Boy......and I want to go on a walk with him.....

Late Summer Store Shots

It was fun coming back to the store after a week in New York and seeing everything with a fresh set of eyes.....(plates by John Derian)

I love the earthy organic vibe (driftwood sculpture & vintage Chinese cart wheel),

our hint of ethnic (Ethian Coptic Cross)

AnD OUr CaBIneT of CuRIosItIes (ceramic tumbler with spider image by Laura Zindel).

It's always good coming home.