NY Now

NY Now (formerly the Gift Show) opens today/tomorrow at the Javits Center in NYC. Once a regular participant, I took a break from this mammoth (and exhausting) trade fair in the hope that my stellar work would carry the day. Well, I have been lucky, but business demands one remain in the game. Thank God for Janet McKean. Janet and I worked together back in the day through the gift show and she has been instrumental in getting my work into the window on Madison Avenue at the Whitney Store Next Door, on Broadway when the Guggenheim Museum had its store there and loads of other cool shops nationwide. She has also been instrumental in getting me tons of press including a clip in the New York Times, the cover of What's Hot in Elle Decor and the "O List" to name a few.
I have no doubt we will again win the hearts and minds of our new and old friends and buyers with our thoughtful and steady vision. Do come and check us out! Booth #7654 

Optimism

New cat and mouse images on small oval dishes

Thinking positively often gets a bad rap. A method for keeping the mind above the fray, positive thinking and doing according to a belief in a positive outcome can help establish a routine of thought that in the long run will do more to advance the human condition than its opposite. When I am focused on what is wrong in the world or in my life, looking at how things haven’t gone exactly the way I had hoped or dreamed, I am doing myself a profound disservice. For every critical voice in my head, seeing what isn’t there, I am missing what is there. If instead of the critique, I enlist gratitude, my head is suddenly taking a backseat to that which has more power anyway – my heart. Love is the antidote to the ails of the world, even if the world that I implore is my little corner of the world. My backyard.

James, Sage and Carrie wrapping dishes to ship

In my backyard, the studio is preparing for the New York Gift Show, now known as New York Now, as we wrap the fruits of our labors from these past few weeks. Deeply imbedded in the new work are images of animals and words of inspiration that remind me, for one, of my commitment to keeping my head up, or at least when I look up from my work, I am reminded to chose to see the beautiful clouds in the sky, a bird in flight or hear wind rustling in the trees. I am grateful.

Clearwater Festival

Summer is a great time to visit music festivals and community events in the region. This weekend a huge and famous festival is happening in Croton-on-Hudson, the Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival.  Music, art, food and information about the river frame this two day extravaganza. The Clearwater is a ship built by Pete Seeger to bring the plight of the Hudson River to bare on those who would more inclined to witness a gorgeous sloop on her waves than listen to the chest pounding anger of an environmental activist. Poetry over politics. More about the history of the ship and the organization here.

The Clearwater sloop sailing on the Hudson River.

I am foraying into regional craft shows this summer, part of my local economic and community building efforts. This event is my kick off. Its been hectic in the studio, we have been busy making lots of new things for this kind of venue. There will be more images in the coming days. Meanwhile, come see us if you are at the festival and stay tuned for more information about other fairs.

Welcome to Summer in Spencertown

For the 8th year in a row, our little burg of Spencertown, NY is holding its annual welcome to summer event in front of the church on the green in Spencertown. Originally a fundraiser for the historic clapboard church, a relic of days gone by but still a specimen in the history of Columbia County, the event is evolving into a lively and welcoming community day celebrating summer with music, food, plants and handmade as well as vintage wares for sale.

I will be there with pieces from my popular Faith and Wisdom collection as well as an abundance of coffee cups and specially priced platers, soap dishes and other pieces I seem to have a lot of in the studio. Special pricing for the fair.

Frances Culley designed the poster this year and I love her antiquarian aesthetic. Contrasts with my tendency toward a modern look. Diversity rules! If you are in the neighborhood or looking for a fun outing, should be worth the drive. Weather forecast is sunny, though might be little cool. Pack a sweater.

Hope to see you this weekend!

Mother's Day

As a daughter, Mother's Day was always a holiday that I acknowledged (I think!) out of a sense of gratitude (in my best moments) or perhaps obligation (in my less than best moments). As a mother, Mother's day feels a little different. Not quite a birthday, but a unique holiday for me in my family. I always like to get flowers because this is such a great time of year to get things moving in the garden. Everyone is different about how they acknowledge this special day.

According to Wikipedia, Mother's Day was created by Anna Jarvis to celebrate her own mother who had been an advocate and worker for womens' health and sanitary conditions. The holiday became an opportunity for the floral and greeting card industry to sell more stuff, a development Anna Jarvis deeply resented. Jarvis actually spent the rest of her life fighting what she saw as the corruption of a memorial to mothers and objected to sending printed greeting cards calling that practice "lazy" vs. writing a letter. (sounds like a bit of a perfectionist?) Well, I disagree and love to recognize my mom (with printed cards and sometimes flowers!) and be recognized by my son and husband. I know they will buy me a card and some flowers. If I didn't make my own vases, they might buy me a seed vase or tea pot.

However you acknowledge the woman that made your life possible, I do hope you will do it with style. And enjoy it with her if you can!

Localvore

I have always been inclined to try my best. Whether that means to make the best art I can, or be the best friend I can or mom or wife, or, and now this category has been growing during the past few years, citizen. I try to be the best citizen I can. That said, and what, you may wonder, does that mean? I think the environment matters a great deal in fact I think the environment is of the utmost importance. The environment, of course, includes nature but nature is by extension all things if you really get down to it. That means where I buy (and sell!) my stuff matters, a lot. What I eat for dinner matters, a lot. Where it came from, how it was grown and who grew it, how they were treated or are treated, and how much did they get paid all matter a lot.

These get to be very complicated issues very quickly. One way to keep a slightly tighter handle on the ins and outs of what is actually ethical living is to do as much as possible locally. Now, this is by no means an absolute. But, it can represent a significant percentage of where I spend my dollars and in turn where I sell my work.

Of course, trading far and wide is a wonderful way to broaden my work in the world and I love to do that. That doesn't mean I neglect the neighborhood that I live it and as I grow in this place I make more of an effort to be sure my thing are available in their best light in local shops.

So, last week I set up a nice fresh batch of Faith and Wisdom cups and plates at the Grainery, a wonderful health food store on Main Street in Chatham. Kathy and Chris run a sweet business with a long history. Keeping it local! More of that all the time.

Happy Easter!

My friend Elke Rosthal, photographer extraordinaire, took this lovely shot of one of my bowls full of the hard work and labor of Sebastian and Julian.