Splendid Flame

Please mark your calender for my next show February 6-28th at THE SPIRAL GALLERY in Estacada, OR. Opening night reception is February 6th from 6pm to 8pm. There will be wine, cheese, crackers and I'm working on a little live music too.

I will be showing pieces from my most recent firings in my kiln, The Chicken Pot Pie, and from an anagama, Soulgama, in Brush Prairie, WA. I'm also excited to show a few fun Boho necklaces I've been working on with handmade wood-fired pendents.

I hope to see you there.
Cheers!

Saying Goodbye

It's been almost a year since my life changed forever with the loss of a very dear person. I've wanted to write this post for nearly that long, but it's been hard finding my way to it. This is not going to be a post about my dear friend, that is too personal, but a post about clay and the path to healing.

The decision for cremation was made and the ashes would be spread on our property during an intimate gathering of only the closest friends and family. I have to admit the first thing that came to mind was the scene in The Big Lebowski with The Dude catching a face full of Donnie's ashes. Things can go very wrong when spreading ashes and although amusing in a movie one should try to avoid it in real life. My dear friend was gentle and sincere and I just had to find a way to give him a gentle farewell.  

I looked around for ideas, but with ashes the best people have to offer is dropping from an airplane or having the ashes turned into fireworks and shot into the air. Both of these would be great send offs for the right people, but not this one.  Somehow the story of chai tea on Indian trains came to mind. I got to work.

I started throwing small unfired urns that we could carry into the woods, spend a moment saying goodbye, and place under trees, ferns, flowers. With the rain the clay would gently dissolve and the clay and ashes would gently become one with the earth.  

I write about this here to give the idea to others looking for a way to say goodbye peacefully. It is an option that I wanted to share.

Let your heart sing.

-B

Loading a wood-fire kiln

Loading a wood fired kiln is a labor of love. Loading any kiln is like putting together a puzzle with no idea what the final picture looks like. Wood firing adds another step, every piece that will touch another surface needs to be separated by wadding and or kiln wash (which is a watered down version of wadding). You will see the little balls under all the pots as they are going in. This includes the lids of pots.

This video is short and sweet, don't want to bore you.  This will give you just a little taste of how the process shakes down.

P.S. I apologize for the quality of this video. I will never claim to be a tech savvy person, but I just had to give this a shot. Enjoy!

The Estacada Development Association
presents
The 3rd Annual
Estacada
Winter Artisan
Show & Sale
Fine Art...Fine Crafts...Folk Art...
Quality Handmade Works
December 6,    5-8pm
December 7,   10am-5pm
Estacada City Hall
on Broadway at Historic City Hall
in Downtown Estacada
Proceeds benefit Estacada’s Main Street Program
Door Prizes Drawn Half Hourly
more info at:
 www.EDA1.org
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I still have lots to do before my show, but I've got a few new decorative pieces that took me out of my comfort zone and got me to play and explore. I'm getting the pieces ready and I'm excited to show another side of myself. Just a few weeks away....September 6th is the opening.

www.thespiralgallery.com

U Know Me (or Yunomi)

Yunomi (Japanese: 湯のみ) is a teacup, that is taller than wide, with a trimmed or turned foot. Unlike the more formal chawan tea bowl which is used during the Japanese tea ceremony, the yunomi is made for daily (or informal) tea drinking.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. Although we haven't had much of a chance to camp, as we do most summers, we have been getting lots of things done around the farm. In addition to the daily chicken, goat, garden and dog chores, we've added bees and I'm putting in as much time as I can in my studio. I've got a couple interesting projects coming up. The 4th annual The Powerhouse Project, 2nd Annual OPA invitational show at the North Bank Gallery in Vancouver, and most importantly my own show at The Spiral Gallery September 6-29th.

I'm working on some new and very different decorative pieces. A little out of my comfort zone, but I'm having fun and enjoying the challenge. I hope you will consider joining me for the opening reception of my show "hands/fire/heart" on September 6th from 6-8pm at The Spiral Gallery, 341 S Broadway, Estacada, OR 97023.I'll be showing work from wood kilns as well as some low-fire Terra-cota. Speaking of that, I better get back into the studio. 

My individual show will be in September. The opening will be the first Friday, September 6th. Also, check out our summer schedule of little art classes. www.thespiralgallery.com