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    Back in the Saddle…

    I am officially back in my studio full-time after a year mixed with travel, making art in the middle of nowhere, and dealing with insane fires, politics and pandemics. It’s been quite a ride, but it is good to be back feeling hopeful so I’m hitting the ground running!

    I will admit that ‘the dirt’ has lagged along this year without very much intriguing content so thank you for sticking with me! Now that my hands are back in the clay on a daily basis and the kilns are firing up, I will have a lot more to share with you. I’m hoping to create more short videos of behind-the-scenes in the studio, step-by-steps and sharing where my inspiration comes from. I will also be featuring some artists that I’ve met in my travels over the past few years who inspire me and who are also inspired by nature to create their works. I hope that you enjoy meeting them in some upcoming posts!

    All the details about new works, upcoming shows and opportunities to buy new art will be coming soon… ’cause I’m baaaack!

    taking some time…

    As much as I’d like to say that I’ve been using the last few weeks of this year to be really creative, honestly… I’ve had more days away from clay than with clay. Instead, I’ve been focused on getting our new property in Baja set up and functional for camping on which comes with all kinds of unexpected and fun challenges.

    I’ve also been trying to enjoy the time with my husband as his sabbatical year comes to an end. This year was not what any of us expected it to be, but my personal positive take-away is discovering that spending all day, every day with my husband is fantastic. I’m so grateful we made the decision to take this year off- even if it was not what we planned.

    So as we approach the holiday season, I hope you also get some time and try to find what might of been a piece of positivity that came out of this last year too. And then we can all just rejoice in January 2021. I’m excited to hit the studio hard next year and crank out lots of new works and hopefully some new exhibitions. See y’all then!

    happy happy, merry merry

    ephemeral art in the arroyo

    One of the most intriguing spots within our new property in Baja is a small section of arroyo that cuts through a corner of the property. Initially, we were a little reluctant to buy property where we’d have to deal with the occasional moments of insane amounts of water but I have to say that it’s become one of my favorite spots to explore. The plants are different, the sandy soil lends itself to wanting to sit in and enjoy the space and it’s amazing to imagine how and where the water might flow through the space. So I decided that this would be the first spot I’d create an ephemeral art piece. The beauty of this being my own property is that I’m able to leave it installed and see what actually happens to it, I may add to it or it may dissolve on it’s own… time will tell… enjoy…

    If you want to see my 30 days of ephemeral art from earlier in the year, here’s the link: 30 Days of Ephemeral Art

    mini-studio in el desierto

    Since we’ve had a driveway and small camping area cleared on our property, the first thing I did was buy a table and set up my mini-studio under the shade of a Torote tree. It’s been a little bit of a challenge to deal with the intense sun and some wind but I’ve figured out a system that seems to be working. I’m continuing to work on my smaller Bone Series Medusa and Urchin forms while I’m here and will be able to fire them in a friends kiln before I make the journey north again. I’m hoping to have a large batch of these to show and get up in the online shop next year.

    In the meantime, I’m definitely finding inspiration here in the desert and the beaches. I’ve been finding and collecting all sorts of bits of bone and wood that inspire but my latest prize possession is this pelican skull below. The center photo is a close up of the fibrous structure of the beak connecting to the skull, I love how fragile and also how strong it is. I also love how translucent the bone is, so reminiscent of working in thin pieces of porcelain.

    inspiration from the desert

    I’m spending the remainder of the year at our property in southern Baja, and it’s so easy to get inspired here. I’ll be setting up a little mobile studio to get some new work built and connecting with some local artists to borrow some kiln time getting things fired. I’ll be sure to share the process but in the meantime, here’s what I’ve been looking at for inspiration these days. I post a lot of these images on my Instagram feed, if you want to follow me over there too.

    Distant Ceramics Online Exhibition

    I just received notice that one of my newest pieces from the Bone Series: Medusa series was selected for an international online exhibition! You can see all 35 artists chosen for this exhibit here: Distant Ceramics

    About: Distant Ceramics was created by Thomas Stollar to provide an outlet for artists during a time when physical exhibitions have become more difficult. This is the second edition of the online exhibition. Artist, and Associate Professor of Ceramics at West Virginia University Shoji Satake juried the show. We are very excited to announce that for this edition of the exhibition we received 320 artworks, from 125 international applicants. From this pool Satake, chose 35 artworks for the exhibition.

    New! Visiting Artist Network

    In lieu of Open Studios this year the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County has been hard at work developing an online platform for all of the Open Studios artists called the Visual Artists Network – AND IT JUST WENT LIVE!

    You can check out my individual page here, but be sure to explore and see all the talent that Santa Cruz has to offer!

    About: The Visual Arts Network is a curated directory of over 300 artists living and working in Santa Cruz County. Here you’ll find creators of all kinds — from painters and sculptors to woodworkers and glass blowers. Each artist has their own page where you can learn about their process & their creations and connect with them directly. Search by name, location or medium, explore all the artists, or meet featured artists . Explore the Network and meet your creative neighbors!

    For 34 years, artists across Santa Cruz County have shared their creativity directly with the community through the Open Studios Art Tour, a program of Arts Council Santa Cruz County. This year, our methods have had to adapt, but our mission has not changed. While we won’t be making that connection in person, we’re excited to present this online space where our county’s creators can showcase their work and build relationships with local art-lovers.