I received this book as a gift years ago, when I was deciding to become a potter. I think I read it through, and was very inspired, both by Eva's life an her aesthetic. Thank you, Eva, for all you have given to the world of design.

One hand-Buttons!

Early this summer, while hiking in Maine on a lovely beach,
I lost my footing, fell, and fractured a finger. My finger was put in a
cast, and it was clear that I would not be working on the wheel for
some time-6 long weeks!

Luckily, the finger was not on my "good " hand, so I decided
to see what I could do with that. I did have a ton of bisque
at home to glaze, so I started there; then I moved on to rolling out clay to form small textured plates and cups; finally, I moved on to -BUTTONS!

Early summer

It has been a wonderful spring this year-so many days of

flowering shrubs, leafed-out hostas & ferns, roses and early

lettuces. We ended our spring here with the second Beacon

'Zero-waste" garden tour. Several gardeners shared their

gardens-food and or flower. An amazing beginning for summer in the

Hudson Valley!

ARTIST SHOWCASE


On Saturday, April 30th, I will take part in
an " Artist Showcase " series at the Byrdcliffe
Shop, in Woodstock. I will be there from 12-6,
with a selection of new work.

(If you have not been to Woodstock in a long time, it is still very
lively, with lots of places to visit, restaurants, etc.)

byrdcliffe.org

Potters have a very special connection to Japan;
I came across this image (every potter's nightmare?) on a blog post by Euan Craig, an
Australian potter who makes pots in Japan.
(euancraig.blogspot.com)

(My teacher went to Japan as an American
soldier in the fifties, and returned to the U.S.
inspired to become a potter.)

Euan's recent posts are a moving portrait of one
potter's experience of the recent quake.

I had a small taste of this myself, having been
a pottery student in California, and having lost
quite a few pots in a not very serious quake.

We can all help potters in Japan rebuild,
and several of us have undertaken fund raising
projects.

Starting tomorrow, 3/24, HANDMADE FOR JAPAN will be selling the work of many fine potters
and other artists through an Ebay store.

HEARTS AND HANDS FOR JAPAN, a raffle of donated items from various artisans, organized
by letterpress artist Lynn Russell, is available now at heartsandhandsforjapan.blogspot.com.

On April 8th, ARTS & CRAFTS UNITED FOR JAPAN, will open an auction on Ebay.

Japanese potter Makiko Hastings, who lives in England, is undertaking a project
entitled 1000 BIRDS FOR JAPAN. (makikohastings.blogspot.com).

Finally, the POTTERS COUNCIL is accepting donations to aid potters in Japan; please visit
potterscouncil.org.

Coping with cold

I read a post today from a blogger in Maine, who listed her strategies
for coping with the almost uninterrupted cold weather we have had
lately; at the top was drinking lots of tea! It definitely heads my list,
along with baking and soup making. It really is hard to plunge
my hands into an ice-cold slip bucket when the studio is not very
warm!

A New Year!

The icicles are very prominent this year-this is the view from
the studio window. (There is even one which is about four feet
long!)

Inside, I am finally feeling the energy to work on new ideas, and
to replace sold out forms for spring.