It has been a year that, more than most has been filled with extremes of great joy and great sadness.
This has felt like the longest winter of my life, in more ways than one!

Spring has finally arrived and I look forward to the coming spring events which will begin soon.

New this year to our local area is the invitational Sunday market "Bazaar on Hudson" which takes place most Sundays, April-July at the Living Room, a lovely event space on Main St. in Cold Spring www.bazaaronhudson.com.

I will be there on April 13th & 27th-more dates (and images from the event) to come!

Spring

There has been much griping, etc. about the delayed spring. But this photo was taken several years ago in a warm corner of my garden-in the last week of March. This spot looks about the same this year, which tells me that spring is more or less on schedule. Last year it was very early. I love daffodils, and have several kinds planted. They can bloom anywhere from January into mid May. Last year spring was "compressed",
so most of my bulbs and flowering trees were "done" by early May.

I prefer this year!

Eleven years ago today, I had just turned on the morning news, and had witnessed what I thought was an old disaster movie. I was on summer break from  my 3 day schedule of  teaching ceramics in Manhattan.
I was really looking forward to the new term, and a fresh start. It had not been an easy summer-I had lost

two people in the previous months-my mother, and my studio partner-both funny strong women. I will always wonder how they might have felt on that day 12 years ago.

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.

OPEN STUDIOS- 9/25-26

This year I will take part in the 2nd annual city- wide open studios
in Beacon. There are 80 artists taking part.

At the left is a shot of the gallery at Hudson Beach Glass, a very
interesting place, an old firehouse which is now a working glass
studio, shop and gallery. In their gallery this month, they are
displaying one piece from each participating artist. Maps and
artists' cards are available at the gallery.

READYMADE

Recently, READYMADE MAGAZINE did a spot on Clay, Wood & Cotton.
Some of my pots were featured in the photo they took, and the writer
mentioned my mugs! If you are in the area, and have not visited, you
really must. They have a delightful array of gifts for the home, and
also carry an assortment of yarns for knitting. (Craft classes
are held on weekends, and there is a "craft night " most Thursdays.

Garrison Art Fair-The calm before the storm!

This was taken Saturday. In all my years of doing this show-
the nicest weather. The next day, I left the camera home-
the forecast was for rough weather.

The day ended with us clinging to the tent in raging wind and rain
(several inches fell in a few hours), while hurriedly packing up the
pots; amazingly, people came earlier and bought!

BROOKLYN SHOW!

It will be great next Sunday, July 11th,
to be doing an event with other potters.
There will be various demos, as there is
a working studio in this large arts complex,
housed in a former factory.

Also it is two blocks from the Park Slope Farmers Market, which is set up on
Fifth Avenue. There is a website set up for the market; it is ceramicsbrooklyn.com.

SUMMER POTTERY SALE!

We have referred to this as the the"solstice sale" for the past three years,
but it's still the same thing-our annual sale, featuring older work, discontinued items, samples, all well-priced-along with newer work
in the front gallery, and Nancy's full production line.

We hope you will join us for tea, cookies, etc.

This year we are very pleased to have with us two other potters-

local potter Pangea Bohl, and Paul Boucher, of Manhattan,

The event will take place at Nancy Bauch's studio. It is located at 11 Peekskill Road, off rte.301,
in Cold Spring. Hours are : Friday, June 4th, 12-9
Saturday, June 5th, 10-5
Sunday, June 6th, 12-5

GOING TO AUSTIN!

Well, my pots are, that is.

CLAY, WOOD & COTTON is taking the show
on the road this weekend.
Please stop by if you are in the area.

SPRING!

While out on a walk, and surveying storm damage around my neighborhood,
I happened upon a great pile of branches heaped outside one house on my
street. They included fat, fuzzy, gray buds. I helped myself to a small
handful, and put them in water. This was what emerged!

SPRING?

This was taken about two weeks ago, near my studio.
There are sightings reported of blooming snowdrops,
and crocus; however, most of my spring bulbs are
in my back garden, which is a "sunken garden" and is still under
2-4" of snow.

I cannot believe that the holiday season (and 2009)

are almost ended. I tried something new this year-

several small events instead of one big one.

This image is from Camp Woods, taken during a holiday

sale I did there early this month. I am happy that I discovered this very special place!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!

FALL

Change is all around, in falling temperatures, turning leaves.

I took this photo of our lilac, because the yellow against a
dark ground was so stunning.