cherry blossoms


Blossoms found during my walk with Berrie matched the pink glaze of a roly poly bowl perfectly.

coastline, provincetown, ma


The weekend in The Cape was a welcome respite from a few very busy tough weeks. A trip to Provincetown ended in a beautiful sunset and a tattoo drawn by Scott Bruns at Coastline Tattoo. The tattoo was inspired by apple blossoms from my childhood summer home, dacha, in Russia, house No. 4.

still life saturday with Balthasar van der Ast







Balthasar van der Ast (1593/94-1657) was a Dutch Golden Age painter trained by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, who was his brother in law.

heath ceramics:
designing and making good things for good people

The glamorous Edith Heath (shown above) founded Heath Ceramics in 1948, when she was 37 years old. Since then, Heath has been inspiring many a designer and ceramist, consistently producing high quality, handmade, durable, unique products.

I have to admit that I have the Heath Ceramics book on my night-stand near my bed. I am hoping its success will affect me through osmosis.

I am touched by Heath Ceramics’ mission and values:
“We thoughtfully make, gather, and sell enduring objects that enhance the way people eat, live, and connect.
We are a passionately creative, design-led manufacturer, who, among other things, strives to impact peoples’ relationship with the things they buy. Weaving together our stores’ collective offerings, you’ll find the common threads of holistic design and integrated manufacturing. This close-knit relationship between designing and making not only creates wonderfully sound objects, but also, ones that close the gap between intention and outcome.”
Even though it is an over 60-year old company, under new leadership, Heath is very relevant to the topics being discussed today. Their emphasis is on handmade, sustainable US manufacturing. They support local craftspeople and promote high quality of living wages for artists. Check out their newly launched website: heathceramics.com.

still life saturday with tory williams






Tory Williams effortlessly captures the joy of special occasions. To view more of Tory’s dreamy work, please visit her website: torywilliams.com

pet portraits by jennifer french



Jennifer French, a good friend and inspiration, paints gorgeous pet portraits. Jen just finished Berrie’s likeness, and I am in awe. I have it hanging in a place where I see it many times a day, and every time I pass by, it warms my heart.






The detailing is lovely, from the dog tag, to the name banner, to the eyes, to the background (B loves to chase birds on the beach), all capture Berrie’s personality perfectly.



Jen is running a special through the end of June, $200 off the regular $500 for a 9" x 12" painting on 1" thick wood, beautifully sealed with varnish. Visit Jen’s etsy shop for more examples.

eggs and chickens



Photo courtesy of The NY Times

Photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

Photo courtesy of Greenfire Farms

Eggs have been my morning staple for years, I love soft-boiled eggs, yummy. This morning my eggs were accompanied by an article from The NY Times on raising one’s own chickens. I’ve always wanted to do that.

Back in Russia when I was very little, we bought yellow fluffy chicks from the back of a truck a few times, but sadly couldn’t keep them warm enough. As an adult, I think I can have more luck. The NY Times mentions Greenfire Farms as a source for chickens. Their website alone is worth a visit. The design and photography are beautiful, and enticing. If I only had a back yard...

molly hatch: beauty and whimsy



All images are courtesy of Molly Hatch

I had the pleasure of meeting Molly Hatch at a lecture we shared at RISD. Together with Alison Evans, the three of us presented three very different ways of pursuing our ceramic passions.

I love the playful sophistication permeating Molly’s work, whether she is designing for Anthropology, or creating a MFA thesis installation. I am enamored with the paintings Molly creates on sets of plates. These wall installations are masterfully crafted and are exquisite. My grandmother, a great admirer of decorative ceramics, would find them stunning.

Molly’s work has taken her to Basel Miami, SOFA and numerous galleries and museums. Molly is represented by Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, MA.

serenity


The light in my apartment has been wonderfully ethereal. I’ve been photographing a wedding registry for a couple getting married in July, and this is one of the pieces they ordered. I love how serene the shot turned out, unexpectedly.