MMXI

Happy 2011!

Christmas Eve

Nothing says Christmas Eve like watching Rashomon and eating chocolate ice cream!

Tonight

The Anderson Valley Artists' Guild is having an opening tonight, with work from about half of our members: paintings, pottery, jewelry, glass, turned wood, plaster engravings. The opening of The Winter Show is from 5:30 to 7:30 tonight, Dec. 23, at Scharffenberger Cellars Tasting Room Gallery in downtown Philo, CA. and the show runs until March 17.

Champagne and hors'd'ouevres.

Today

Chris and I sat in front of the woodstove with our coffee cups this morning and looked at a wholesale catalog of handmade (some wasn't) craft. A few things made us laugh so hard I nearly spilled my coffee.
There is a tendency lately to put words on everything and call it art. On t-shirts, on bedsheets, even on pottery..."imagine" "believe" "hope" "love"...you know what I mean. We started making up our own..."fart" "usuk" "puke" "shoplifted" etc. We laughed. (you had to be there). I have just gotten an email from a friend who has discovered that she has to go back into the hospital for a week soon to have another tumor removed. Not funny at all - ("Cancer") But she is a very witty lady with a beautiful spirit. (Hope) My love for her is deeply engraved on my brain and my heart ("forever") - even if it isn't on my pottery.

Welcoming

We've had the open sign out at the pottery over the weekend, and some old and new friends stopped in. Sold a plate yesterday to a charming couple who are attending U.C. Berkeley. Since that is my graduate school alma mater, we had lots to talk about. They are from Australia, and my knowledge of that country is inadequate, to say the least! But we still had lots to talk about. It was very pleasurable.
One of the things I like about being a potter is meeting people I wouldn't otherwise know. And, of course, getting compliments!

I've taken some photos of the studio set up for visitors, and I'll post some here.

Chris will be home tonight after going down to help with his mother's care all weekend while the rest of the family travels down south to a memorial for his uncle. Looking forward to having him home.

We've had lots of rain in California this week. I took this picture of the little driveway road that runs through our property yesterday, between showers.

Pause

Chris is mixing up the glazes so we can finish this last batch of pots...fire them today and cool tomorrow and put them out for sale on Friday. We're having a Very Short Sale - one day, from noon to 7 p.m.,on Friday, with lots of bargains. All the prices have been lowered, with a nod to the economy. It will be great to be done - for a few weeks, at least. I waxed all the bottoms of the bisqued pots this a.m. - we should be able to finish glazing by late afternoon today. The firing takes about 10 hours. Turn it off by midnight? Probably closer to 2 a.m.


We always love it when our friends come out to our studio sales. Reminds me - I should think about what to serve. Coffee, wine? I'll think about that later.

The Winter Show, featuring some of the Guild members, will happen at Scharffenberger Winery Tasting Room Gallery, in a week and a half. On Dec. 23. 5:30 to 7:30. Downtown Philo . You're invited!

Pollyanna

You know how put-downs are always remembered, but the praise is often forgotten? Years ago, someone said something like "Oh Jan's o.k - but she's such a Pollyanna" Meaning, I guess that I'm a lightweight in the angst department. I don't like to complain and I usually have an optimistic view of life. That's been tested lately. WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THIS COUNTRY? Why hasn't Obama been more forceful with the Republicans? What happened to single-payer health insurance? How can he justify
tax breaks for billionaires? Why are we lied to by those in power. Why does it take WikiLeaks to reveal some of the truth?
There. I got that out of my system.
Oh, and my old dog is dying. How are you doing?