Floral art exhibit

 The Black Mountain Center for the Arts just held its big fundraising event. It started with a reception with goodies to eat, and a display of gorgeous floral arrangements that mimicked the theme of an art work (only a couple were sculptures).

The whole 3 day event is called Art in Bloom. First a Thurs. evening preview party and viewing of the floral arrangements and art. Tickets for the preview party were $45.

Then beginning 10-2 on Fri. and Sat. are the garden tours. Each year different gardens are selected, and they are usually very impressive. This year's definitely were. The tickets for the tour were $30.

Following the garden tours we were invited to also see the Floral Arrangements in the gallery, or pay $5 if one hadn't purchased the garden tour tickets.  A package of the preview party and garden tours was $60.

It all supports the arts in Black Mountain.

This was the first year I went on the garden tours. In years past I've been a docent at one garden, and enjoyed greeting those who had tickets for the tours. See my other blog for each of the 6 garden tours, starting HERE.

As part of my ticket included seeing the floral arrangements in the gallery, I went today to see them. If there had been a room full of people, it would not have been as good as it was, with only a half dozen today. Though I expected some of the flowers to have wilted, I didn't notice a single one with droops.

I'll leave you for today with that...and the last is my favorite so far. More tomorrow!

Creative granddaughter

I'm so lucky/blessed to have four granddaughters and two grandsons.  They each have special talents which shine in their lives.

My granddaughter who is about to graduate from High School in Ohio, has a creative bent, and had several ceramic pieces in the "Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition.

Caroline’s teapot was awarded the top 25 Governor’s Award of Excellence.

I loved the design and the whimsey of the wheels! Very cool teapot!

For her prom, there were little moons in her hair as well as all over her dress (and tiny necklace!)

Today's quote:

People forget years and remember moments.

-Ann Beattie, novelist (b. 8 Sep 1947)

From being a potter to supporting the art

 Well, I already know how to make lots of things...whether I ever did or not. 

I had twelve good years after I retired. I never made myself into a great potter. I was more into exploring different shapes and glaze combinations. And once I found a few styles I liked, I did do more of them. 

When I haven't been making pots in my life, say as long as I can remember as an adult, I've purchased pottery from others...the ones going to shows to sell their wares mainly. But sometimes I've visited their studios or shops. So a local show was held last weekend, which of course had been closed during the pandemic. 

And after oohing and aaahing over a lot of beautiful things, I ordered one from Charlie Tefft, and bought one in person. An otter mug this time. I had an older mug (made in 2018) by Charlie, and it's pretty much the same shape.

New otter on the left, old crow on the right!

The tails wrap around the sides...

These are definitely right handed mugs...because that's where the animals greet me!

2018 at top, and 2022 at bottom. Not much difference.

I won't even discuss the price difference...but it's doubled!

However I wanted a cat mug, because the first mug I'd bought from Charlie even before the crow, had been a cute little black cat sitting looking at me, but it had broken by accident.

So Charlie just sent me a photo of this, and will ship it to me!

I love it! Now I have to decide whether to use these for coffee, or treasure them on a shelf where I can see them! As my friend Helen says, I can use them and feel really special. Maybe!

The Potters of Madison County...and beyond

After two years of cancelation, some of the local potters displayed their works. Many were still missing. I hope they are still making pots.

There weren't as many as the last time I'd come to that show. But the ones who were there had beautiful first class wares on display. And they'd been there the day before as well. 

My three headed selfie...Cathy, myself and Helen (partial)

Charlie Tefft sold me a lovely otter mug. I had hoped for a cat mug, but that didn't happen this sale. So things are changeable...and the photo was free!

It wasn't as crowded as this show has been in the past, which might be due to having two days for the potters. I loved the beautiful real flowers which were provided for the potters.

Nancy Kubale of Rutherford County

I loved these figures, but they were out of my price range.

I liked these sgafrittto pottery decorations. They're looser than several others that were displayed.

Trista Hudzik and I talked about her red underglaze, which is difficult to obtain due to supply chain slowdown from China.

Katherine Muloney makes beautiful animals, but again her work is highly priced as well as beautiful.

Friends Suzanne and Julia also drove up to Marshall from Black Mountain, in their own car.

Julia and Helen enjoyed talking together...several times!

We enjoyed lunch in Zuma, a favorite with some nice vegetarian choices.

It was fun going on to Flow Gallery, where I saw a pair of earings, shaped like headstones, in sterling silver with the words "RIP Patriarchy" on them. I had to laugh that it would take just the right woman to wear them.

Today's quote:

​Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves.

Thich Nat Han

Dragon Kiln for Chinese pottery

 A clip from China, where huge jars are made by hand, fired in a dragon kiln. Enjoy seeing the process, with subtitles!

Creativity unleashed...

 From Maria Popova in the Bronx waving at me...on creativity.

Today I'm playing at everything! That's my Sunday. And Maria has given this post today...

https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/01/20/nick-cave-creativity/?mc_cid=29b928a8dc&mc_eid=07332e3c3d

On Nick Cave she said...

"In consonance with Black Mountain College poet and ceramicist M.C. Richards’s lovely notion of creativity as the poetry of our personhood and with anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson’s concept of “composing a life” — which captures with such poetic precision the fundamental fact that our very lives are the ultimate creative work — Cave adds:

Worry less about what you make — that will mostly look after itself, and is to some extent beyond your control, and perhaps even none of your business — and devote yourself to nourishing this animating spirit. Bring all your enthusiasm to bear on the development of that good and essential force. This is done by a commitment to the creative act itself. Each time you tend to that ingenious spark it grows stronger, and sets afire the ordinary gifts of the imagination. The more dedication you show to the process, the better the work, and the greater your gift to the world. Apply yourself fully to the task, let go of the outcome, and your true voice will appear. You’ll see. It can be no other way."

It referenced my own teacher, M.C. Richards...who she's written about here...

https://www.themarginalian.org/2020/01/03/m-c-richards-centering/?mc_cid=29b928a8dc&mc_eid=07332e3c3d

and a shorter post here.

https://www.themarginalian.org/2020/02/25/m-c-richards-centering-creativity/

Sunday morning as January flows slowly away. 

How Primitive am I?

  As an artist...I love some of the primitive works I've seen.

Nope, not my work! These pieces are from the Jomon period in Japan, which covered from 14000 to 300 b.c e.. I've always been attracted to this primitive style.

These were not able to hold much water, since their clay is still somewhat porous. But they have exquisite details. I blogged about them earlier (HERE) if you wish to see more of them.

This little vase (by me) is formed much the same way, and pit fired, probably in a similar way. It is one of my favorites.

Before bisque firing...this shows how applied thin elements dry faster, and will also heat up faster when firing, so are more likely to break off. Look again at the Jomon decorative additions.

The finished piece, with a couple of glaze tones added and fired to cone 6.

I like hand building, here a tower has a little dragon on the top. This  was once of the last styles that I made before quitting pottery. Between my health and COVID, the work space was too small and dusty for me to continue.

So in answer to the question in my title...I'm a little bit "primitive" and a little bit rock and roll. (That's from an old song, which I think had "country" instead of primitive, very close in meaning to me.)

Robert Tynes' art

Enjoyed an art show which has now been dismantled...so I feel it's ok to share some of the phots I took of Robert Tynes' art. You can google him and see more of it as well.

You can see my recent post about attending the show at the University of North Carolina Asheville a few weeks ago with my friends HERE.

However, I'm going to include the whole post again, because, after all, it's about art and an artist!

 A friend, a fellow UU, and an altogether genial person, Robert Tynes has taught art at U of NC Asheville for many years. They offer a retrospective of his work until Sept 8 in the Owens Hall gallery. A couple of friends and I went to see it last week!

We were pleasantly surprised to meet Robert himself as we came into the gallery!

I'm sorry, I tried to get a pic of the titles, but they seem to have been shuffled in the camera. Or maybe I was...

"Trompe l'oeil" is the technique of painting things so realistically that you think you can reach out and touch the real object rather than a painted one. It is also sometimes spelled "Trump L'Oeil" as a tongue in cheek play on Trump's name.

Helen was very pleased to learn this was the description of a painting in her home, by another acquaintance of mine who does Trompe l'oeil, Brad Stroman. I think he moved to Santa Fe from Black Mountain and may have returned to the Asheville area again...will ask around. Another good painter.

It was a most enjoyable visit, though the parking situation on campus was stressful. And that was before students and faculty returned from summer break!

"Robert Tynes has been painting professionally for over 30 years. He has held over 25 solo shows and been included in over 150 group exhibitions. Tynes is currently Professor of Art at the University of North Carolina, Asheville where he has been for the past 24 years." Per his web site...but he retired a few years ago due to health.

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Additionally, with the COVID resurgence, I've not been attending my little church in the woods, but strangely enough, have been dreaming of former members. So I do hope this finds Robert in good health.