Studio, Life, and Gallery: 47, Just Life

How have you been doing?

It’s really starting to look life Fall in West Michigan.  Bob Walma and I had a playdate this week – for our dogs.  Bob thinks that the Fall colors are really late around here.  Will we get more trees changing soon?  Have you been trying to get outdoors for exercise? I have been doing fairly well.  I started back at our local Planet Fitness last week.  I got there twice.  It felt good to use their weight machines.  Plus, I walked 4 times with different friends.  All I need to do now, is keep it up!  As soon as I am done with this letter, I am getting on my elliptical machine.

I have exciting news!  The Muskegon Museum of Art has asked me to curate a ceramics show.  It will be called “100 Cups”.  Lee Brown is co-curating it with me.  I have a list of two hundred ceramic artists that we will be sending an invitation to exhibit in this show.  For me (and I hope you), having our local treasure, The MMA, decide to exhibit ceramics is wonderful.  I love all things to do with clay.  Sharing this love with a broader audience will be a lot of fun. Our goal is to show how a simple form can be created and decorated in a multitude of ways.  I hope viewers will see that a cup can be a piece of art and used on a daily basis.

Lakeshore Visual Arts Collective organized a show at Baker Lumber in Grand Haven last weekend.  10% of the proceeds went to the Grand Haven Schools Foundation.  This event enabled the Foundation to raise $11,000 for pre-primary education for all.  LVAC’s model truly is art for a cause.  I was honored to participate.  I sold all but one of my entries.  Plus, it was fun to see people that I haven’t seen since pre-Covid.

Things to consider:

Do you love figs?  Joan Smith was a hobby gardener.  She began farming dates out of a desire to share this nutritious fruit with everyone.  I am thinking of delicious gifts for my foodie family members.

PSA:  A friend shared this idea last week.  If you end up stuck on the side of the road or get lost hiking AND you notice your cell phone has a low battery or no signal, here is a tip that may save your life.  Change the voicemail on your phone to a message that gives your approximate location, the time, the date, your situation (lost, out of gas, car broken down, injured, etc…) and any special instructions such as you are staying with the car, you are walking toward a town.  The best part of this is that even if your cell phone dies or stops working, voicemail still works, so anyone calling your phone looking for you will hear the message.

Isn’t it interesting when several things simultaneously come together? Paul McCartney shares his memories in the New Yorker Magazine about writing the song, Eleanor Rigby.  He believes that the Beatles were destined to meet.

In the gallery:

Anita, Sarah, and I have been re-vamping our website home page.  I have been thinking a lot about traveling and keepsakes.  I usually search for local potters.  It’s always interesting to learn about their creative focus.  Typically, I bring home a handmade cup.  They are small, easy to pack, and usually make it home in one piece.

Another thought on cups, do you start your day with a glass of water, tea, or coffee?  Maybe two of the three?  How do we drink these liquids?  In a cup.

Last two questions:  What do you drink from?  If it’s not a handmade mug or cup, why not?

Did you know that we have a service called “JoyDrop”?

Our Joy Drop gift giving service makes it easy for you to share the joy of handmade pottery. You can support local businesses. Plus, deliver a surprise right to someone’s doorstep.

No need to worry about long shipping times or availability.

New in the Gallery:

Have a good week and take good care,

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