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I’ve been making these little stop action animations when I finish a set of dishes. It gives me a record of dishes I have made a well as an opportunity to use the dishes for an extra curricular activity.

A deary day brings amazing light. The light on this shot reminded us all of a Vermeer painting.

Raina Styling at Germain

John Gruen (photographer) and Raina Kattelson (stylist) collaborated with me on a couple of photo-shoots this fall that will lead to new catalog. I tend to work slowly on art, ceramics and promotional materials. Maybe it’s the Taurus on me. Slow and steady, although my poor brain is often racing. Perhaps my pace counteracts my brain.

John and Raina at Germain

The photo shoots were amazing. John and Raina work like a well oiled machine. They have been doing shoots together a lot this year and their coordinated effort shows. We shot the whiteware at a lovely store in Great Barrington called Germain. Sweet Elena lets us borrow the shop all day on a Monday when it was closed, although you wouldn’t know it by the phone calls and drop ins. And no wonder. She has a lovely eye and stocks the place with many irresistible wonders. Raina and I were a bit distracted by our own desire. Needless to say, shopping was accomplished.

Elena at Germain

The catalog will be done by the end of October.  Stay tuned!

The Slow Money Conference in Shelburne, Vermont was an enthusiastically attended event with over 600 activists, organizers, investors and farmers participating. The primary focus of the 2 days of talks, sessions, tours and networking was food, food production and investment strategies for food. Organic and local, small scale farms are the major players in this arena.

Organized and inspired by Woody Tasche, author of the book Slow Money, the slow money movement is in keeping with the slow food movement.

Woody Tasche and Martin Ping, executive director of Hawthorne Valley Farm

A rousing talk by Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stoneyfield Farms inspired the group with he called “pathological optimism”.

As an artist and small business owner, I view the slow money movement as growing evidence that a critical mass is being achieved, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but that there are growing numbers of participants in solution driven action. Call me a pathological optimist!

Part of my interest and commitment in the sustainability movement is to continue to emphasize the importance of how and where things are made, by whom and of what. Food is clearly at the center of the movement but stuff is the next tier of importance in bringing economic sustainability into being. Our goods support us in ways we often take for granted. We need to bring our attention to this realm as well.

Lilacs outside the studio door

Spring has fully sprung in upstate New York. It was close to 80*F this past weekend! I spent time in the garden with my assistant, James, a high school student with a passion for art. We finished reclaiming about 30 gallons of fine porcelain slip and then went outside in the glorious warm sunshiny day to prepare garden beds for spring planting after Mother’s Day. I am planning a somewhat better organized entrance to the studio this summer. In years past, I’m afraid the outside has taken a back seat to the endeavors on the inside. Being open for visitors one day a week has been on the agenda for over 6 years now, starting Memorial Day weekend and running through Labor Day. I post open studio hours Saturdays from 12noon  - 4PM. This year I am making it more welcoming.

I have Thomas Hobbs “Shocking Beauty” in my shopping cart at Amazon. Maybe this year will be the one that takes my garden to the next level!

Come visit on Saturdays this summer if you are upstate. I’d love to see you! I will be serving coffee and tea and bite of something delicious.