So clearly this is a very large post, full of the above images. I will explain…

I was in Lewes this summer, at a show, and I fell into a delightful discussion with a local Bed & Breakfast owner. She runs the Awaken Inn in Millsboro De, and has rooms beautifully decorated in the 4 elements. That got us thinking; and I did some elemental tiles. She may be hanging some in her inn, on the rooms’ doors… We’ll see. It was fun to play with the varieties on a theme, especially color and the contrast between shiny glaze and matte areas.

Do you, loyal reader, have a favorite? Clearly I was working with "Earth" and "Fire" here…even adding gold leaf on the flame of the candles.

Here are a few pictures of the campus. The week I was in attendance it rained daily. The greens were lush, dew-dropped and enveloping. The grounds are so gorgeous!

the path to the coffee house…

The view from the coffee house patio…

The Dye shed

My home for the week: Dorm 54. (Although it was the only dorm. Everyone else was in a cabin.)

The view from the Pines dining hall. That’s Printmaking on the left; the anagama kiln shed in the middle; and the clay studios peeking out on the right.

These tiles came out of the kiln this morning. They are brand new, something I am trying. When I was at Penland – ( yes, more posts coming soon…) it was all about texture. Carving stamps, imprinting textures onto clay… So when I got home, my first order of business was to continue with texture. I have quite a few stamps that I have carved, and I use them in tiles, usually on edges or to accentuate the icon/figure/image. For this batch I wanted to highlight the texture itself. I textured huge slabs, and used them as the background layer. Then I did my sculpted items on small tiles with beveled edges. I like the strong simple color of the icon contrasting with the intricate colored texture behind.

Here’s a detail:

I planned to have beaded details dangling from the base of each tile. The miscellaneous charms I had were often too small in scale. My stash of treasures yielded some oldies – but goodies; beads I have had for 20+ years! Dating back to the early days of beaded jewelry, in the 80’s, they were large, yet perfect for this application. Sweet! I love serendipitous moments like that.

These tiles will debut at Art on the Avenue this weekend in Alexandria VA. Wish them well. Would love to hear what you think, also…

The tile on the right – my newest Eartha handmade tile by friend and fellow ceramic artist Parran Collery. (The heart tile, also by Parran, was a gift from friend.) Parran and I see each other a few times a year, and have growing collections of each other’s work. This is one of my 2 new aquisitions.

I hesitated – the red and lavender arent my first choice of colors. But I love the image and the message… Well, how foolish was I? To see it pop on the aqua wall, bringing out the turquoise on the fish! Meant to be! Thanks Parran!

My new necklace! I have worn it every day. Shobha Ohal, the artist, was one of my neighbors on the wooded path at Artsfest. I didn’t look around very much until Sunday, and was immediately drawn to her jewelry. This piece is Hindi for "happiness" – set in resin in a hand fabricated bezel. And she switched the dangle out to a garnet for me. Beautifully made.

I must confess. I am a bit of a jewelry snob. I made and sold earrings in a local shop as a high schooler. I did metals as a concentration when I was an undergrad at Skidmore. I worked at a fabulous bead store in San Diego and took classes with some incredible instructors. I am addicted to semi-precious gemstones. I make much of my own jewelry. So I dont buy often at shows. But this piece is exquisite.

It is a real pleaseure to meet and discuss with other artists. I enjoy the banter of  like minded creative types, professionals doing artwork for a living. Maybe its a shared art school history that puts us on equal footing, maybe the comraderie of doing a show together. But it is a pleasure, nonetheless!

This was my view this past weekend. Annmarie Gardens is an amazing location, to set up your tent on a wooded path, and be surrounded by artwork: man-made and natural. It was a good show, and great weather. The grounds are punctuated with sculpture…

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(Nelli Bar "Standing Nude" Bronze on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum)

(Andrew Baxter "Equation" 1999 Bronze On loan from the artist)

This sculpture was directly across the path from me, as if it was a painting being worked on, and the artist would return any moment. It was great fun to watch kids with no inhibitions react to and interact with the artworks.

What a week this is turning out to be! I am trying to get organized, as I leave for Artsfest on Friday morning…after I take a dog to the vet. (Do you ever wonder why you scheduled things the way you did? How could I have thought THAT was a good idea? ) Anyway…I glazed this morning, have the wee kiln firing, and wanted to shoot these new tiles, as they are getting packed up. Have a few more for the kiln tomorrow to pack up warm and toasty on Friday morning when they emerge…

These collages tiles are my latest obsession. I like the immediate working with the clay and the symbol, then the collage bit can be done later after glazing and firing…with more intent or inspiration…

Here’s an example of how different two tiles can be – from the same sprigg (mold of the relief sculpture)

More on Penland coming soon, promise!

Hello everyone! It has been an exciting and invigorating summer-into-fall for me. I hope it finds you well also. After finishing up my summer shows in Elmer NJ and Lewes DE – I took the month of August to pursue other endeavors. I had the opportunity to teach in San Diego CA at the Shepherdess Bead Store. I taught a bookbinding class – just the basics, as the beaders planned to embellish their books on their own. And the mini shrine class, although small, was wonderful – collage, image transfer, using found objects…all in a mint tin. I will have a few of my mini shrines at my Fall shows!

Late August – a dream come true – Penland! Call it an artist’s retreat, or simply art camp for adults…I worked in the clay studio with two excellent instructors, and came away inspired, exhausted, and rejuvenated. I have fallen in love with the landscape – the NC mountains… Who wouldn’t?

This fall – I have two shows coming up: Artsfest at Annmarie Gardens on Solomon’s Island, MD. This weekend show, September 20^th &21^st is held in a beautiful wooded setting, and is truly fabulous. Excellent artists and diverse offerings await you.

And my final show of the fall – Art on the Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria VA. This one day show, on October 4^th heralds in the fall for me. Definitely time to begin holiday shopping!  This show was my first ever – what was it 4 years now? Great people watching, dog walking fun. And good shopping, I must add!

So there in a nutshell are my plans for the next few months. Please check back here – for pictures and updates.

If I were a person who posted on this blog with any regularity – you, the reader (I hope there are readers!) would have noted my absence… But I am an infrequent author here on my blog…and I am working on that. But this past week I was away; at a utopian community nestled in the woods of north-western North Carolina. Yes, I mean Penland.

Going on a retrest for a week – well, my husband is eternally supportive. He was left at home with 2 crazy dogs, 2 (at times) cranky cats, daily trips to the doggy daycare, and a full time job of his own. But he sent me off with encouragement and best wishes.

I went to take a class – albeit a class with two well known and well received artists in their respective genres. One of these artists – I have followed her work for years, a great inspiration to me. On paper, Penland reads like art camp for adults, but it is so much more.

So over the next week or so, I will keep posting about my week and my experiences there. It was inspirational, invigorating, exhausting, and a helluva lot of fun. I am still digesting and settling back into the real world. I am happy to be home, of course – I love my life. But Penland has made its mark on me…