I’m vending at the Crafty Bastards craft fair this weekend, October 1st, with Kristen. We are excited to be part of this popular indy craft fair in DC for the first time. Kristen’s been cranking out works anytime and anywhere possible, and I have been busy in the clay studio too.
We had friends from Japan visiting us for about ten days. On top of the craft fair, Kristen has to submit a book proposal at the end of September, and I have a staff show opening on the same day as the craft fair. So it was kind of crazy to be hosting guests from out-of-town, but we decided to work hard and enjoy the busyness as much as possible.
We took our guests to Niagara Falls over last weekend. Yes, it’s very touristy and everything, but the fall itself never fails to inspire me. Despite the neon lights and the 12 million visitors who come to experience this spectacle, the water is surprisingly clean and the color is just gorgeous. The fresh green color comes from “the dissolved salts and ‘rock flour’, very finely ground rock, picked up primarily from the limestone bed but probably also from the shales and sandstones under the limestone cap at the Falls.” (NiagaraParks.com)
Here are some images from the fall:
A view from the American side.
Maid of the Mist
The Niagara River.
The color is stunning.
Gorgeous.
I love the color and want to capture that pristine feel in my celadon glazes. Warren MacKenzie used to say he was after this particular deep green that you see in old glass bottles. It is cool when you understand where the inspiration is coming from. I’m always attracted to clean water, from beaches in California to milky white hot springs in northern Japan. As life forms we are entirely dependent on water, so it’s probably natural instinctive attraction.
The other inspiration for me is my daughter.
From right: our guests from Japan Chiyo, her daughter Sakura, my daughter Saya and Kristen
People say having a child changes you, and it’s true.
What inspires you?
