House of the Potter :: it's on!

a few weeks ago i headed down to my favorite coastal town, Cannon Beach for some quality time with my potters - yeah, that's right, Jay Stewart and Chris Johnson - two very talented artisans who specialize in production pottery. this was a very special weekend seeing as it was the celebration of Jay & Laura's 30th year doing pottery in Cannon Beach. they were hosting the first ever open studio at their homestead and all the kids were coming home to celebrate - the farthest flew in directly from England!



alright - i'll explain why the lead images are of this amazing red sauce. hahaa! becca and i drove down on thursday night and stopped off at the Astoria Safeway for a few bottles of wine - i mentioned we needed to get extra for her mom's spaghetti sauce - and she looked at me and said, 'oh no, you don't mess with my mom's sauce.' to that i barked, 'well then, we're having a SAUCE OFF!' i then ran off to find a basket and filled it with everything i needed for the challenge - including six bottles of wine ...



... when we got to the car, i called up Laura, becca's mom - greeted her with my most polite phone voice, 'hello there, is this Mrs. Laura Stewart?' 'yes - this is her' then in ultimate politeness i responded, 'i was just calling to let you know that you've been challenged to (enter DEEP BOOMING ANNOUNCER VOICE!) a SAUCE OFF tomorrow night!' i then started laughing along with becca - laura had no idea what was going on - i then told her it was christy and we carried on with normal, less competitive conversation. haha.



that next day i was in town workin' on my computer - then when 3 pm rolled around i realized - Laura's sauce had been simmering all day! ohhh geez - i hitched a ride back home and frantically got started on my sauce - sauteing peppers, garlic, cilantro, mushrooms, onions and everything else i thought would make a killer sauce. i am a cook on the fly kind of chef - it's just how i work best. i got everything together - added the secret ingredient and began doing what i was supposed to - recording the event!





i'd like to think i'm the Stewart Family's biggest fan but the truth of the matter is - everyone loves them! jay's sister couldn't be here for the event so she sent all these flowers out to add a bit of color - they were beautiful!





it just feels like a party with these flags and lights up! miss becca, Jay and Laura's oldest daughter, my trusty assistant and great friend, has an eye for everything - graphic design, color coordination, layout, printing, typography - you name it. she's just one talented lady - and i didn't even get to the part about her amazing ability to encourage dreams, calm any situation and bring joy to others through a simple smile. she went above and beyond with all the planning for this party - i know her parents were incredibly thankful.







notice the fish - they have two sides - a head & a tail! ahah - i love these! if you know any fisherman - these limited edition raku finish fishies would make a truly unique gift.



can you guess what's in the tin foil? jay calls them his baked potatoes. we'll reveal them in the coming posts.





every artist goes through periods - times in their career that they are fascinated with different elements whether it be a material, process or in this case a species. jay has been very interested in birds as of late - i absolutely love them - they remind me of my favorite film from the 1980s - Labyrinth - starring Mr. David Bowie who has always been an inspiration to me.













every work party needs to fuel up - so after a long day setting up we all headed inside to enjoy the SAUCE OFF pasta dinner. they look pretty darn yummie huh? you wouldn't believe how good that house smelled!



as i mentioned, i am a very random chef - never measuring, just going off what feels right. of course, that feeling is strongly influenced by a few tastes here and there - haha. laura's sauce was a traditional ragu with hearty veggies, savory meat and a strong tomato flavor. mine was very different - filled with zesty peppers, tons of garlic, mushrooms, onions, about a bottle of red wine, some other things i can't recall and my secret ingredient to offset the spiciness - brown sugar.





everyone was asked to weigh in but had a very hard time choosing one or the other. one of the best compliments mine received was from Chris, who worked as a professional chef for years before learning the craft of pottery. he carefully deduced every ingredient and then told me how delicious the spicy peppers were with the brown sugar - perfect balance. the reviews were split because they were both so different - the most important part of this cooking challenge is that we had a blast and provided the crew with one amazing dinner.





there is nothing quite like gathering around the Stewart's dinner table with all their friends and family. the first time i met this amazing family - over six year ago now - we showed up just in time for dinner - stories and laughs filled our conversation while we stuffed our bellies full of delicious homemade food. i had never before felt so welcomed by absolute strangers - i knew at that moment they'd play an influential role of my life. this family leads by example - encouraging the wildest dreams of their children and living out their passions on a daily basis. i love these folks and am so proud to be part of their life.





tomorrow we'll get started with the whole reason we're gathered at the beach - to celebrate thirty years in pottery! get ready for a tour of the grounds, kiln opening and the most dynamic pottery demonstrations you can perform - raku! good times ahead - stay tuned!