House of the Potter :: last minute prep

as an artist, one of the greatest contributions you make is to the ones you inspire. you give of yourself through your talents and cause others to think. the ones who've been most encouraged by this example and inspired much of jay's art is his family. it is clearly evident when you walk into the Stewart home that this is a place of love and strong ties to what truly matters - the ones you love. these pieces swing from the tree outside of jay's studio - aren't they fantastic?! so playful!











i know what it's like to have someone watch you when you work. it's usually okay as long as they're not asking tons of questions that interrupt your work flow - or at least that's what i think. haha. when photographing artists (well most people at that) i always observe first and ask questions or provide comments as our time together goes on. here chris was putting the finishing touches on a vase he would later raku fire.







this lil' fishy was cooling off after being pulled from the raku kiln. i know from experience, one of the trickiest parts of firing pieces in a raku fashion is removing them safely from the kiln. it can be very tricky depending on the piece - especially when they are large, heavy and shaped oddly.





how cool is this?! the garden space in front of the studio is filled with pots and pieces that just don't quite meet jay's standards. he either places them here or in the shard pile out in the woods - the shard pile is my favorite - just think of all the fun you'd have breaking apart the imperfect pieces that caused you so much frustration!



the driveway is important to note because it leads you to the hidden oasis that is the Stewart family home - their acreage is tucked away in the woods off the main highway. as soon as you turn onto their road - the world slows down and you start to relax knowing that the time you are about to spend is going to be filled with inspiration.







above are the bud vases which as tiny tiny vessels just perfect for toddlers! reese loves hers and fills it with everything from sticks of gum to tiny wild flowers. below are some of chris' bowls with his signature handles - one of my favorite and most impressive pieces of chris' i have is a brightly colored red caramel platter with these handles. i present everything on it from a mozzarella tomato salad with balsamic to grilled chicken on a bed of whole green beans - it is perfect and honestly makes any meal look straight out of a cooking magazine!







welcome to the cabin which was recently finished out with homemade tile floors and counter tops. it looks amazing now fully ready for visitors - apparently it is quite the upgrade from when chris lived in it while completing his internship with jay.









tomorrow we'll continue to tour the grounds and get this show started with a raku demonstration! one of many throughout the day but this one has to do with the 'baked potatoes' you saw yesterday. good times to come!