there were many aspects of this celebration that were surprises to Jay and Laura such as this amazing time line made by becca. the poster, tallying at least five feet long, chronicled the adventures of Jay and Laura since their meeting in high school to present day. countless family photos brought life to the the words depicting each era. one of the most memorable parts of the piece for me was the image of Margaret as a toddler peaking over her dad's arm while he was throwing on the wheel, to see what he was doing. her face expresses every bit of wonder a child must have when trying to decide what type of super hero their father is. that photo is priceless because it artistically captures of fleeting moment in this families' life. i love it!
one of the most unexpected finds of the day was when i walked into the studio to find a young patron filming jay! haha - nothing quite makes you feel like a super star like someone filming you work! i'm sure jay's throwing secrets are now up on youtube! haha
i know what you're thinking - that red bowl is amazing! well, that's what i was thinking when i told becca to pack it up - because that baby belongs in my house! i am a huge fan of both Jay and Chris' work - knowing the artists behind the piece is always a treat - it makes the whole ownership experience more meaningful. if you've ever been to my house, you may remember the multitude of bowls sitting in the far corner of the kitchen. it's not because i can't find the room in the cabinets for them - it's because i can't bring my self to hide them away! i love them too much and use them on a daily basis!
these lil' buggers are soooo cool! they float! the perfect piece to add that artist flare to any garden pond. i'm thinking we need to create a water feature in our yard just to give these a home! so beautiful!
when i photograph people i am really trying to capture who they are at that moment. last year when i photographed jay - he was weathering one of the toughest times in his life - emerging from a storm filled with grief and extreme heartache. the images are much darker and show that emotion. this year - things have changed and the season of celebration came with the spring. there are a series of shots of these two but this one is my favorite. jay and laura bring out the best in each other - they are a team - working through each challenge in life together. i think you've gathered this one already, but i absolutely adore these two and respect them more than they'll ever know.
i love food. period. what makes life worth living? the relationships you make and the experiences you have - and one relationship that continues to reward me with amazing experiences is my love affair with food. ohh yes, through the years my palette has matured and my creativity has increased but one thing remains the same - my love of the culinary arts. i know cheese and cracker platters are not quite gourmet but the creativity is there - check out what i came up with because we couldn't find the toothpicks! oh yeah - that's spaghetti noodles! haha
check out these lil' beauties! yeah i couldn't take my eyes off them either - when you pick them up and let the sun hit each side - they sparkle like precious gems. needless to say, these now live on my mantle at home! haha
as one of the attractions for kids, jay put out some clay for the lil' tikes to get creative with. i'm so glad i stumbled upon these before they were picked up - how cool is the sitting form? what really cracked me up was the dog sitting on the couch watching tv! haha kids honestly have the coolest ideas! i remember drawing endlessly when i was young - my mom would bring home the recycled plotter paper from her office (she is a land surveyor) and we'd create large scale masterpieces. ahh who am i kidding - it still do that! haha!
i'm completely bias but these two are the most amazing individuals you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. both have unique experiences in life that have lead to their strong characters, compassionate understanding and giving hearts. their wedding in the fall is the event i am most looking forward to this year because they are my family. i've known becca since our first year of college (shout out to samm for introducing us!) - we've both grown into responsible, passionate young women who've followed our hearts and are living the life we love. i couldn't be more grateful to have a friend like her - i love you bec!
come on everybody - lets RAKU! for those of you not savvy to the pottery world - raku is a process derived from the Japanese which requires taking the piece from a hot kiln, placing it in a mass of combustible material (such as straw, sawdust or newspaper) to create a reducing atmosphere for the glaze to react in very unpredictable ways. this process of raku is uniquely western taking only select bits from the traditional Japanese methods. with a process such as this there is much room to play. above you have the pieces that started out the day - below is the official reduction atmosphere canister (commonly known as a trash can) which is filled with straw and newspaper ...
once the kiln reaches it's desired temp and the pieces have cooked long enough - jay and chris remove them directly from the burning kiln and place them either in the 'reduction chamber' or get creative and start spraying secret elements on them to create a lustrous finish or my personal favorite, placing horse hair on the piece to produce dark dramatic designs.
the entire raku process is very fast, incredibly stimulating and filled with surprise. you never have a clear idea of how the glazes are going to react, if the piece is going to survive, etc. the unpredictability of the whole thing is what makes it so entertaining for others to watch.
several raku firings were done throughout the day and with each chris got more and more creative. i absolutely treasure the experience of watching a fellow artist create. it is such an interesting process to observe because everyone works so different - and the intensity of watching someone who's so passionate about their work is inspiring - to say the least.
once they finished manipulating the glazes - they set the pieces to cool and aid the process by introducing water which makes for some very interesting moments. on one of the piping hot vessels, chris pouring in water only for the lil' bugger to shoot out an abundance of steam! it was very cool to see.
so do you remember the 'baked potatoes' from earlier this week? well here they are all finished up. as mentioned before, raku is incredibly unpredictable but that's what makes it so alluring to artists. when i was in college i fell in love with the raku process - i couldn't make pieces fast enough! i just wanted to be outside experimenting with this crazy method - the smell of the smoke, thrill of lifting a piece out of the kiln and the surprise of seeing how it turned out was amazing! i'm working on getting mr. chris to do an on site demonstration at my house for a possible 'pottery party' - i'll keep you updated on that idea.
oh mr. hobbes! i grew up with labs and have always thought of them as the 'true dog' well in comparison to my two boston terriers which are 'not real dogs' - haha. mr. hobbes is jay's faithful companion - sitting in the studio with jay all night, guarding the front door to the house or taking a stroll on the pottery trail. just as any pet owner knows - he's part of the family. i love this one because he looks like a Mr. Potato Head Doll - haha!
laura with all her daughters: becca, alice, margaret and the newest member of the family, rebecca.
a private bbq took place after the open house concluded. all the Stewart's friends and family came on out to celebrate this amazing achievement. it was potluck style which meant we had quite a bit of amazing food to choose from! yummmie!
the night ended around the bonfire telling stories and hearing some great ones from many of the influential players in Laura and Jay's life. it was the perfect way to end such an amazing day and overall inspiring time. i have to share this reading which hangs on the wall in the Stewart's kitchen because it explains it all:
There is a potter who builds a simple house
a dwelling smaller than a shoebox.
the sturdy ochre walls
fired slabs of clay, shaped and smoothed by hands
not unlike those of a master gardener,
for whom the earth
and a certain measure of water upon it
is the stuff of life.
and inside the house is a little candle
that you can light with a match
and find a metaphor
for the simplicity
and the grace
of a life well lived.
c.c. barton, 1999
0 comments:
Post a Comment