My adventure with a pregnant torso

I must have been born to play with clay. There’s something about the ooey-gooey goodness of it that speaks to me. Sculpting is an altogether different kind of clay play, but just as incredible. I had the opportunity to give it a go Tuesday last week (Nov. 19) at The Florence Studio. The studio isContinue reading “My adventure with a pregnant torso”

La Galleria Nuove Forme d’Arte – Montelupo Fiorentino

Meet Salvatore Mirenda, owner and master ceramicist at La Galleria Nuove Forme d’Arte in Montelupo Fiorentino. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him and, more important, learning from him how to make a vase – about a fifth the size of one he’d already made, which I used as a model. But first IContinue reading “La Galleria Nuove Forme d’Arte – Montelupo Fiorentino”

Countdown: Firenze, Italia

In about 120 hours (or five days), Dane and I will board a plane for Florence, Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance. We were married Aug. 13, 1994, and this trip is our belated celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary. I lived in Italy for years and used to be semi-fluent in Italian. Not havingContinue reading “Countdown: Firenze, Italia”

The city that doesn’t sleep

On weekends and as many evenings as possible, I am a potter. During the day, though, I am a public transit marketing executive, which includes oversight of three departments: an eight-person Marketing team; a one-person grant-funded program (Clean Commute Options); and a 15-person Customer Experience unit. I’m also my employer’s public information officer. It’s aContinue reading “The city that doesn’t sleep”

Made for sushi

Ahh, simplicity. That’s what I love about these plates. They are unobtrusively simplistic. Nothing about them grabs your attention. They are the perfect backdrop for whatever sits thereupon. They started as thick, beefy slabs of clay; stretched, rough-hewn edges juxtaposed against what would soon be a smooth, glassy surface. That surface is Shino – oneContinue reading “Made for sushi”