Summer is here at last!

The weather through mid-June had been rainy and cool: gorgeous mist but not good for bare arms. Even last night, watching fireworks, I wore a sweater and Piers wore his winter coat! Finally, though, the days are becoming sunny and warmer. I love lazy summertime naps outside! A week ago, Piers and I visited Salida for the annual Art Walk and enjoyed the hot, hot weather - now I want more! We toured several lovely galleries, and I have some inspiration for new pieces. It was nice to get away from some of Breckenridge's "tourist shots" - saleable landscape/wildflower scenes. Don't misunderstand me, I love the gorgeous landscape here; it's the countless paintings and photographs depicting classic mining and mountain scenes that lose my attention.

Yesterday afternoon, Piers and I drove to his favorite fishing spot a mile or so down the road. I worked on a new clay piece, sitting on my sweatshirt by the stream - how I love the sound of rushing water - while Piers wandered along the shore hoping for a bite. His hook has no barbs, so he immediately releases the fish. If the fish looks like it's hurt, he brings it home and pan fries it for a tasty snack!


This photo is from last weekend, at Meet the Artists - open to artists in the Summit County Arts Council. I was present on sunny Saturday, but Sunday brought an afternoon flat tire, and I changed plans.

This week I hung a wall piece in a small juried show at Arts Alive in Breckenridge. The opening is Saturday, July 11. I posted photos of the wall piece ("Aerial Shoots") in an April post. You'll see it as greenware - next week I'll post photos of the finished work. I'm also showing two button pieces that I like a lot.

I've been pursuing two directions in my hand-built pit fired pieces: one is inspired by plants, and the other by textiles (with buttons). I started my first button piece in the beginning of 2008, and Piers constructed a handle and a base for it sometime this past winter. (Maybe that's why I like Holly Stein's jewelry so much - she uses vintage and antique buttons!) I'll post pictures of both styles as I complete the pieces.