Zany Adorable

I came across this adorable bird on someones favorite shop list on Etsy. The shop owner is called Butt Uglee. My hope is this will put a big smile on your face as it did mine. Have a great weekend!

The winner of the beautiful polka dot cylinder vase by Celeste is AMKreations! Congratulations!

Featured Artist - Bohemian Mushroom

I had the pleasure of being next door neighbors to Celeste Theodore at a local festival this past fall. Not only did I enjoy talking with her during some down time, but I completely fell in love with her beautiful ceramic pieces.

Celeste started out with an interest in taking a jewelry class at a local community college, but it was full. So, she decided to take a ceramics class. She fell in love with it, and never took the jewelry class. After learning all they had to offer during several semesters, she sought out a professional potter with whom to apprentice. She found one downtown in her hometown of Chicago, and learned and practiced throwing, hand building, glaze calculation and how to run a gallery. She apprenticed and learned the business there for two years, where her infatuation with the artwork turned into true love for working with clay.

Celeste believes the world is a unique combination of creators and collectors, and in God's infinite wisdom she fell into the former category. It started that day in class, when she first put her hands in the clay, and it was amazing. Creativity flows from her hands, and she doesn't know what she would do if she could not use her hands to make things. Celeste desires to master the techniques she uses or conjures up, though she can't put her finger on exactly what inspires her. You can look at her pottery and see the fruit of her inspiration.

She moved to Fort Myers in 2001, and built a studio in the back of her home. The commute to work is just a short walk from the coffee pot to the work table in her many-windowed studio, where she can enjoy the weather - whatever it is, generally sunny.

Celeste has generously offered this lovely polka dot blue tube vase to one of my readers. Just leave a brief comment about what inspires you. You can also check out her etsy shop. The dealine is this Friday January 28th.

Barefoot in the Park

My daughther and I attended Barefoot in the Park festival last weekend that is held in downtown Duluth, Ga. Duluth is approximately 29 miles northeast of Atlanta. The show is something I am considering exhibiting in next year. The crowds were down this year due to other events going on in the area. If you live in the area or are visiting this is a great place for shopping in antiques stores, specialty shops, and quaint restaurants.

I stopped by the booth of one artist to chat about her work. The Artist is Julia Speer who makes incredible ceramic pieces of women. She is also an art teacher in the local school system. I unfortunately left my camera at home so I took pictures with my camera phone so please excuse the resolution. You can see more of her work at her website.