nature-based...

I've noticed lately that instead of posting craft related updates, I've been focusing on plants, flowers, veggies and food. It's summer, so I'm a bit plant-crazy. But my current veg-centric view is not such a leap from my craft practice. I tend to look to plants and the natural world for inspiration for my ceramic forms, motifs, and patterns. Not super original, I know, but always reliable. I have a running joke with a friend who is a glass artist that all craftspeople seem to describe their work as "nature-based."

On a recent visit home to visit my parents and get away from the smoggy city, I reacquainted myself with my mother's garden. Originally belonging to my great-grandparents, our home came with a legacy of gardening attached to it. My great-grandfather grew his own vegetables in summer and canned and preserved them in the fall. When we moved into the house in 1994, we found pickled beets in the pantry, still untouched, marked with the date 1979. My dad claims they still tasted great!

So while I'm gearing up for a few new projects (bud vases, porcelain wall installation, upcoming craft shows) I wanted to post some pics of flowers I stole from my mother's garden to bring back to the city. Delphinium, lamb's ears, spirea, daylilies, hosta leaves and lady's mantle. xo