Play.

Today was a day of play for me...actually, gift making, but play all the same.  Once upon a time I was a potter's studio assistant and also had my own kiln.  There are days I really, really miss it and this was one of them.  I have always been a hand-builder, though throwing clay on a wheel is very meditative I just love the intuitive process of molding and building something new with my hands.  I also like being able to use household tools, another way to connect with the work of the hands of the generations that have come before.  A marble rolling pin from my mother, china passed down to me, old flour sacks that were a gift.

It's especially meaningful for me to incorporate the handwork created by my mother and grandmother...a collaboration of sorts.  There is something about creating something from scratch...knitting, crocheting, sewing, baking, canning, all those housekeeping arts that nurture my family...and incorporating these things into my artwork is so meaningful for me.

I've been inspired by a new book 'Handmade Pottery at Home' by Frida Anthin Broberg.  When I brought it home my daughter said, "Mom, that looks like what you used to do."  Quite a compliment.  And it got my creative juices flowing.  Those are the best kind of books.