Day (or Night) Off

Spent some time tonight looking at contemporary Japanese ceramics as part of vague, long-term planning for next year's NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) Conference in Seattle in March, 2012.  Museums up and down Puget Sound will host ceramic exhibits and most of Seattle's downtown galleries will give over their spaces to ceramic arts as well.  Planning and gallery exhibit selection is officially in the very capable lap Marjorie Levy, co-chair of NCECA Seattle.  It will be a fun departure and discovery for me since my knowledge of ceramic arts starts and stops with the pinched clay bunnies I made when I was 6 and the plate I made at the PLU ceramics studio with my aunt back when she was a ceramics major in 1974ish, right Barb?

Anyway I stumbled onto a nice set of links to graduating class exhibits at Musashino Art University in Tokyo.  The work below was maybe my favorite.  Ceramic feathers by Eriko Ueda.

Ceramic Feathers by Eriko Ueda

Snow Day - Gallery Closed

I am sorry to anyone who braved the icy sidewalks downtown to visit the gallery today.  I am home with Julia whose school was closed for the day, along with all Seattle Public Schools and most neighboring districts due to snow and ice.  I am planning to be open tomorrow from 12 noon to 5 pm.  See the complete list of holiday hours below.

If you are in Seattle, have a happy safe day in the snow!

Weather & Holiday Closure Days
TUES 11/23, Closed due to local weather conditions
WED 11/24, Open 12 noon to 5 pm
THURS 11/25 & FRI 11/26, Closed. Happy Thanksgiving!
SAT 11/27, Open 12 noon to 5 pm.  Last day to see We Are Pilgrims!

Day off, Collaborating with Julia

Fall has hit Seattle hard this weekend!  Big winds and lots and lots of rain.  I spent today both inside and out with my daughter Julia, who turned five this month.  We spent the morning on a 'wind walk' picking up fall leaves, then stopped by Top Pot for a doughnut, and the grocery store for more apples for apple pie.  Tonight, we got busy on some watercolors to use for Julia's birthday thank you notes.  We started each doing our own thing, but it got more interesting when Julia asked if she could work on my painting (sure!) and then suggested that I do the same on hers.  Collaboration.  I've been thinking about this quite a bit.  Wishing for more at times at the gallery since I am virtually on my own there.  Thinking of its place in the story of the rise of modern Japanese prints.  And wondering what would happen if more moku hanga artists were to collaborate.  Some of these thoughts perking in preparation for my presentation at the 1st International Moku Hanga Conference, in Kyoto and Awaji next June.  I am delighted that a number of friends and colleagues will also be traveling to the conference and contributing their thoughts to the discussion, including the Drachen Foundation's Ali Fujino, and both of Cullom Gallery's own Annie Bissett and Eva Pietzcker!  Hard to think of the warm summer days of June on a day like this, but the months will tick by, I know.  (Apologies for the poor photos - taken with Photobooth on my Mac.)