Slow food and Drive through breakfast

​Good Morning!
​
I had a really funny moment the other day. I was driving and drinking an iced coffee in a plastic cup and eating drive through window breakfast on my way to teaching pottery.

Really? I'm a potter- I should know better! (yup- the images of pots below are my new pieces)

​The sad thing is that I would not have noticed the irony, because honestly is has become normal in my life, but then my daughter snapped me a video of her making tea with the full set of pottery- a beautiful teapot made by Mark Shapiro (one of my favorite potters of all time) sugar in one of my little bowls, and her own favorite mug by a potter I am embarrassed not to know the name of.

​It is just so ironic to me that fast food has become a regular part of my life. I guess we all exist in a world of paradox. I am just as caught in the fast paced and disposable world as most of the western world.

I want more of the pleasure of slow food. I want the aesthetic experience of tea. Or a well made dinner plated beautifully and shared with friends. It is such a great way to slow down to what is important- the single moment you are living in. Nourishment and self-care.

I have been hearing myself tell friends that I am considering becoming a potter. They look askance at me because I have been making pots since I was knee high to a grasshopper.

It's like so many people, though they have always made art, they don't really believe they are an artist.

I am skilled, and I love teaching the skill. But to be a real potter- that is really something. The potters I love have magic in it. They have slow food built right into their pots. Each pot has a presence that comes with attention and care. ​

You find your favorite mug on their shelves- bring it home and nourish yourself with slow tea. Like a favorite old hand knit sweater. 

I have been making pots that way recently- I think they are coming along. And I really do not want to stop.

I hope you will come see them at Paradise City in October!

My goal as I move toward that show is to slow down and enjoy each pot and each sculpture and every step along the way.

I hope you can slow down and enjoy your moment also.
Warmly,
Val

 
Paradise City Arts Festival
It is the second weekend in October at the Northampton fairgrounds. I hope to see you there! 

The other day I finally fixed my kiln (very pleased with myself for figuring it out myself with the encouragement from a friend) and was able to fire it off with a bunch of glaze tests. I am super excited to run another load before the fair with high hopes of bringing in some new work hot out of the kiln. Wish me luck- it feels very last minute- thus the anxiety.