Slow Blogging

It was a hectic spring, our home on the tour, lots of commissions including the awards for the Craven Community College Fabric Awards, lots of baby sets and banks, wedding and anniversary platters, and a trip planned, then cut short. More about that later.

Our trip started at Appomattox, although we had been in the area many times we never stopped. If you don't remember your history it's where General Lee surrendered to General Grant, ending the Civil War. The park is very well done. 

This one is not my photo, it's off their website but it shows the parks village. The house on the left is where the papers were signed.

Then Skyline Drive heading north, camped with a bunch of people hiking the A. T. 

They were in their tiny tents, we were in our rv, my kind of camping.

Visited friends near Hagerstown, MD, this beautiful stone bridge is right by their home.

Moved on to PA. The historic part of Jim Thorpe PA is a beautiful little town in a narrow valley.

Love the architecture!

From here we headed to Rutland, VT then headed home.

A trip cut short but enjoyed what we had.

Hot Lips Hand Bags Clever

We love these hand carved hand sown hand bags by Kim Chalos.

These small bags are just right for your cell phone and can clip on your belt or waist band, they also come with a small strap.

The lips are the clasps, each hand carved by Kim.

The leather is very soft and luxurious. 

She also makes more traditional looking bags with her signature, adjustable strap.

Very nice!

Visiting my artist friends Steve and Sara Fabrico

I don't exactly remember when I first met Steve - it was at a show maybe 10 years ago. I bought some of his pieces and he told me he was doing a workshop in his studio. I flew up and spent a wonderful weekend with him and it has influenced my sculpture (when I have time to do it) tremendously.

We hit if off right away and we began representing Steve at Carolina Creations, we see each other a couple times a year and they have visited us at our home in New Bern many times.

He and Sara have a beautiful home and studio - the studio is in an old converted chicken coop that is about 15' wide by maybe 60' long. Half is Steve's and half is Sara's, she is a florist and gardener. They met at SUNY  New Paltz where both were in the ceramics department.

Here is just a glimpse around their beautiful grounds that Sara has planted, and some of Steve's pieces he is working on.

We had a wonderful visit and I had a tune up on tricks and techniques in hand building.

Thanks to you both.

Quote for the Day and what I am up to

 “It is an inescapable part of the human condition that we live our lives on the knife edge of the present, forever trapped between an unchangeable past and an unknowable future.” –John Steele Gordon

We never know what tomorrow will bring.

One thing I love about creating art is that it takes me away to a beautiful place - a wonderful distraction when dealing with issues (health) in our day to day lives.

I am so excited and anxious to get the time to do some art work, right now I'm bogged down in paperwork but think i just need to set it aside for the moment. I've got a list of things I want to paint for a show i have coming up in September at Carolina Creations and I've been chomping at the bit to get back to doing some sculpture. A recent visit with my friend Steve Fabrico just fueled that fire but it will have to wait until I get a few paintings under my belt.

I often take photos that inspire my work. And all who know my know I love to paint architecture and flowers.

Here are several in my 'to paint' file. While I admire those that paint en plein air, it's hard for me to carve out big enough blocks of time to do that so most of my work is done in my studio.