You know what you call a gay farmer?
David Wayne Reed and I got to know each other while working together in Artist Inc (by working I mean laughing my ass off). And let me tell you he is a talented, brilliant, handsome, and funny guy. And not just any funny. Tears rolling down my cheeks kinda funny. Take well timed sips of my beverage kinda funny. Be mindful of who I sit across from, lest I be wearing their drink too kinda funny. Yep, I mean funny, funny. Continue reading
For those of you that have come to follow my work in the last few years, you might not be familiar with my copper and aluminum work that was the precursor to the “Big Sky” series that has become my hallmark. (learn how the series of works fit together) I still have some spectacular copper and aluminum pieces in the studio that I am no longer showing. They need to find good homes where they can be enjoyed! Continue reading
Gregory
I love to see artists homes and how they curate them. Most of the time you can walk around their house and see their shared history with a lot of other artists. Mine is no exception. Each piece we have in our home has special meaning; I can tell you many stories about the artist and the circumstances of how the piece came to live with us. And because our entire collection is created by people we know, it is like living and waking up with our friends everyday. Continue reading
Tommy & Justin
Kyle again, and this time I’m here to introduce you to lots of great people by way of two – Tommy Donoho and Justin Penney. These two are the founders and, dare I say, brains, behind Money Wolf Music. This little label is doing really innovative stuff, one of which is fostering cross pollination and collaboration between their artists. They are the label that released Fantoche, the latest album by my group Alacartoona (which makes a most excellent stocking stuffer) (a really, really great one) (seriously). Continue reading
Chris and daughter Ella
I am a sucker for the blending of old and new. Take for example our home, an 1880’s building that we have renovated with a combination of the old architecture and a very modern aesthetic. Or my artwork that fuses photographic history with digital technologies. So it should come as no surprise that some of my favorite works follow this pattern, and are traditional crafts that the artist combines with a very contemporary look.
There are many glass artists whose work fits this bill, but today I would like you to meet one of my favorites, Chris McCarthy.
While doing art festivals all around the country I see lots of familiar faces from my past. So when I saw Stephanie Brown – that I shared the lunch table with my freshman year in high-school (and don’t believe I had seen since) – I wasn’t surprised. But finding out that she was at the show to assist her husband, Chris, in his glass booth was a shock! A blending of another sort: my old life that seems so far away, with the new one we are living now.
If you are in or near St. Louis check out Chris’ open studio this weekend Dec 1-2, where he’ll have glass blowing demonstrations from 11-3 and also a guest artist, Sharon Spillar. If St. Louis is little far to travel for a studio visit this weekend, you can visit his website instead.
Added bonus: Check out another good friend of ours, and very fine contemporary craftsman, Justin Teilhet.
Justin's porcelain
Combining porcelain ceramics with a beautifully simple, modern feel, his work is unrivaled and exquisite! (Fun Fact: Justin introduced us to the first ipod, convincing us it would “revolutionize the way you listen to music in the van.” Right you were Justin, right you were.)
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Kyle and I have been committed to buying from people we know for the holidays, but sometimes we have a hard time finding something for the smallest people on our lists. Not anymore now that our good friend Sage Billig is making CuddleFish Clothing!
Sage, her husband Ben, and her family are dear friends of ours. How lucky we are to know multiple generations of both of their talented, compassionate families. (Fun fact: Kyle and I both sport tattoos done by her sister Jen.)
Jen, Sage and Ari sporting Kyle mustaches
The adventures we have had with Sage and Ben are too many to count; we have camped together all the way from the Florida Keys to the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. And although we don’t get to see them near enough now that they are staying closer to home, we are having a blast watching their latest adventure unfold – the parenting of their most awesome little dude, Ari. Little Ari, and Sage’s eye to the future of his planet, have inspired her current creation.
Visit Sage’s website and then contact her directly. As with any one of a kind item it is difficult to represent it all online. But believe me, I was just in Sage’s Arkansas studio a couple of weeks ago and she has a fantastic assortment of amazing clothing ready to send to the special little someone on your list.
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Actually, it is even better! Along with the beauty, hospitality, and culture of the locals, it is also a place to find fellow travelers, all kinds of travelers, from the retired attorneys working for social justice, to carpenters, poets, musicians, outdoorsmen and yogis. What they all have in common is an understanding that we often must travel to better understand ourselves and others.
Jacob and his multi-talented (and brave) family decided to move to Guanajuato from Canada for six months to experience a different culture. We became acquainted when Kyle and I were spanish classmates with Jacob’s kids. If it has been a few years since you have been in school with tweens or teens you should give it a try, it is both humbling and inspiring. Thank you Frankie and Max! And while the kids took a few weeks of spanish classes and moved on to the local school, Jacob and his talented wife Rosemary Leach worked in their respective arts. Rosemary had a great studio to work on her beautiful paintings, and Jacob was finishing up this book:
“The stardust story joins the great scientific debates of the 20th century – evolution and the nature of the universe – into the new great quest of our age. For these stardust revolutionaries, the focus isn’t on elucidating an expanding universe, but an evolving one. Stardust scientists are literally tracing the natural history of the cosmos from the Big Bang to our bodies. They’re making the evolutionary links from atoms formed by stars, to the molecules of interstellar space and the emergence of living planets.
The Stardust Revolution is about the questions we ask ourselves under the mystery and grandeur of the night sky. How am I connected to the cosmos? Are we alone in the universe? How have we come from stardust to souls?”
Buy this very readable book for any readers on your list (including yourself). Forget the horrors of your last science class; Jacob makes even the most complex science understandable, accessible and fascinating.
And speaking of science classes, do you have a young scienctist on your list? A young dinosaur lover? How about adding Jacob’s award winning children’s book, “Jurrassic Poop” to your list.
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Pam Summers
They have a beautiful home at Eagle Mountain Lake outside of Fort Worth, beautiful artwork, beautiful grounds, beautiful vistas, beautiful studios, beautiful gallery and people. So I guess what I am trying to say is they are beautiful people, making beautiful artwork, that have created a beautiful life.
Raymond Rains
If you don’t think I am soaking up everything I can possibly learn from this talented duo, you don’t know me well. (Did you hear me say it is Pam’s 30th Annual Holiday Sale? 30th!) So despite our physical distance, I am so lucky that we currently serve on an artist advisory board together, have served together on artist jury panels, have photographed and drank mezcal together in Guanajuato, took a harrowing bus trip to Dolores Hildago, MX to visit talavera pottery studios and shops, and have shared many (but never enough) al fresco meals.
Pam's raku
Please, if you are anywhere near the Fort Worth/Dallas area go see them this weekend, make a day of it and plan on staying for the Raku and Glass Blowing demos, and give them a kiss for me. You will have a great new holiday tradition and will have as much fun shopping as your gift recipient will have receiving. That sounds like a win/win to me!
Not in the area? Road trip out of the question? Pam and Raymond are also kind enough to share their work with us online. And you can get a small glimpse of the loveliness that is Cliff House Studio & Gallery.
Raymond's glass
You fell in love with Pam, Raymond and Cliff House studio too didn’t you? Why not plan on going back to spend more time in a workshop. And don’t be greedy – Gift Certificates for Workshops make great presents too!
The Monocle
Why? Because it would be my pleasure to acquaint you with my colleagues and Kansas CIty’s new performing arts group, The Monocle. Their debut production, The Orphans Feast, will have four shows this coming weekend, Nov 30 – Dec 2, and Chris and I will be in the audience of at least one, if not more. Continue reading