Meet my Friend Kay West!

 Hello! It's already been a busy summer (once summer finally got started here) and I am trying to get back on this blog. My friend Kay West is having a one woman show at Pottery Place Plus and I thought you might be interested in meeting her, and, if in the area for the month of July, coming to see this special body of work she has created. Let's see what she has to say!

"I arrive today from a lifetime of creating and making. I've learned and loved working with many different mediums. Each has informed and fed the others as I progress. Years of experiences, plus a short attention span, find me painting impressionistic acrylics, fabricating silver and copper jewelry, and fiber-wrapping other jewelry pieces and coiled baskets. I leap-frog from photography to acrylic paintings, then stop to finish a pair of earrings to match my apparel du jour. 

My art experience includes formal and informal art training, living in Japan for four years, a diversity of art shows, teaching others in a variety of art forms, touring museums and cathedrals, and even owning and operating a fine art gallery supporting other artists in Spokane Washington.

It's all a very happy artistic stew, with new elements learned as I go along, I am a master of none, but thoroughly enjoy my mismash creativity."

Fish Inna Outta Water

"The idea for my July guest artist display at Pottery Place Plus started as a reaction to global warming and the effect on our global waters. Narrowing the whole situation just to fish, for example, rising water temperatures, drought, and water pollution are rapidly killing off fish and their spawning conditions. These directly and indirectly affect fish populations, which in turn affect commerce and human dependence on global consumption of fish. The dwindling fish populations also directly affects the cultural practices of indigenous cultures reliant on fish for their spiritual practices and life observances. 

Whoa! Way too deep for a guest artist display! So, I've chosen to put together a sampling of Fish Inna Outta Water: spawning salmon, trout, a few colorful koi, a few unidentifiable "fish". All of the painting and jewelry pieces are simply reminders of the important role of fish, whether for sustenance, sport, enjoyment, or cultural identification."

Come meet Kay at the First Friday reception this Friday from 5-6PM at Pottery Place Plus 203 N Washington; in downtown Spokane. Catch up with Kay on Instagram.

Meet Amy Wharf

Amy and I have been friends for a very long time. She was already a member of the Pottery Place Plus when I joined about 15 years ago. Her pottery is made with classic style and soothing colors. Let's see what makes her tick. Oh! Be sure to read all the way through-there is a recipe-yum!

Have you always been an artist? If not, when did you start?

I have always been interested in the arts. From early childhood I had an interest in drawing and making things. However, in fourth grade I started to study the cello and so spent the next eighteen years focused on music, rather than the visual arts. I had my first exposure to clay in my junior year in high school. It was love at first touch. But I had decided to pursue a musical career so could not continue to work with the clay. About 30 years ago I made the decision to switch to pottery making as my artistic pursuit. I have found I get more satisfaction making a pot that can be used and enjoyed every day than I did from the ephemeral musical arts.

Why did you pick the media you work in now? How do you describe your work? 

I work with clay because I get great satisfaction from every part of the process. I love the feel of the clay when I am throwing on the potter's wheel. I enjoy dividing the pot into sections to decorate with carved or stamped patterns. The variables in the glazing and and firing processes have made me more accepting and open to chance. I describe my pottery as elegantly functional. I start with a classic shape and then add decorations based on the beauty I see in nature.

What inspires you?

I am inspired by the thought that my pottery is used and enjoyed on a daily basis. In my personal life, I have rebelled against the industrial food production system. I grow, harvest, hunt, freeze, and can the food I eat as much as possible. I use my pottery to cook, serve and eat from. By extension, when a customer uses my functional pottery, I hope they are "joining the rebellion". I give my favorite recipes to my customers so they can immediately start using their newly purchased pottery.

June's Boy Scout Casserole

6 cups Mashed Potatoes (made ahead)

8 oz Frozen Green Beans (cooked but still firm)

1 lb beef or venison burger (brown in skillet and drain off fat)

Add the following to the meat in the skillet:

1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes; 1 6 oz can tomato paste; 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper; 1 1/2 teaspoon Marjoram: 1 clove crushed fresh garlic; 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes; 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

Put the meat sauce into the Peone Creek Pottery 2 quart baking dish and layer the green beans on top. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the green beans, making dips and peaks with the spoon. Garnish with 1/2 teaspoon paprika.

Put casserole in a cold oven. Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake casserole for 45 minutes. For a crowd size meal the recipe may be doubled and cooked in a Peone Creek Pottery 4 quart baking dish.

Do you have a favorite tool or piece of equipment?

My pottery is either thrown on the potter's wheel, made from a clay slab, or extruded. Once the basic shape is about half dry I decorate it. I have a few commercial tools I use but many of the tools are ones I have made or found. These include pieces of wood, screws, chopsticks, sea shells, leaves, and embossed wallpaper; anything that will make a unique mark or impressions on the clay.

Why do you like the co-op environment? What do you get out of it besides sales?

I never went to school to study pottery making and was working a full time job when I first set up my home studio. I didn't have much association with other artists. So taking the leap and joining Pottery Place Plus brought me into a new world of learning from and collaborating with other artists. This has helped me enormously with business aspects of being an artist and has also been inspiring creatively. Seeing other members grow artistically and explore new ideas has given me the courage to do the same and just GO FOR IT when I am in my studio.

Amy's work may be seen at Pottery Place Plus as well as many local art fairs.

Meet Megan Perkins

Megan Perkins is a Spokane area artist that has a really wonderful eye for catching the feeling of our city. She is a fellow member of Pottery Place Plus, an artist cooperative gallery now in in its fortieth year. Megan has made a name for herself with a series she calls "Artist's Eye on Spokane". For the past four years or so, she felt the urge to explore Spokane in depth, to celebrate its traditions and landmarks. She spent fifty-two weeks making paintings and sketches, a new topic each week. This work has been very well received and now she would like to publish the images in a book entitled what else but "Artist Eye on Spokane". Please visit her Kickstarter campaign to get the details and help get it off the ground!

Megan with sketchbook in hand

1. Have you always been an artist?

"I have always been an artist. I drew all the time as a kid and was obsessed with paper and pens and coloring. I have memories of being 6 or 7 years old, staying up late drawing pictures based on my Lion King coloring books. I kept sketchbooks and drew all through high school and college along with taking classes in drawing, printmaking, and painting. I studied abroad in Florence, Italy during my college years, spending hours in museums all over Europe with my face inches from the works of  the Old Masters."

You can see the influence of the Old Masters in this lovely landscape

2. Why did you pick the media you work in now? How do you describe your work?

"I work in watercolor because it is portable, easy to clean, dries quickly, and doesn't involve a ton of chemicals or special equipment. I started out using watercolor casually in high school, but it became an essential part of my art practice when I went to college. I used watercolors regularly in my sketchbook both to capture my everyday life and during my traveling adventures in my year abroad. I would describe my work as colorful and whimsical. I frequently use black pens with my watercolor work to make the lines pop and add detail. This is in part, born of my years sketching and drawing from life-I need to get the subject down fast in case I have to leave before I can get paint on the drawing. Pen also doesn't smudge the way pencil does in a sketchbook that gets shoved in and out of bags on a trip."

The Garland Theater, Spokane Washington

The Monroe Street Bridge, Spokane Washington. 

3. What inspires you?

"My daily life and travels inspire me. I draw when I go on family trips, to the the theater, to friend's houses, pretty much everywhere. I am interested in recording how I spend my life, deriving beauty and enjoyment from the process. Other times, I am struck by an interesting architectural feature, the clouds, amazing light, colors, etc. and I make a work driven by those elements rather than by my desire to fill my time, record my adventures, or hone my skills. Either way, I get to draw and paint and I'm happy."

Drawing from life

4. Tell us about your process. Do you have a favorite tool or piece of equipment?

"I usually start with a pencil or pen drawing and then add watercolors on top. My favorite pen is the Pentel Pocket brush because it has an amazingly flexible brush tip and waterproof black ink. I do a lot of sketching while out of the studio so I also love my Escoda travel brush. I have a ten year old Winsor Newton watercolor travel kit that I treasure because of all the wonderful places I've gone with it. I also don't clean it very often so it is usually a mess."

The daily paper-The Spokesman-Review is housed in this building.

5. Why do you like the co-op environment at Pottery Place Plus? What do you get out of it besides sales?

" My favorite thing about the co-op is the people. It is so great to get to talk shop with other artistic people who have had their own creative businesses for much longer than me. I can pick their brains and we can share the trials and tribulations of being entrepreneurs together."

Remember to  check out the details for her book and Kickstarter Campaign

Visit her website www.meganperkinsart.com

She can be found on Facebook as Artist Eye on Spokane or Meagan Perkins Art

*images are used with the permission of Megan Perkins, she reserves all rights.

Meet Ginger Oakes

If there is anyone I know that embodies independence, it is Ginger. Through years of travel and experiencing diverse cultures she learned about beauty and the potential for creativity in everyone. For over twenty years Ginger has been a ceramic sculptor; in addition to being self taught she takes advantage of classes and workshops when available. Her work has been accepted to juried shows and she exhibits regularly in galleries and museums. Ginger gives back to her community by organizing collaborative art shows and serving as a juror for regional high school art competitions. All of this has lead her to want to pass on her knowledge and love for clay to others. She has spent the last year taking college courses and expanding her studio space to accommodate workshops at her studio GO Art Center. Ginger says "In all aspects of my life I've been learning about being independent and how to thrive with what I choose as my artistic passion and how to be thankful for what I have been given."

In process

Have you always made art? 

No, I haven't always made art. I have always appreciated art and noticed beauty. Mostly I've been a daydreamer but when I was young I let everything out in song-I loved to sing.

When did you start making art? Why clay? 

Over twenty years ago. I suddenly "had to buy clay"! I had an overwhelming urge to hold and make things in my hands. It was pretty spontaneous that I stopped at the clay supply store and dove in. I had memories, stories, and thoughts that just appeared when I started sculpting and carving in clay. Much the way someone looks at the clouds and sees images, the images presented themselves as I worked. I found out around the same time that I had the beginnings of macular degeneration and I think the clay was a way for me to prepare myself for feeling my way through life; but I think the clay chose me.

How do you describe your work?

My sculptures are hand built with images of human form and nature. As I look back to my first work, I believe I was asking myself questions and finding answers in the clay. What do I love about the ocean? When do the faces in the tree bark speak? How can I express emotions in response to love, joy, fear, or oppression in clay? What are we keeping in that needs to come out and what is on the outside that needs to come in? These were the things and thoughts that are the beginnings of my sculptures.

The Lines in my Face

What inspires you?

All Aspects of nature and the human condition interests me. I'm an independently spiritual person and find my spiritual energy in life and nature around me; drama found in the details of life. Often there are stories below the surfaces and the clay speaks. I recently returned to Hawaii to join 150 other ceramic artists in a workshop firing raku on the beach. This camaraderie is a very inspirational experience.

Sunrise at Oahu Northshore Raku Workshop 

Tell us about your process. Do you have any favorite tools or equipment?

I prefer to work without a predetermined plan or expectation. It is important to have technical understanding of how clay works but, thankfully, that part becomes muscle memory and I can create in free flow. This free flow technique allows me to hold a lump of clay and as I roll, squish, and pet the clay I see images that call me to fine tune and embellish them. I especially like to use coil building techniques and I almost always finish a piece with a lot of surface design or textures. I'm not very safe in my approach to building and often times will make things very thin or delicate. My favorite tools are my carving and smoothing tools. Some of them are wooden and others are metal but my favorite is using a smooth stone for burnishing. The best way for me to create in clay isn't a through a tool but the process of firing with alternative methods. So far the ancient Japanese method of raku firing has been my favorite. Raku is very random because you put your work directly into flames. many times the work doesn't make it through the stress of the extreme firing-but when it does, it's worth the risk.

Raku firing

Tell us about the classes you are teaching in your studio GO Art Center.

Since I started feeling my way through life via clay I discovered the importance of relaxing and working out thoughts while creating. Last year I had the opportunity to expand my personal studio and now that it can accommodate more working space I've invited others to share private time in the studio. I offer families and friends the chance to spend time together creating in clay. I also have a few people who want to just be alone to independently create clay work in my studio. I help new people learn basic techniques and then allow them to have free flow time creating without pressure.
I like sharing the techniques and information I have learned over the years and now that I have room, sharing that information makes me feel like I'm helping others relax and play which is something very important that we often overlook.

Visit the center's Facebook page GO Art Center for more information

You can see more of Ginger's life in clay at her other Facebook page GO Art Studio

Workshop at GO Art Studio