So the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour is over and I finally made it home…
and unpacked my purchases… already loving them, touching them, feeling them…
already finding them a new place to live! But first… here’s their blog debut!
We’ll start with my favorite purchase… another beautiful lidded jar by Matthew Metz.
Already sitting on my fireplace mantle right next to my other Metz square jar!!!
And if that weren’t enough… another Metz teabowl and a tumbler by Suze Lindsay!
Followed by a Simon Levin bottle… to finish out my Simon Levin Bottle Trifecta taking
residence on the “other end” of my huge fireplace mantle!
And two beautiful Simon Levin bowls… just waiting for ice cream & LOTS of hot fudge!
No matter how beautiful the bowl, they still need LOTS of fudge!!!
Plus, two more for my mug collection – one by Silvie Granatelli, one by Ellen Grenadier.
Silvie’s with a wonderful carved texture. Ellen’s with a beautiful fern impression.
And then two fun pieces from the “rogue potters” we found by signs along the road
off the “official” tour route, hawking their wares in a wonderful dilapidated house…
with the best food spread of the entire tour! An oval vase with a great “tunnel” bottom
by Randal Anderson, and a textured “pod” by Jennifer Brandel.
All in all, a wonderful weekend filled with a LOT of wonderful pottery!
I’m already looking forward to next year… a shopping for even more cool pots!
Unless… we all get together and start a grass-roots campaign to get me invited
to be one of the potters invited to participate in next year’s pottery tour. So… here’s
my plan, if you know any of the “famous potters” on the tour, please-please-please
make them aware of my blog and of my work! Keep on them… force them, beg them,
plead… do whatever you need to do – to get them to invite me to be part of the list
of “potters-good-enough-to-be-invited-to-play-with-the-cool-kids” next year!
I absolutely love that green cup with the face and leaves on it, it’s so cool.
Looks like you had an expensive trip LOL! That’s a nice collection you brought home and by looking at the two previous posts there was a ton of wonderful work to choose from.
Yes, it was an expensive trip. But when you’re surrounded by such incredible work, it’s hard not to get excited. Plus, it is “inspirational research” after all, right?! And yes, that little green cup by Matt Metz is pretty darn sweet. It’s the first glazed piece of his in my collection. The others are his more “traditional” black & brown sgraffito style.
Thanks for sharing all the great pottery tour pics for those of us that didn’t make it out! Fun to see everything.
Remember, there’s always next year! Mark your calendar now… it’s always over Mother’s Day weekend!
Gary, who would you like to show with at the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour?
LEE – Well, if I were checking off my pottery wishlist… I think I would wish for a spot at Bob Briscoe’s place. Why not shoot for the top?! It is my favorite collection of potters on the tour – and I love the excitement, atmosphere & energy going on there. I think my decorative & functional work would also fit in well there, but not compete directly as I have a different aesthetic from those potters already there. Next up… Guillermo Cuellar’s or Linda Christianson’s studios also seem to be suited towards my style – with soda-fired atmospheric effects! But really, just being invited to play along with the “big kids” would be a thrill – and I would go anywhere! I’ll keep my fingers crossed… although it’s a LOT harder to throw pots that way! Ahhh, dare to dream… it may be a long time coming. But it’s good to have a goal no matter how distant, right?!
Hey, these are so nice! I have not made it to the tour before. It is the best of the best! And yet it is Minnesota with soooooooo many more potters that are great!
You are so lucky to have been able to find such nice pieces. It must have been a lot of fun!
Yes, it was indeed a LOT of fun… plus, it is even more fun to see them in my home every day!!!
Hey, glad you enjoyed our “rogue” pottery sale in our little farm house in Taylor’s Falls! It was a delight to find my work listed on your site and part of your collection. I’m glad you liked it! We plan on being there again in 2011, so please plan on stopping by (and we promise to have some more yummy food and wine!)
HEY RANDAL – We did have a great time, and will definitely keep you guys as part of our annual pottery tour! You guys had great work AND great attitudes! We’ll be back… GARY