Tonight was Amy Higgason’s “unofficial” Trunk Show in my studio at Lillstreet Art Center.
She drove down from the Wisconsin Northwoods yesterday, escaping three feet of snow!!!
Today she made it to the my studio and we quickly got to converting my display shelves
and work areas to be “The Amy Show”. It’s been several years since Amy had a studio at
Lillstreet, so it was kind of a return to her roots. She brought a lot of her latest work, many
fresh out of the kiln, to show off in my studio for her Trunk Show. Special thanks to everyone
who braved the elements to come and see Amy and her work.

You can tell from Amy’s work that she is quite an illustrator, as well as potter.
Many of her pots are more like visual “paintings” on clay. So much work and so many hours
go into every pot she creates. With a multitude of textures, patterns & colors, Amy’s work
draws you in and makes you want to touch every piece!

A friend of ours has made a keen observation about both of our styles. Pat Howe decided that
Amy’s work is “feathery” and my work is “footprinty.” At first we all laughed… but in hindsight,
he was oddly insightful and onto something. Amy and I are definitely working with some of the
same aesthetics, yet using our own techniques developed over the years.

I think that Amy had a good time tonight showing her work in the Chicago area after 8 years.
Seeing some familiar faces around Lillstreet. Getting away from her frozen tundra at home!!!

I always think it’s important to support and help promote your friends. Making your way
as a full-time artist is a tough road. And everyone needs a little help now and again.
So I was pleased to give Amy the exposure she deserves in my studio tonight! She makes
incredible ceramic works but is somewhat “isolated” by living up in the Wisconsin Northwoods.
While her home & studio are located in the middle of Nature’s beauty, there’s also not a lot of
“pottery shopper” traffic. Hopefully, she made some contacts tonight, and exposed her work to
people who may never had seen her if she never made it out of the Northwoods…
especially with the recent snowstorm that almost cancelled her trip simply because
she almost couldn’t get out of her own driveway!!!

I’ve always said that I love having “Talented Friends.” Not only in their artistic endeavors,
but also in their ability to express themselves, share their ideas and inspire others.
Our pottery community is a lot smaller than people would expect. And I think it’s important
for each of us to support each other, educate people about pottery, and promote handmade
crafts   & small businesses whenever given the chance. Enough preaching to the choir…
you get it.

If you didn’t get a chance to see Amy tonight, her work will continue to be on display
in my studio space through Tuesday night, March 6th.