Students Quilt for Peace

This great quilt was made by students at El Dorado Community School here in Santa Fe. I love the bright colors and the overall message . . . . just plain old peace. I'll have to do some digging to find out what was their inspiration and purpose in designing and creating this wonderful, one-of-a-kind quilt.
Happy Sunday!!
Namaste.

I Want One of These!!

I just love these Volkswagon "Bug Buses!" There are several zooming around Santa Fe. Each one has a special personality and makes me smile. I've seen this particular one many times but haven't had my camera ready for a shot. Today when I stopped on the way home to pick up some refreshments, it was sitting still and my camera was on hand!
I hope you have all had a peaceful ending to your week. Happy Labor Day weekend!
Namaste.

Special Delivery

Many folks here in New Mexico have wonderful bright and fun mailboxes. These mailboxes are in a little town about twenty miles south of Santa Fe called Galisteo. It is a lovely town along the Galisteo River with soaring cottonwood trees. Would it be great to find some peace in your mailbox instead of the regular "stuff?" Why not send some peace to your loved ones today?
Namaste.

Be the change

This quote has to be one of my favorites and one that I strive to live each and everyday. This pic was taken outside of a pottery gallery (yes, I bought a piece there) on the famous Canyon Road here in Santa Fe.
Are you ready for change? Do you need change? If you are ready . . . if you need it . . . be the change.
Namaste.

Back to School!

Tomorrow is the first day of school for students here in Santa Fe. I hope everyone has a successful year of learning. I am excited to be back teaching after a short sabbatical. It is my hope that my students not only learn about music . . . I hope they learn to be productive members in our community and guardians for peace.
Namaste.

New PEACE IV

This is one last peace tile. I am looking forward to seeing how the glaze will bring out the colors.
Happy Monday everyone!

This is another one of my peace tiles. It is yet to be glazed which will bring out more of the colors in the layers of underglaze. So far I like it!
I hope everyone had a great weekend!
Namaste

Terra Sigillata

This was a piece that was quick and easy to make. I stamped the texture into wet clay with an antique batik stamp and the tore the edges to give it a primitive, organic look. After the bisque firing it received a generous coat of terra sigillata which is a lustrous coating of wet clay that acts as a sealer. In this case it was to highlight the texture after I applied the beautiful golden glaze you see here. During the glaze firing, most of the terra sigillata burns away but sticks in the nooks to help the texture in the clay to stand out. I love this little piece and love the crackle in the glaze if you look closely.
Namaste

New PEACE II

Here is another "new peace" that I made. It is smaller than the one I posted yesterday. I have several more ready to go back into a glaze firing soon and will be selling them in my ETSY store.
I hope you have all enjoyed a peaceful end to your week!
Namaste.

New PEACE!

Okay . . . please pardon the pun in the title. :) I've been making some new "peaces" for my ETSY store. Here is one in warm tones of yellow, orange and red. I'm pretty happy with the textures and colors.

Layers

I love every aspect about working with clay. The way it feels in your hands . . . the smell . . . watching it develop from a ball of mud into something you can use on a daily basis, a complement to your home decor or something lovely that speaks to you. One of my favorite things is to paint many different colors of underglazes (paint) on the clay and then gently sand to reveal the different layers. I tend to gravitate towards things with lots of character and layers that reveal a bit of their soul. It is my hope that my pottery speaks to the people who buy it or that receive it as a gift.
Namaste

Comfort Food

There is nothing like a favorite dinner to comfort your hunger and your soul at the end of a busy day. This is one of my favorite soup recipes called Mexican Zucchini Soup or Calabacitas. Here is it in one of my over-sized bowls. One good thing about this recipe is that we can eat it for two days . . . . it's even better the second day!

Imagine . . . .

I came across this piece of art in a store not to long ago. I like the message . . . . what do you think??
Namaste.

Our Lady of Peace

This has been a big week of celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church here in Santa Fe. The parish had this statue commissioned by Mexican artist Georgina Farias to put in front of the church and brought in a caravan from Mexico. It was unveiled in a ceremony on Friday. It is a lovely bronze statue that looks out on the city of Santa Fe. The skies were a bit cloudy and rainy on Saturday when I took this pic. I'll go back soon to take more.
I hope everyone has a peace-filled beginning to your week.
Namaste.

Plate of Plenty II

This is another dinner plate that I made. I love this stamp that I used around the rim. It is a sun motif stamp that I use a lot in my work. I love its primitive and organic nature. I love to use sun images in my work . . . . we get a lot of sunshine here in Santa Fe and also our fair share of wonderful fluffy clouds.

Plate of Plenty

I have been making tableware for us. This is one of my dinner plates. It's BIG, measuring over 12 inches across! I like to use a textured stamp for decoration and then paint several layers of contrasting underglaze (paint) on the piece. Then I lightly sand to reveal different layers of paint. Tonight's pot roast tasted great on it!
There is great satisfaction creating something you can eat or drink out of. :)
I hope you've all had a peaceful end to your work week and have something relaxing planned for the weekend.
Namaste.

Summer Flowers

Are your summer flowers blooming? I love the abundance of flowers here in Santa Fe. I am especially in love with the hollyhocks this summer . . . oh . . . and the sunflowers . . . . and the coneflowers . . . actually I love them all!! They always bring a smile to my face, joy to my soul and peace in my heart. I think I'll pick some and put them in this little dragonfly vase I made. Pick some . . . . or buy some for yourself today!!

Garden Peace Angel

I've been working on creating a garden peace angel to sell in my ETSY store. Here is a prototype . . . . what do you think? I'd love some feedback.
Peace!

peace stamps in my work

Here is how the peace stamp looks when pressed into wet clay. I'm pretty happy with it . . . . but I want to make more! I love using stamps of all kinds in my work. I find the texture in clay to be so interesting and love how the glazes break and react with the texture.

Peace Stamps

I've been making my own stamps to use in my clay pieces. These are two of my peace stamps. I haven't used the lettered one yet because I now realize I need to make it in reverse! Oh well . . . I have the joy of making another one!

Peace Wall

A few weeks ago I posted a closeup of this mural. It was painted by Rose Johnson of Bisbee, Arizona. She is a world-class artist with a charming home and studio in Bisbee. You can check out her work at the Belleza Gallery. I would love to have her paint a mural for me. I hope everyone enjoyed a peace-filled weekend!

World Peace

I took this pic in Bisbee, Arizona. It is in the window of a travel agency. In the spirit of the Olympic Games . . . may peace & harmony prevail during the athletic competitions.

Drive By

We used to drive by this building a lot when we lived in Phoenix. We were regulars at the downtown Phoenix Public Library. This building stood across the street from the entrance. I always liked the unique architecture and the wonderful peace sign art!!

Finding More Signs of Peace

This van was painted hippie style for the annual Santa Fe Fiesta last fall. It is a wonderful celebration with many events. I loved the bright colors of this van and of course . . . the peace sign!

Peace Place

This photo was also taken in Bisbee, Arizona. If you look toward the roof of the house, you will see a peace sign. From what I understand about this building, it is a boarding house or apartments. I wonder if the tenants of this building are as passionate about peace as I am?

Art or Graffiti?

This is another photo I took of a peace sign. Some might look at it as art. Others consider it graffiti. I tend to see it as art . . . but I'm one of those creative types. :)
Let me know what you think?

Finding Signs of Peace

Walking along and finding peace signs is always so fun for me. I'm always glad when I have my camera with me and can snap a pic! This peace sign was etched into some wet cement near our second home in Bisbee, Arizona. Look around you . . . there are signs of peace everywhere . . . . sometimes in the most unlikely of places!
Peace!

Future Peace-makers

Teachers across the country are gearing up for another year of shaping the lives of children. One of my goals is to always guide my students to seek peaceful resolutions to conflict and to find peace within themselves.

I love the following quote:
"If we wish to create a lasting peace, we must begin with the children." - Gandhi

Here's to our future generation . . . learning the ways of peace . . . best wishes to teachers everywhere for a successful and peace-filled year!

Peace Tile

I bought this tile from ceramic artist Kathleen Koltes when we toured the studios in Eldorado in May. Eldorado is a lovely area just south and east of Santa Fe. I love this tile and also her other work. Kathleen's tiles were features in the wonderful book 500 Tiles. I pass by this tile every morning on my way down to fetch my morning cup of coffee. I hope you are all enjoying a peace-filled weekend . . . and a great cup of the beverage of your choice! Cheers!

A cool peaceful retreat

I love watching the wide variety of birds in my courtyard patio. I find myself glued to the window with my New Mexico bird guide within reach while sipping my morning coffee. I delight in watching them eat and socialize. My favorites are the colorful finches and their joyous songs they sing back and forth to each other. I made this bird bath last winter and am happy to say that it is a nice watery retreat for my feathered friends.