friday field trip (from the sketch book).

13 may 1993

spain.

i drew these in a car on a journey from zaragoza to madrid. the landscape was amazing and the colors SO rich and breathtaking.

some of my new cups are available at TRAX GALLERY.

(click on the image for a better look)

rock it.

300 rocks en route to germany. i love these brown rocks. they are like

chocolate nuggets.

HaPpY VaLeNtInE's dAy.

spread the love.

trax gallery.

saturday, feb 11th

small bowl invitational

trax gallery

enjoy hot chocolate nibs whisked into a foamy delight right in your cup by chocolate connoisseur, mark sommer.

click HERE for details.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

june 2011

vallauris, france

the spoon series i was working on in the south of france.

chocolate + cups.

here are some of my new cups.

they will be making their debut THIS weekend at TRAX GALLERY.

. . . an invitational show featuring small bowls for drinking hot chocolate. mark sommer, connoisseur of natural, organic, free trade chocolate from COCOA RUSTICA will be there to whisk up this frothy treat right in your cup !

TRAX GALLERY.

saturday - february 11th

5:00 to 7:00

1812 5th street

berkeley, ca

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

july 2004

cortona, italy.

cortona is one of the sweetest towns i have ever been to. this beautiful little town is built upon a hill and has the most amazing medieval architecture. cortona was made famous by frances mayes book, under the tuscan sun. and just by chance, while we were there they showed this movie (under the tuscan sun) on a huge outdoor movie screen. watching this movie under the stars whilst sipping limoncello was truly an epic moment.

more love.

in honor of SAINT VALENTINE, i am running a FREE GIVEAWAY on my facebook page.

go HERE to enter.

anthology magazine.

thank you ANTHOLOGY MAGAZINE for featuring me and some of my clay posse in the latest issue (no. 6 winter 2012). i love this magazine. the content and the design are both so beautifully executed. they are really more like coffee table books rather than magazines.

you can get a bluebird plate right here.

the truth.

you never know what really goes on in a relationship behind closed doors, but the truth is that CLAY and I are in a BIG FIGHT. i've been working on new cups using different clays, slips, and glazes for weeks now. and after many trials and tribulations, test firings, more test firings, tears, tantrums, disappointments, and new supplies, i thought i had finally nailed down the perfect formula for clay + slip + glaze + temperature = nice cup. well, i thought wrong. turns out that what happens in your test kiln is NOT necessarily what happens in your big kiln, and what happens in your big kiln is NOT necessarily what happens in your even bigger kiln.

i know that all of my testing and inconclusive results are just part of the process and nature of this beast we call CLAY, and it really IS part of the adventure and surprise. but, when you actually need functional cups for a real SHOW, it can be maddening and heart breaking. i wish CLAY would just behave the way i WANT him to right now . . . but at this point, all i can do is cross my fingers and close my eyes.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

july 2004

arezzo, italy

one of my top 3 favorite countries has to be italy (tuscany, to be exact). tuscany is so luscious and rich with culture . . . the FOOD, the colors, the people, the art, the landscape. i could easily spend a year eating and sketching my way through tuscany . . . (a girl can dream).

shake it.

these are new salt + pepper shakers that i designed for my manufactured line.

they were based on and inspired by these bells that i made last summer in france. i had many requests to design a set of salt + pepper shakers (in addition to my cellars) and this shape was perfect for the job.

the gift shows are now in progress and i have A LOT of brand new products hot out of the kiln. be the first to stock your store while you can. my manufactured line will be shown in new york THIS weekend:

New York International Gift Show

January 29th to February 2nd

Magenta presents in “Tabletop and Housewares”

Javits Convention Center, Booth # 3066

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

24 may 2003

paris, france

one of my favorite things to do in a foreign country is to hang out in a bar with a delicious libation, reading, playing games, sketching, writing, and rubbing elbows with the natives. paris has some of the best bars anywhere and a leisurely drink is always encouraged. did you know that i am going to paris in may with some of my clay posse?

i can't wait.

beautiful ugly.

i love the term "beautiful ugly." this is when something is SO ugly that it is actually beautiful. i've been experimenting with new glazes, underglazes, slips, and clays. when these bowls came out of my test kiln, i was HUGELY DISAPPOINTED, as they were nothing of what i expected. i slammed the kiln shut and stormed out of the room. but the next day when i looked at them again, i found them to be quite beautiful . . . exquisite, even.

one of clay's biggest life lesson for me is to not have your heart set on something. when you think you want something a certain way, it could turn out in a completely different way and you just might love it even more. i love when the clay speaks to me like this. it opens up my mind to even more possibilities than i ever imagined were out there.

what you think you might want, might not be what you want at all.

(click on the image for a closer look at the beautiful ugliness)

a foot to stand on.

i'm making new cups . . . hand building the cup and using my new best friend, the kick wheel, to trim the foot. this is much harder than it sounds, as it is IMPOSSIBLE to center something that is OFF CENTERED to begin with, but i am having much fun doing something new. trying as it may be (yes, there have been naughty words cried out, sweat dripping from my face, and cups flying off the wheel), i think i am gaining a new appreciation for the wheel. stay tuned for my new series of goofy footed cups . . .

remembering dad.

my dad and his brother owned and operated restaurants. one of the restaurants, the leilani, was a HUGE part of my life. it is so often still in my dreams. growing up in a restaurant and having a dad who was the MOST amazing chef is the reason for my innate love of food. my dad and i had many things in common, one being the love of any and all foods. there is not a single food that i will not eat with delight (except mint jelly . . . but that is really a condiment . . . and my dad liked it).

yesterday someone sent me this lighter from our restaurant that they thought i would want (I DO). it is well over 50 years old. and today marks the 4th anniversary of my dad's passing. i'm sure he is having a big feast somewhere. bon appétit, daddy-o.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2011

berkeley, california

just a page from my clay sketchbook. one day these will be made into actual vessels . . . stay tuned.

savon.

this artful photo was taken by the lovely food stylist + painter pouké .

you can get one here.

o p e n .

the gallery will be OPEN today from 11-5

come by and say hi !

and the winner is . . .

contest closed. wilma chose the name of the lucky winner out of a hat. the last winner she picked was a friend of her aunt's, so people were just a little suspicious. i blind folded her this time so no one could question the outcome. NOBODY likes a cheater.

next contest will be in february.

you will enter it here.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

emeryville, california

yes, it's true. i am one of those typical girls who LOVES shoes. but not just any shoe. i love sturdy, good leather, well made shoes. fiornentini + baker shoes fit the bill for SURE. ooooops, i left out the "i" on the sketch . . . fiorentini puts the "i" in I WANT MORE fiorentini + baker shoes !

HAPPY. NEW. YEAR.

(click on the photo for a closer look)

in celebration of this first day in 2012 . . .

i'm giving away some new year inspiration HERE.

enter to win ALL of the products above.

happy 2 0 1 2 .

it's a good time to . . .

i wish a wonderful new year to all.

winter wonderland.

this is our new winter studio post card.

i love the wintery feel of it.

ho ho ho.

wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

woof.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2009

emeryville, california

for those of you who don't know who WILMA is, she is simply my most amusing muse. she is a very funny human little girl, trapped inside the body of a jack russell terror terrier. and i love her as if i birthed her myself.

i'll drink to that.

my job is rather strange. i interact with hundreds of people that i never actually get to meet. mostly, people are quite wonderful in their communications and transactions, some not so good, and then there are those like ML who make my job worth it completely. a customer that you just *click* with, have great interactions with, who appreciates your time and talent, someone who just "gets it." ML wins my customer-of-the-month award, hands. down. this person actually sent ME this beautiful bottle of wine a few days ago. i was dumbstruck. i'm so used to doing the giving, that i forgot how NICE it is to be on the receiving end. THANK YOU so much, ML . . . and though we have never met in person, my cyber crush on you lives strong.

a really good show.

THANK YOU so much to everyone who came out to the FABULOUS SHOW on the weekend. it was such a treat to see so many old friends and to lighten my load for the new year. i have a few more days of shipping out orders and then i am SO HIBERNATING for ONE WEEK. i'm looking forward to 2012. though i already have some projects to start on, my new year resolution is to WORK LESS + PLAY MORE.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

emeryville, california

i have a *thing* for great leather bags. i can't seem to get enough of them. this one, that i bought from neiko designs, is one of my all time favorites. it's a great size, super sturdy, and it smells nice.

let there be light.

i have some new votives HOT out of the kiln.

i'll be taking these to the renegade show this weekend.

speaking of light, i am just now beginning to see the light at the end of the holiday tunnel and i'm heading STRAIGHT towards it.

it's beginning to look a lot like winter.

i love the sparseness and darkness of winter.

these latest new items of mine remind me of just that.

be square.

my square salt + pepper cellars are back in the s h o p .

be a RENEGADE.

i'll be at the RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR THIS weekend.

i have a lot of NEW WORK + a HUGE SALES BIN.

booth no. 139

(say to me "rudolph is the red nosed reindeer" and get 10% your purchase)

a sweet night.

THANK YOU to all of you who attended our opening last night. it was SO FUN. truly a very sweet and satisfying night . . .

we packed the studio + gallery like sardines. but there is still some great work available from the show. we'll be open for the rest of the weekend and then next thursday thru sunday 11-5. there is still a little bit of time left to shop before christmas !

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

december 2011

berkeley, california

this is from a new series of work hot out of the kiln. i want it to resemble a page out of my sketchbook. as you can clearly see, i was always the kid who couldn't stay inside the box. in fact, i recently saw the father of a childhood friend of mine who told me that growing up, i was like a wild indian . . . i'm not sure what he meant by that, but i'll take it as a compliment !

DESSERT, p l e a s e .

here is some new work for our DESSERT SHOW that opens tomorrow night. these are my new tea-coffee-ice cream-pudding bowls.

holiday plates.

i have a new set of holiday gingham plates available ONLY at terrain.

see them right here

a platter of holiday cheer . . .

this is the selection of LIMITED EDITION holiday banner ornaments i made this year. they will only be available until december 17th.

shop here.

friday field trip (from the sketch book).

2010

trax gallery

berkeley, california

i purchased this little ceramic bird at a trax opening last year. i was so drawn to it and now it hangs on my own wall. i love the detail and i love fowl. guess who ELSE loves fowl . . .

WILMA does. she loves this time of the year when the fowl is good + oh so plentiful. this was her thanksgiving dinner. a whole turkey leg.

she can't believe she ate the WHOLE thing.

P A R T Y !

our 2011 HOLIDAY SHOW is all about DESSERT. we invited 9 local ceramic artists who each invited another local ceramic artist. the work will all be "dessert inspired."

the OPENING NIGHT PARTY is next week.

thursday, dec. 8th

7-11

come party down with us for this SWEET event.

lump of coal.

well . . . these are (slightly) better than a lump of coal.

stuff these in your christmas stockings.

new rocks in the s h o p .

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas . . .

NEW holiday ornaments in my s h o p .