Holding onto FAITH

What a tipsy turvy kind of year its been for me in 2014! I have been quiet about my journey this year publicly often holding onto the vision that you all have imagined me making lots of pots and quilts and creative things to get ready for the selling Summer, Fall and Holiday seasons! I had such an amazing year in 2013 and I came into the start of 2014 with lists and lists of ideas and an explosion of creative energy. All the while I was dragging my right shoulder around trying hard to believe that the pain was something simple to fix. It has not been simple. In fact, I have not been physically able to create beautiful pottery or other artful creations. My journey to hold onto FAITH began and I have had to really dig deep! Pottery is the soul of my business. I have felt quite lost without having the physical ability to throw pots. I have spend a lot of my time this year seeking conservative treatments to what we thought was muscle and tendon issues in my shoulder. The journey to identify the core cause of my pain has been like peeling the layers of an onion. Today I am having surgery to remove arthritis in my AC joint. My surgeon is very optimistic that I will return to throwing pots sometime this Fall! This is a thrilling prospect for me! So look for new pieces of art creations on my facebook page. I hope to start making my flannel/wool lap blankets first. 

I am also embarking on a new path in September. I have accepted a teaching position at the Fiddlehead Arts & Science Center. I will be an assistant teacher in the 2nd grade classroom. The lead teacher and I will have 15 students in our classroom. The Fiddlehead School is a new charter school in Maine. It is the first charter school and began in the 2013-2014 school year with Kindergarten and 1st grade. They have expanded this year to include 2nd & 3rd grade and will expand further next year with 4th & 5th grade. It is a great opportunity for me and one that will allow for my creative business as well.  The school is around the corner from where I live so I created this collage folder to deliver my narrative and resume.  It was a blast to make!

Take care friends! Thank you for supporting me and Craic Arts!

Music Food & Art

I have been thinking about music, food and art.......well since forever!  I have been excited recently to find WBACH (96.9 and 106.9 FM) back on the radio and while driving North from Boston last week I found a quiet relaxation listening to classical music stream from the car speakers!  I was lost, literally! And I had my childhood friend's children with me in the car and I did NOT want them to know we were LOST!  As we traveled through the dark night with lightning lighting up the sky ahead I listened and tried to recognize how many instruments I heard!  I was brought back to one of those spectacular moments in life when I was in a kindergarten music class and the teacher played the most incredible music and asked us to identify as many instruments as we could!  She had all of those instruments in the classroom for us to touch and play and I remember the joy I felt listening to the music!  We found our way back to my friends house and I felt grateful that music (and lightning) lit our path!

Since then I have been thinking more about my art.  As an artist I am keenly aware of the layers upon layers of material that go into my creations.  My mind is always thinking "should I choose this fabric"......."how about this glaze".......and more often than not the choice is made because of what surrounds the piece.  I can never really know if "THAT" fabric will make the best binding and most certainly what glaze might be the "BEST" for each piece of pottery!  It is a process that happens because of being CREATIVE.

As I work on quieting my mind tonight I am also reminded of how layers of flavor create the most amazing dishes of food!  This blog has been in my mind for some time.  Thinking about music and the different instruments I hear and also the components of my art creations.  And just after I watched the 11 o'clock news I found a nice reminder of the flavor of FOOD in the movie No Reservations.  As Catherine Zeta-Jones sips a spoonful of something yummy while blindfolded she begins to describe all the ingredients she tastes! Cognac, white wine, celery, leek, shallots and garlic YUMMY!

So off to bed thinking about the 2 heads of cauliflower and gruyere cheese in my fridge waiting for me to whip up cream of cauliflower soup!  And wondering if the green fabric I have for the binding of the baby blueberry quilts will work?

Life being creative is a gift and I am super grateful!  

What inspires you?

Recently I have been very inspired by a very creative program organized by The Brave Girls Club (www.bravegirlsclub.com). They started an initiative to make Truth Cards. They make these cards and recruit people like me (and YOU I hope!) to make these little cards to inspire women around the world who are struggling out of some challenging circumstances and could use a bit of hope and love! The Brave Girls Club collaborates with staff from the Full Circle Exchange (www.fullcircleexchange.com) to empower women around the world through economic enterprise. I highly recommend checking out these organizations! If you are not able to make Truth Cards there are other ways to show your support!

I have expanded this inspiration in my life to make cards to inspire others! Little cards of joy and love to encourage and support! Here are some recent Truth Cards and inspiration cards I made! Enjoy!

Art adventures!

I recently enjoyed giving a beautiful bowl that I made to my friend Julie Bernier. Julie invited me to her home to do an art project a week or so before. I brought some of my newly fired ceramic bowls to get some feedback. I was delighted when Julie picked up this green bowl and exclaimed "this is my bowl!" And at that moment I knew it was!

I have come to know over time that each piece of pottery I create becomes claimed and loved! I have said numerous times that I want my pottery to be loved......used to cook food and cleaned over and over in the dishwasher and hopefully never left on a shelf just to look at.

Several days after Julie claimed her bowl (and while I contemplated how best to give it to her) I received a lovely note from our pets veterinarian, Louise LeBoeuf. I gave her her a bowl I created to share my gratitude for all of the wonderful care she has provided our pets. In her note Louise wrote about the first 3 meals she ate from the bowl; tofu stir fry, granola, fruit and yogurt and so on. She wrote how much she loves to hold her bowl and how good it feels in her hands! I felt such pride about my pottery when I read her note and equally so when Julie claimed her bowl! It is why I create pottery and I hope that every owner of my art work falls madly in love each time the piece is used!

I had a similar experience claiming art on my recent trip to Ireland. We were in the small village of Clifden in Connemara Co. I had been teased by my travel mates for always being the last one on the bus. So I decided to get to the designated spot early and surprise everyone. And then it happened! I saw the most beautiful ceramic fish in the window of Lavelle Art Gallery. I went in and met Gavin the gallery owner who was more than willing to allow me to hold this most precious fish! As soon as the fish was in my hands I knew "uh oh.....This fish is mine"! I gulped hard when I learned of the price and decided on the spot to go for it! No regrets right? I would always wonder about the fish if I did not bring him home with me! I have potter friends to show right? Could this be a business expense? Nothing really mattered.....and I bought him! The teasing resumed when I was once again the last one on the bus! We decided to name the fish Connie Mara and he was our mascot throughout the trip!

I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to live a creative and adventurous life! Stay tuned for more adventures!

It's Official!

It's official!  I decided on a name for my business and registered the website and it's all mine!

Craic Arts

www.craicarts.com

www.craicarts.blogspot.com

The last few months have included a lot of personal growth and required some courage to sit with "I don't know".  Knowing has been a safety place for me in my life.  Being competent and having confidence in my skills has provided security in a "career".  I was given the best opportunity in 2012 when my employer closed and I decided to life a more authentic and creative life!  No more social work!  Time to focus on my creative skills and start producing beautiful things and living an adventurous life!  Hence the name of this blog Craic Adventures!

Craic (yes pronounced crack) is an Irish word.  It has many meanings and depending where you look you will find variations on the definition.  

"Craic is a Gaelic word, with no exact English translation. The closest you get is “fun.” There’s the expression “ceoil agus craic,” meaning “music and fun,” probably once used by locals to fortify themselves before heading off over an arduous mountain pass to the nearest ceili. Craic doesn’t appear in standard English dictionaries, but enter it as a search term on Google, and 42,500 listings come up. There’s obviously a lot of craic out there.  Put simply, having craic is having a good time or a laugh"

You can read more about the meaning of Craic here:  www.ireland-fun-facts.com/craic.html

Soon I will have my website available for view with items ready for purchase.  I am working creatively with clay, fabric and paper.  I will also share here on this blog places I will be showing my creations starting sometime late Spring.

So here I am writing my first blog really having no idea how to blog.  What I do know is that life is an adventure and I am embracing it fully!  You will be able to follow my adventures with creating beautiful things, traveling and finding interesting stories to tell!  Enjoy!