The Studio On The Ridge: July 2016

Monday, July 11, 2016

Some Sad News

As some of you readers may know, my dear husband, Robert, was ill for a long time. Early this year, his health became even more precarious.

Sadly, he passed away on June 17.

I miss him more than I can say. We were companions for over 50 years, and that is a long time! But I intend to carry on with my pottery and my gardening, and to consider that his spirit is with me as I go about my daily life.

Robert with both dogs, Jake and Kip (hiding his face) looking out across the marsh from the rocky ridge behind our house. This is a favourite picture, and how I plan to remember him.

The blog will return...

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The worst word in the English language is 'but'.

Life is really just a long list of chances to make a fool of yourself.

What's the difference between an Artist and a Craftsperson? Usually about $20K a year.

The purpose of a to-do list is to show you how far behind you are.

Never sneeze while brushing your teeth.

The 'new normal' is that there is no 'normal' anymore.

It doesn't matter where you start, it matters that you start.

Remember: you are the one driving the bus. Not the snarky customer or the whining teenager.

Smartass likes Toshiko Takaezu's Portrait of a Ceramic Artist. She says "You are not an artist simply because you paint or sculpt or make pots that cannot be used. An artist is a poet in his or her own medium. And when an artist produces a good piece, that work has mystery, an unsaid quality, it is alive".

How can something be both 'New' and 'Improved'? If it's new, there was no previous version to improve upon; similarly, if it's improved, it can't be new.

Sometimes, where I see beauty, someone else sees "doesn't match my sofa".

A fellow I know is a one-man mutual-admiration society.

I'm not poor, I'm living a low-income lifestyle.

Why is it that, no matter what I do, I'm in the wrong lane?

It's amazing how having something nasty to do can really motivate you to get all sorts of other things done.

I like Andy Warhol's advice: ' Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding , make even more art.' Right. My kind of thinking.

Some days you work on what is important, some days you work on what is urgent, other days you work on what is in front of you.

Nothing is more tiring than thinking about all the work you have to do.

Books: weapons of mass instruction.

Welcome to......

.... Pine Ridge Studio! It's a one-artist pottery studio located in the Ottawa Valley near the village of Carp. I make tableware and garden pots in stoneware and porcelain. The studio is in the middle of the woods..... my other great interest is gardening, particularly with ferns and other native plants. Rosie is my new Best Dog, in charge of Friendly Greetings. She's a little confused about who to bark at, but is getting pretty good at welcoming new friends. She's also a little confused about dog toys, most of which she eats, but she's quite angelic when she's asleep in front of the heater in the Studio. We are currently without-cat, which still seems a little odd after 19 years of Pepper's sarcasm, er, I mean, guidance. It's a great life and we love it!

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Monday, July 11, 2016

Some Sad News