Happy 2017! I am grateful to be thawing out after the snowstorm that hit Portland the day after returning from a trip to Kauai, HI. The experiences on the Garden Island were truly inspiring and the wintry weather upon my return gave me plenty of time to reflect. I met a Potter named Duane McRaine of Lightwave Pottery while exploring the historic town of Kapaa. He gave me a tour of his studio. A self taught ceramist who specializes in colored clay, he is one of a few people in the country who does Millefiori. He was eager to share his knowledge about wheels and was also nervous about the upcoming move of his entire studio to the mountains outside of Princeville. I can't wait to return and see the new space. It will be shared with several other Artists and he hopes to teach classes to folks visiting from the mainland. He also said the Brent C wheel is a great workhorse and he liked that the sound it made gave him an indication of the speed which is important for different aspects of throwing vs. trimming. So now I'm reconsidering my investment in a Shimpo Whisper VL. I signed-up for a class at OCAC which starts next week. I will be making Teapots and cups and then hitting the big Ceramics Convention in March NCECA http://nceca.net/2017-portland-future-flux/. Also, I am doing some volunteer work at Nordic Northwest (Scandinavian Heritage Foundation) photographing Fastelavn (Nordic Carnival) so I hope to share some images from that event. The Finnish Designer R. Ussikkimon is very inspiring to me. I have an Arabia Finland plate from 1979 which depicts the story of the herding boy, Kullervo.
I look forward to creating new pieces and selling them at local craft fairs and eventually bigger venues as well! I am super excited about what the future holds for Encanto Creations despite the political climate in America. I hope to see you at the Women's March on Saturday in Portland. Be well and live an inspired life! ~ Angela