Hope for Hope

This March at NCECA (The National Council on the Education for Ceramic Arts) the ceramics department at The School for American Crafts is putting on a fundraiser to help Hope Rovelto.  Hope was in a very bad car accident last November.  With surmounting medical bills, the arts community is rushing to her side to help alleviate this financial burden.

In our effort to help Hope, the School for American Crafts is assembling a cookbook of pot-luck recipes from the ceramics BFA and MFA students and alumni.  The cookbook will be filled with great recipes and photos of the various artist's work.  The cookbook will be available at the School for American Crafts booth at NCECA this year which will be held in Tampa and St.Petersburg Florida.

Here is the link to Hope's website.

My submission was Ina Garten's Coconut Macaroons.  So delicious!

Please pray for her quick recovery.

Harbingers of Spring

  All of this snow is pretty, I will admit, but the cold weather is not as enjoyable.  Yes, I chose to live in Boston, so I have no room to complain, but winter is not my favorite season.  Spring is!  Growing up in Western New York (up, up state), we were blessed with beautiful parks and a countryside mixed with rolling farm fields and groves of trees.
 When the first buds would appear on the trees, my mom would say, "it looks like the trees were sprayed with a mist of chartreuse green".  Oh, I love that time of year.  One of the reasons I love spring, is because it means months of beautiful weather are ahead of me.
 So, as I dream of warmer days, or at least spring-like days, I will leave you with some images of my work that reflects the upcoming season.

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Julia's Plates

  My good friend, Julia Skop of antinomy designs, asked me to make some plates for her.  It was actually a trade. (I got a beautiful glass necklace and bronze bracelet.)
  The plates have been completed for a little over a month now, but I am finally getting around to posting images of them.  (Since our move to Boston, my time has been taken up with unpacking, organizing, and spending time with my little Henri.)
  Typically the palette that I work with is brighter and more "spring-like."  Julia asked me to make her set of plates using more wintery and somber colors.  I really enjoyed the change/challenge, and think that my next body of work will be more of a combination of gray/neutrals, and candy colors.  I can't wait to get back into the studio....ahhhh!

     Here are a few pictures of the plates.  I hope you like them Julia!

The calendar above hangs in my studio and was one of my influences in the designing of these plates.

Bakeries in the South End

  It has been a week since we've moved to the South End of Boston.  My sister and brother-in-law are visiting for the next couple of days to help us unpack.  They have been so helpful, that I have been thanking them with food.  Yesterday I walked to Flour bakery www.flourbakery.com/ on Washington street for some delicious pastries, and this morning/early afternoon we all took at walk to Blunch www.eatblunch.com, for some blunch, er brunch.  Sarah and I split the Provençial and Jake had the Colonial.  I recommend both.  And Henri loved the Provençial.  He had some bites of mine.

  Before we left, I bought a few pastries for us to sample at home.  I posted an image above. Their coffee is super yummy too, Mexican House Blend.  The cafe is pretty small, so we didn't linger.  The seating is a wrap around bar with stools, and has a great view of the street. But it would be a great place to sit and chat for a bit and people watch too. 
    From top left: Chocolate chip cookie, coffee cake, chocolate dipped macaroon, brownie, and churro.