Shoko's Portfolio

Shoko's Portfolio

things i am lovin!

dog days

i haven't made it to the studio at all this week. i have been at home with ophelia, my little old lady dog, all week! she has been temporarily unable to see since last saturday (due to an eye ulcer and an eye infection). i have been administering eye drops every two hours....it makes it hard to be away. good news: we just got home from the vet. she is starting to show signs of improvement!!! yay! her vision seems to be starting to return (no more running into walls).  thank goodness.
pshew. that was close...

see you soon. as always thanks for reading!
~trista

abandon ship!

the studio is lonely right now. i havent been around much. i took off last week for a whirlwind trip to asheville.  thinking that out farm was going to sell, we took the 6 and a half hour journey to asheville to assess the situation, look for new property and do a little birthday celebrating.
now we are home. if you know us well or read the blog much, you know we are big animal lovers. we have a couple of senior dogs that occasionally need a little extra love and attention. sometimes these dogs keep me from going to the studio. this is one of those weeks. if you dont see me around the studio much its because i'm at home with ophelia, my little old lady dog. about to be 16 in june, ophelia is in need of a little extra love this week. if you catch me there you might have the honor of meeting miss ophelia!

so until next time, happy spring yall!

and as always wishing you the best. thanks for reading
~trista

yep. pretty much!

life magazine just titled this sweet little town, the most UNDERRATED beach town. seriously, we kind of like it that way....

read on!

And the best of the hidden gems? "Maybe the confusion with the city of Beaufort (BEW-fort), S.C., has kept Beaufort (BO-fort), N.C., off vacationers' radar. But it's simply one of the nicest places to spend five days (or longer)," Peterson says.

http://www.life.com/image/ugc1058421/in-gallery/42742#index/30

japan

hot springs nc lies on a fault line. when we were still in asheville we once awoke to a teenie tiny earthquake. that random event doesnt even come close to hinting at what a real earthquake is like and definitely doesnt describe what is happening in japan. it is surreal and impossible for me to imagine. my heart aches for the people there. i cannot imagine what would happen in this country if an event like this were to occur.  in the information age, it is easy to make fun of the social media sights. but i have an old friend from high school and college who was lives in japan. through facebook posts, he has kept everyone aware of his status. it is good to be able to carry him in my heart and send him all the positive energy i have. its amazing that we can still feel close to someone so far away. on that note, i follow several other pottery blogs. this was a post from a potter who lives in japan. should you choose to read it, have some tissues near. it made me cry.

 http://euancraig.blogspot.com/2011/03/we-are-safe.html

in the meantime, hug the ones you love. take today to love everyone deeper that ever before. because you really never know what could happen tomorrow.

thanks for reading. wishing everyone well.
~trista

Thank you Toshiko Takaezu!

“the clay has much to say” -toshiko takaezu

 

 

i'm taking a minute today to celebrate one of the greatest potters in this country. toshiko takaezua passed yesterday.  A truly inspriring role model,  she left an incredible legacy for world of pottery.  She left an impression on this world that is indellible.

toshiko takaezua documentary

spring time in BFT! pictorial composed.

its march and this quiet little town is about to bust at the seams with energy and life.

hello spring!

if you know me very well, you know i talk a lot about my tiny little concrete yard and how i've adapted to my less than ideal gardening situation. the picture on the left is my portable mini garden. i planted a cold weather garden this fall....things are looking good! and a few weeks ago i put out some seeds for my early spring garden. (peas sprouting up, pictured right.)

this year i'm thinking i might even put a little veggie garden at the studio! stay tuned for that one.

fat tuesday on middle lane here in BFT.

beaufort is a sleepy little town in the winter time.  beaufort-ians are always good about finding an excuse to shake things up a little and have a celebration. mardi gras has always been well celebrated in true BFT fashion, but this year they raised the bar. middle lane (the alley that runs from turner to craven in front of the pub and aqua and cru) was shut down for festivities. there was plenty of glitter and feathers and costumes to warm even the coldest winter soul. to add to the excitement there was also a parade and cajun music and good old southern style louisiana chow downs! all things good. i love this town for that, i cant wait to see how they top it next year.

and most importantly, the pots:

a few new pots that i am kind of fond of!

singing off for now!

get outside and get ya some vitamin d.

yay for spring.

thanks for reading.

~trista

its just kinda my thing...

another one of my favorite contemporary artists:

SWOON

SWOON's work is street art, life-sized, cut-out, wheat paste prints and paper cutouts of figures. Her realistically rendered characters draw from life, often featuring her friends and family as characters going about everyday activities in a unique landscape of her own invention. Architectural elements become lacy patterns of light and shadow, the pieces are often flowy and uniquely delicate. Using paper shapes and inked prints, her use of both positive image and negative space hints at a broad range of inspiration. Inspired by both art historical and folk sources, ranging from German Expressionist wood block prints to Indonesian shadow puppets, SWOON is a master of using cut paper to play with positive and negative space in a conceptually driven exploration of the experience of the streets.The gestural nature of her drawings, the contrast between the dark gestural lines of the figures and the soft lacy backgrounds creates a tension that to me is breath taking.  The impermanence of her work, much like the fleeting moments she captures add to the drama of her work.She is a modern day rebel female icon! 

its just the kinda thing i dig...

all things good things must come to end...

this trip once again reminds me that asheville will always be my home. i <3 you asheville! thank you for always welcoming me back with open arms.

thats all for now. i'll be back in the studio bright and early tomorrow.

as always, thanks for reading!

~trista

asheville turnaround!

hey yall! just wanted to let everyone know that i will be "out of the office" until thursday.  i am headed home to asheville for a few days. please call or send an email if you need anything before the weekend.

wishing you the best!

thanks ~trista