A Potters World

MATT JONES(click)

A WORLD OF CLAY

Matt's potters wheel        photo by elizabeth gordon

To meet Matt is a wonderful experience.  He is a warm open man, who is interested in everything.  He is down to Earth and non assuming.  He is not an aloof conceited artist, but the opposite. If there is ego in Matt, it all goes into the creation process.  He is the kind of man you don't expect to find hold up alone spending hours and hours in the studio, but instead in a crowd smiling and laughing away.  He likes challenge and wants to keep his craft as pure and locally as he can.  He buys local clay dug from the surrounding mountains and stores behind the studio in large mounds.  He screens it and makes up his own blend. He also crushes beer bottles and uses them in his glazes!

Pottery Studio in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Bisque Wear Glazed and Ready for Firing

local clay stored behind the studio

 Before firing it has a whitish grey look which made me think it might fire white, but Matt looked at me as if I was crazy when I said that...no it fires a darker brown he said.  He is a tall lean lanky man with a crooked grin, who can throw huge pots. When I say huge I mean really really big.  Most of his work has mostly the color of the glazes he mixes and the marks of the wood firing, but he does love drawing.  He adds graphics when he can for his own soul and not the monetary bottom line.  He has a sense of humor when he does ad the graphics that is a bit edgy and delightful  I told my other Mississippi artist buddy, Sean Starwars, they must connect with each other, they would find a common ground. 

portrait of tools

Matt's large wood firings go a week, firing all day and night.  It is a large undertaking he only does a couple of times of year.  Otherwise he does smaller firings, not loading the whole outdoor kiln.  

For me I love wood firings.  The glazes are earthy and warm...they show marks that say I am hand made, I am crafted, I an ancient craft and don't you forget it with your new fangled electric kilns and low fire glazes!
I had hopped to find one of my favorite mugs and glazes Matt does, but he was sold out after an article had appeared the magazine Garden and Gun, Southern Made.

Glazing brushes on the ready

mixing barrel where Matt mixes his own clay

mark of the potter

drying and screening bin

display in sales room...almost sold out

Matt's Ceramic Monthly Cover

 Mark is quite a surprising guy.  As we are talking he says, "Do you know who Sheppard Fairey is?"  I said yes, he is the artist who did the Obama poster.  Then Matt proceeds to tell me that Shepard Fairey is a childhood friend and they have gotten in contact again after years of going their own ways.  Sheppard recently bought a bunch of Matt's pottery that had a nod to Sheppard's own art work!

Outdoor wood kiln with wood stacks

Detail shot of Matt's wood fire kiln

VIGNETTE

 a short impressionistic scene that leaves one with a sense of character, that is how wikapedia defines the word and that is how I chose to take the photograph.  I am drawn to scenes like this in photography..things that tell us more, that almost seem like a portrait, but aren't.  This was taken at the architectural salvage store in Asheville called the Screen Door.
  

Allegorical Vignette By Elizabeth Gordon  

Zafer the Studio Cat

photo by elizabeth Gordon

All art is better with a cat!

Transitions

We have transitions in art and life.  Today it is time for Rabbit's Moon studio to transition from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the more tropical environment of Southern Florida.  We are on the move this summer with Florida, New Orleans, and back up to the Mountains for the fall...all in our sites..and sights.  I thought I would leave you with an amazing sunset picture of the New Found Mountain range in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville.  
A special thank you to Judy Baker and Ann Cook for their million dollar view from the their deck...all of our sunset pictures came from their deck with a bottle of wine and some amazing dinners.  Their dogs Winnie, Sassy, Abbie, and Coco assisted us greatly.  
In life's transitions friends make the journey a joy.  

photo by elizabeth gordon

This photo is so amazing to me because it is the last glimpse of light by seconds before the sunset is gone.  Its colors are not typical of purple and pinks, but more sepia orange and black.  It could be an abstract picture.  So we transition from day to night and back to day again as this world turns on its axis.  And we also turn on our axis of life from one moment to another.  So with love, lets say goodbye to the Blue Ridge Mountain...and it will transition in our absence from summer to fall.  

NEW ARTIST SERIES

A new artist in Rabbit's Moon Blog means someone that is new to us and to day that is a North Carolina artist named...We are open to you additions of artists as well!

Patrick Doughtery

Patrick was born in Oklahoma, but grew up and went to school in North Carolina.  The influence of a love of nature can not be denied in his art. Patrick's use of natural elements as sculpture remind me of Scottish Artist, Andrew Goldsworthy.  His work is amazing in scope and size. There is an almost whimsical fairy tale like quality to his art that adds a playful element.  

from google image

from google image

Painter of Sports

LeRoy Neiman(click for more)

from google image

from google image

As the world is focused on the Olympics and athleticism in London right now.  I thought we would look at a painter who is known for his paintings of sports in action.  LeRoy Neiman is an artist known mostly for his paintings of sports in action.  His work is full of movement and color.  There is an almost abstract impressionistic quality in his work.  One definitely feels the drama and excitement in his art work.

from google image

Technique alone is never enough. You have to have passion. Technique alone is just an embroidered pot holder. (Raymond Chandler)

But some people even find passion for pot holders!

Art of the Olympics

Ackroyd and Harvey(click)
British Photographers

Another two amazing artists of the Olympics.  There work is innovative and fresh....literally fresh-it is grass!  They have a method of putting detailed photographic images on who canvases of grass.  As unbelievable as it sounds, these stunning art works can last up to a year with living natural grass.   The discovery that led to two photographers working with images on grass happened accidentally.  They had an installation with grass and had left a ladder in front of the area...they noticed after the exhibit was over the ladder had left an impression, so began their experimentation. Artist are so similar to scientist for it is often an area of discovery, trial and error.  Think of who invented the crayon, or the idea of a fresco, or using ground bone for paint...artist experiment and create.  Ackroyd and Harvey are members of that fine tradition of artist experimenters!

Ackroyd and Harvey, British Photographers                     from google image

Typographic metal rings at London Olympics designed by Ackroyd and Harvey                                 from google image

The 7 rings designed(click for link) by Ackroyd and Harvey are through the park.  They have typographic letter in the metal and are designed to grow into the trees!  So fascinating.  It will be a permanent image of the 2012 Olympics.

ART OF THE OYLMPICS

MONICA BONVICINI

RUN(click)

                                                                                                                                                                           photo from Google image

Monica Bonvicini is an Italian born artist who now lives between Berlin and Los Angeles


I have been watching the Olympics while working on some glass fusion pieces.  I love sports, as my Father was a coach and I grew up with a variety of sports around me on tv, on the radio, or in person.   Perhaps it is the excitement, the physical skill and endurance...I am not certain, but  in the Olympics you have drama and excitement and skills all rolled up into one.  I started thinking about the art work and the amazing architecture that I was seeing.  When I pulled up the site on the art work, it seems as if each venue has a different artists work.  I thought it would be fun for us to look at that together.  I really like this first installation by Monica Bonvicini.   The use of words reminds me of Jenny Holtzer(click), an American artist.  I think we can assume this sculpture is outside the track and field area.  My brother ran track so it is dear to my heart as well.  I can still see him running his relays in my mind with his state championship team.  Run with the wind!

AN EYE FOR DETAIL

A TRAINED EYE

Study in Urban Portraiture of Modern Tribal Symbology
photo by Elizabeth Gordon

As artists we are trained to look, to look closely, to look slowly, as if a microscope honing in on an obscure detail.  We must see so many things, the line that bumps and turns and fragments along the contour of an object no matter how large or small.  It is the secret to drawing, learning to see, really see.  We think we see, but when we train ourselves, or are trained in art class then we realize there was a whole world we never saw before.   Painters see the detail of color, sculptures see shape and form.  I remember one of the exercises in art classes to help one compose a scene and focus in on certain area.  Take a small square of cardboard, cut out the center in a square also.  Then hold it up at what ever you are looking at and it well help you frame the most interesting composition you are looking at.  Another exercise we are all familiar with is blind contour...to draw a subject without ever looking down at your paper.  At first it is hilarious at first, the with repetition it gets better and better.  You will learn to slow down and really see.  Another exercise is to take a photo or picture, turn it upside down, now draw it.  It is the same picture, the same lines, nothing has changed, only your perspective.  For those of you interested in improving you drawing skills and are a novice I recommend Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.  It is filled with exercised I had in college to train your eye.  If you are not a novice and still need to reboot you skills there is nothing better to sign up for a live figure drawing class.  Like any art, it takes constant practice to keep you skill sharp.  In teaching small children to draw I had a formula that I found to work.  I ask the kids to focus on the general shape, whether it was square, oval, circle, rectangle or triangle.  Sketch it out lightly, then look closer....look where the shapes may blend a bit, sketch in, now look at the contour lines around the shapes and slowly sketch in.  It worked well with even with kindergarteners. It trained their eyes to see as artists do. I will always be thankful for the early training of an artist who was trained at the Bauhaus in Germany.  Thank you Christopher Clark, what you taught me as a teenager did me well my whole art career and a Mother who worked extra jobs to pay for my art classes.
When taking photo's my eyes are often attracted to detail..texture line, color or a combination of all.  In this photo there was so much going on...the color of the tattoo's, the shape of the leg bend, the texture of the stone counter...but of course it goes well beyond a study in detail, it speaks of modern culture, tribal symbology, and the human form in space.  Take out your camera, go on an artists journey with yourself, and look for those details, you will come up with some gems that will really surprise you.  

A Taste Of Asheville

A TAST OF ASHEVILLE TOUR

While Rabbits Moon Studio is on site this summer in several different locations.  I thought besides the art and artists you should get a feel for the areas through their food and culture.  Asheville is a very progressive city, set in a more conservative area, in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  There are a couple of food tasting tours in Asheville.  This is the ones our friends suggested.  It had 6 major stops and a couple of small ones involving tasting of gourmet olive oils and vinegars.  This was the first food tour I had been on and I highly advise for anyone.  It is a great way to get to know an area and its community.  The Chocolate Fetish ships all over the United States and I dare say they have the best chocolates I have tasted outside of Europe.  I will include a link for you.  I recommend you order a sample!  This is a family affair.  A husband and wife started the business and then their art major turned artist daughter joined them.  She does the sculptural aspects and hand painting.     The store has doubled in size recently and always amazes me with their new recipe's and creativity.                      

 
                      

                             Chocolate Fetish  photo by elizabeth gordon

Vencenzo's Italian Restaurant/ Asheville

Vencenzo's Italian Restaurant was a real treat also.  We had a sample of home pasta with shrimp and scallops with a wonderful home made pesto sauce.  I can hardly wait to try out the whole menu.  The upstairs was beautiful and white table cloth dinning.  Where the downstairs was casual and exposed brick with music 5 nights a week...no cover charge either.  Wonderful Italian wines as well.

Down Town Asheville Pack Square

Asheville Art Musuem

Asheville Store Cat

Asheville is a pet friendly town.  Restaurant have out door areas where dogs are welcome and water bowls waiting. Many of the store owners have their resident cat or dog helping to mind the store.

Olive Kickin' Olive Oil and Vinegar Tasting

Olive Oil and Kickin' was a wonderful adventure.  I daresay I had never tasted oils and vinegars without bread before and was a bit unsure about that.  But I have to admit it was fun and I learned how to taste olive oil as if it were a fine wine.  I am really a big fan of balsamic dark chocolate vinegar!!!  I will add a link to their web site above for you.

Olive oil and vinegar  tasting containers

Locally owned by two women businesswomen

A new bakery, Karen Donatelli's Cake Designs and Pastries, in town was our last stop, but not last on our list.  A family that originally moved from Winter Park, Florida opened the bakery recently.  Though they had been catering and making wedding cakes, they missed the store experience. They are friendly and the food is wonderful.  Wait to you see those cakes.

European Bakery 

Red Velvet and Chocolate and Cream Cheese Icing.


Two other places on our stop 

A Blue Ridge Sampler of Sunsets

I took all of these photographs the same evening from the deck of a friends home.  The sky was absolutely amazing yesterday.  The glow seemed to go on and on forever.  The colors seem almost surreal they are so beautiful.  I am reminded of the first time I saw Georgia O'Keefe's paintings of the SouthWest mountains.  I thought the colors could not be real, until I stood at Ghost Ranch looking out at the same view and colors she saw.  Sometimes what we call realistic is actuality abstract, but we must label what we see as humans.  But how can you put words to this stunning vista of nature's canvas?  

photo's by Elizabeth Gordon

Being Indian is an attitude, a state of mind, a way of being in harmony with all things and all beings. It is allowing the heart to be the distributor of energy on this planet; to allow feelings and sensitivities to determine where energy goes; bringing aliveness up from the Earth and from the Sky, putting it in and giving it out from the heart."  - Brooke Medicine Eagle

Elk in Smoky Mountain Park                                                             Photo by Ann Suggs

 Being an artist is about many things, but being close to the Earth and nature reflects the world we are part of.  We see colors and shapes others may not, we are sensitive to the most amazing variety of things from our senses of sight, smell and sound...but we also sense things in a way that is hard to describe...the feel of the deep old forest cool on our skin, the glint of light in the eye of an elegant Elk walking in quiet majesty,  the overwhelming feeling moving through space as if a being of light rooted in the Earth, but soaring to the stars.  We are sensitives and we absorb, then we reflect.  We are Artists.

American Indian Proverb on Nature

American Indian Proverb
Only after the last tree has been cut down,
only after the last river has ben poisoned,
only after the last fish has been caught,
only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. 

Photo's by Elizabeth Gordon

Cataloochee Valley, Smoky Mountain Parks

Photos by Elizabeth Gordon