Back in the Chautauqua saddle...

Man, when I say I'm taking a break, I mean it! Sorry for the extended pause but I am back and I have all sorts of great stuff to blog about. After my little hiatus I am now back up in Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY. Dan Kuhn and I have spent the last week getting the studio ready for the upcoming season...making clay, making glazes, sweeping up bat poop. This past Saturday was the opening weekend for the 2010 season and yesterday was the first big opening of the galleries here. Its always quite the event and this year was no different except that it was bigger and better. The art school is celebrating its one hundred and first and this year opened yet another really exceptional gallery.This is a newly renovated old Victorian that now sports large wide open gallery spaces instead of honeycombed rooms... Brazilian teak flooring and a wrap around porch with a small cafe on the end. The Fowler-Kellog Art Center sits directly in front of Strohl Art Center, that only opened 2 years ago, and is connected by a large brick paver plaza of sorts. Check out the pics below ...the pics above are from one of the exhibitions that opened on Sunday..."Teapots, Teapots, Teapots"...that's a Jim Connell piece next to a teapot by Frank Martin.

There were several really great exhibitions in the gallery spaces but I am partial to the teapot show...well, because I am in it...and much to my surprise I sold one of my nicest teapots during the opening. Below are more sweet teapots ...the tall solo one is by Dan Kuhn who serves as our ever helpful and dedicated ceramic tech here in the bubble...the green one is by Jennifer Allen...the black one is by Emily Reason with another great teapot by Jim Connell and the image with three teapots is again, Jim Connell, me, and Scott Cornish. Click to enlarge...

So many great pieces by many great people...so much to see...so many kiln loads to fire...so much music to hear...so many bottle rockets to launch...so many Bellinger cafeteria meals to choke down...so many mixer loads of clay to make...so many people's groundless gripes to ignore...so many beers and wings to consume at the Village Casino over at Bemus point...so many more blog posts to come.

Stay Tuned!