Northbranch Collaboration

Last November I had the most incredible blessing of getting to collaborate with Hans and Rachel Nordgren with Northbranch Candles. I made the vessels and then….get this….they actually let me come to their studio/lab (not sure what you call the space where people make candles….chandlerie?) and they walked me through the exhilarating  process of creating a signature scent!!! I was like a kid in a candy shop! 

The Nordgrens both have such a masterful way of balancing and layering scents to create full-bodied, rich blends that really have an impact and feeling attached to them. This is why I was so ecstatic when they asked if I would be interested in collaborating! We worked in several different directions until they informed me that they had a scent that smelled like moss……. MOSS!!!!! My closest friends and family know how obsessed I am with this miraculous creation of God. I am literally reading a book about moss at the moment and have been known go hiking with a spatula and plastic baggie. Don’t get me started talking about moss unless you want to be there for a while. 

We began working with the moss and then I was curious to see what a hint of citrus might add. Hans and Rachel knew exactly what to layer to create a scent that, to me, smelled like what the forest smells like when you hike right after the snow melts in the early Spring. I was in love but we all needed to sleep on it and see how we felt about it the next day. 

The next day came and I found myself cutting clay in my studio. I thought I must be going crazy when I started to notice that the aroma coming from the clay smelled so much like what we had concocted the night before. As soon as I had that thought I ran to get the bottle with the scent laden q-tips in the perfect proportions we had made and sure enough…it was almost identical to the moss scent!!  

How incredible….out of all of the hundreds of bottles of scents in that room and the millions of possible combinations the thing that my nose was searching for was the exactly smell that surrounds me daily as I create out of earth. It is also one of the many reasons I am continually drawn into the forests. To wonder at the beauty and magnificence of God’s creations. The fact that this scent also has a hint of citrus nodding to my love of my home state- Florida makes me doubtful there could ever be a smell that better encapsulates who I am and what of all creation thrills me most often. 

So I’ll just be sitting over here, sniffing this candle and marveling at what a blessing this whole experience has been. All you nature lovers out there… you’re going to want to smell this thing. 

Wonders in the Deep

Psalm 107:24

“…they have seen the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.”

About year ago, I discovered an image of abalone under a microscope. It launched me into a making frenzy where the patterns that I saw ended up covering a whole series of pieces.

My Floridian upbringing left an indelible appreciation for the beauty of the ocean and its flora and fauna. Abalone grow by adding new layers to their shell, which are laid down along the edge of the shell as well as along the entire inside of the shell. These inside layers are mostly mother-of-pearl and present the beautiful color patterns found in abalone shells. Abalone has been used for food, as well as beautiful jewelry for centuries. The handles of these abalone-inspired vessels are made from the roots of Rhododendron, which are also special to me, as I spent several summers of my youth hiking on the Appalachian Trail, which boast beautiful tunnels of Rhododendron.

These pieces serve as a reminder of the infinite creativity of our amazing Creator. There is no end to the beauty that He has made that is just waiting for us to discover.

Inspired

This is a very special Spring. My oldest is graduating from high school in a few short months and we are working on a different kind of creating. Slide shows, graduation announcements and senior recital planning may not seem like the most creative endeavors but they require the same exact thought patterns that I use when planning on my next series of pieces for art shows. Because of all this planning, I would have expected the pottery making ideas to get pushed to the back burner but I’m finding myself even more inspired and excited by the ideas floating around in my head. One of these ideas is a series of pieces that I hope will be ready in time for the Mulvane Art Fair in June. These pieces will all center around the beautifully intricate patterns found when looking at abalone under a microscope. I seem to always be drawn back to the ocean. This isn’t so different from the series I made last year that looked even closer at diatoms.  In both of these, I am not attempting to recreate these natural wonders perfectly but simply to draw attention to the beauty and truth that is all around us. I love to discover the fingerprint of God in his creation and these beautiful patterns point to the endless creativity of the Ultimate Artist. Stay tuned to see how this series turns out!

Spring fever…

It’s bad this year. My patient husband and close friends have already had to endure my incessant rambling about all I’ve been learning about soil health and companion planting…and it’s only February. This is a special brand of avoidance behavior that seems to crop up on me each winter when it is super cold in the studio. I do have a space heater but it just takes the edge off enough to work. On the days I’ve braved the cold out there, I start with a steaming hot bucket of water and the work that comes from my hands is equally obsessed with all things planty. As I write this it is snowing and the windchill is -22 F. I’m watching this adorable little squirrel out of our office/schoolroom window, nibbling away at one of the mixed nuts I left for them on the front porch (not sure why I buy those each Christmas, since everyone in our family maybe cracks open a few and then they are just left out to collect dust.) I wish I was as hardy as he is. I’m always wishing I had more time to make, more capacity. Then the Lord gently reminds me that what I can make in the time that I have is enough. Everything in its own time–like the Spring that is coming….eventually.

Beauty chasing…

I will forever be a truth and beauty chaser. I am most inspired by things found in nature and in God’s word. I find myself often asking the questions, “How can I do that in clay?” Or “What happens when I put that in my hands?” I have a constant curiosity about the world God made and the truth he reveals through beauty. Much of my functional work is very simple and utilitarian. When I think about the pottery I most enjoy,  it isn't the beautiful hand carved vase high on the shelf that took me days to make. I think of the mismatched but well loved bowls that I use to feed my family everyday. I've come to appreciate their individual shape, the way they retain heat, they way their various textures feel in my hands. They are a lot like old friends. Over time, I have come to know and love all of their strengths as well as their flaws. I put a lot of love into my pieces and my hope is that they will bring joy to their owners and reflect the craftsmanship and beauty that God gives to each of us.

Beginning again.

The beginning of each year is a mixture of excitement and freedom for me. I can celebrate what was previously made but also move on to what is next. Sitting down to dream up what forms, colors, and textures I will explore in the coming year has become one of my favorite parts of January. I haphazardly scribble shapes and shadings in my bullet journal searching for forms that will be pleasing, balanced, beautiful and functional. Chasing ideas that have surfaced as the Lord has taken me down rabbit holes while studying His word or in talking with a friend. I’ve been trying to push myself to think more conceptually over the past few years which has opened a whole new world of making up to me. I wonder what 2025 will hold? I wonder what forms will emerge from my hands and my heart. Lord, lead on.