TRAVEL
07 /
May 2012
Thursday night on Oregon Art Beat there was a feature on a young ceramic artist, Corrine Vetger. At the end of the feature it was announced that she would be one of the participating artists at the Oregon Potters Association’s 30th Annual Ceramic Showcase, May 4,5 & 6, 2012 ath the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon, the nations largest show of pottery, sculpture and other works of clay featuring over 150 artists. I was intrigued and had always wanted to attend this event, so I took the time to make this the year that I followed up on that interest and went. Following are some of the highlights from my day.
Since it started with the feature on Corrine Vegter on Oregon Art Beat, I took the time to visit her booth first. The biggest benefit of this type of show is to meet the artists and get to discuss with them their creative processes. Corrine, Dusty Dog Studio.com, was a very pleasant person who truly loves her creative work, which is inspiring to see and makes me want to bring that same enjoyment and enthusiasm into my work.
Raven pasta bowls (or cereal, or soup or ice cream??), handcrafted by Holly Gonnella were a great find. Holly works out of her studio near Ashland and was very enjoyable to talk with about her art work and I especially appreciated her comment that food tastes better in handmade pottery. A clam linguine may be the ultimate test for these bowls and Holly’s statement.
A live demonstration by Alissa Clark, Whimsical Footed Creations, gave an opportunity to hear about and watch art being created.
Samples of some of the art
A very whimsical piece, titled “Farmony”
In conjunction with the Ceramic Showcase were exhibits featuring beading, fabric art, woodworking and fine art jewelry. Shannon Miranda was one of the featured jewelers whose work resonated with me. As her card said, “jewelry that inspires and reminds us of the beauty in the world and in ourselves”, we live in an amazing place and are surrounded by beauty. Sometimes we just don’t take the time to witness or appreciate it. The Ceramic Showcase was one such opportunity for me this weekend. Hopefully you will have a chance to attend the show in 2013.
Grace Milagro Pendant by Shannon Miranda has a back story, each piece has a meaning in its creation and then a transfer of that energy to the buyer or recipient of it.
I hope that you enjoyed some of what I shared about the Showcase and that you can attend in the future and continue to support our local artists.
24 /
April 2012
Cooks Pots and Table Tops had another great cooking class, bringing in The King Of Salt (my title!!), Mark Bitterman, the author of “SALTED, A MANIFESTO ON THE WORLDS MOST ESSENTIAL MINERAL, WITH RECIPES” and owner of The Meadow, a Salt, Chocolate, Drink and Flower shop in Portland,OR and the West Village in NYC.
Mark Bitterman, Selmier at The Meadow was a very knowledgeable and entertaining instructor. His knowledge of salt was amazing, only slightly less than his spot on impersonation of Julia Childs. It was worth the price of admission!!
The stand off between Keith Ellis of Cooks Pots and Table Tops and Mark Bitterman was brief and after light banter between them, the class was off and running. The first part of the class was focused on learning about salt, focusing on three foundation salts and three fun finishing salts. It was great to learn about the foundation salts and to appreciate the nuances between the different salts. FYI, Fleur de Sel is a great all purpose finishing salt Kauai Guava Smoked salt goes great on popcorn and vanilla ice cream!!
The second part of the class was the food demonstration, with Mark showing how to prep on both a cold and a heated Himalayan Salt Block. Keith prepped the salmon and had everyone suffering from knife envy when he pulled out his Shun Reserve knife and did the honors. To be honest I think his knife skills would have made a butter knife look good. The demonstration showed how easy it is to prepare and cook food on the Himalayan Salt Blocks
The first course was mozzarella and green apple on the cold salt block. It was amazing how quickly it soaked up the salt flavor and how easy it was to prepare a great starter.
Next we had fresh caught Chinook salmon, purchased at Newman’s Fish Market, cold cured on the salt block then served with fresh wassabi paste. I do have to put in a plug for Newman’s Fish Market here in Eugene, it is about as good as it gets. If you haven’t been there I highly recommend you stop and shop, they are friendly and knowledgeable, which makes for great shopping and great eats!!
The hot salt block demonstration was seared scallops, also purchased at Newman’s, and a flank steak sliced and seared. Like the salmon and the scallops from Newman’s, good meals begin with quality ingredients and Long’s Meat Market is as good on the turf as Newman’s is on the sea. Like my pitch for Newman’s, I have to highly recommend Long’s Meat Market for your quality meat products for quality meals.
The evening ended with a chocolate fondue cooked in a salt bowl … so decadent and so easy to prepare, life this good seems like it shouldn’t be this easy!!
Thank you Mark Bitterman, Salted, The Meadow, for an outstanding informational and entertaining class. You know the teaching is good when you can replicate the lesson and my salt block seared scallops were as good as I’ve ever prepared!
Thank you Kathy and Keith at Cooks Pots and Table Tops for providing another great class and thank you Rosa for the outstanding help in making the class go as well it is does. If you love cooking, love food or both, then I highly recommend taking a class at Cooks Pots and Table Tops. I can almost guarantee that you will not be disappointed!!
07 /
March 2012
SMILING EYES, HONESTY, TRUTH, FRIENDLINESS … CHARMING!!
CHARM comes from the Greek notion of charisma, that compelling attractiveness certain people have that inspires devotion, or as Albert Camus believed gets you to the position of “yes” without having actually asked the question.
“Charm is being written out of modern life at a time when we have never needed it more. It’s being destroyed by an increasingly risk-averse generation of managers with an agenda to do the impossible: turn maximum profit while pleasing as many people as possible.”
Charm is effortless but it’s also a responsibility, it requires a degree of honesty and integrity and it’s something that can’t be faked. Charm is entirely human-it’s about character and individuality. Charm is about conviction-having an opinion,following an instinct, feeding a passion. The internet does not have charm, even though this is a charming statement.
Charm is unquantifiable, which is why many overlook it, yet it’s arguably the most important factor in securing repeat business. It’s fragile too, not something you can buy,takes time to nurture and requires safeguarding because, once lost, it’s near impossible to reinstate.
Charm is a special quality, a set of attributes fed by doing things based on human feelings. Honesty, integrity, simplicity, durability, tactility and charm are words that help businesses to thrive but can’t be taught because you have to genuinely possess those qualities. My staff possesses charm … And that is the difference.
1. Smile … A small gesture transforms transactions and makes them matter.
2. Be Honest … Be proud of qualities that can’t be faked.
3. Be True … Have an opinion. Don’t workshop your vision and values.
4. Be Friendly … We all want a bit more warmth.
5. And … Charm is not measurable but can definitely be powerful.
31 /
January 2012
A wonderful Oregon landscape
The new art direction of the office is to have a static art display rather than a dynamic display that changes every other month. After more than 10 years of featuring two new artists every other month, I have decided to suspend the art shows and focus on a single artist. The work of Katsu Shibata, East Meets West Photography, is the featured art currently up in the main area of the office and it is a pleasure to be able to share.
“My art is all about absorbing myself into an activity.
I enjoy watching nature; changing constantly, never duplicates;
Light, color, subjects – They are all essential elements for the drama. When I encounter the perfect moment,
I am touched; I want to capture that scene.
I am absorbed in the process
- the wonderful space that one can be in.”
Katsu Shibata
Katsu paying meticulous attention to the detail of hanging his photographs
Bob Keefer of the Register Guard in the Fall of 2011 had this to say of the show Katsu had at the Hult Center Jacobs Gallery, “In the end, Shibata has taken a technical weakness of digital photography — its easy tendency toward brittleness — and turned it to artistic advantage.”
The Oregon Coast
Balance
Katsuyuki Shibata
East Meets West Photography
541-868-5571
Email Me
http://www.EastMeetsWest.smugmug.com
02 /
November 2011
There are some places that you just enjoy going into, where the products are as fun as the staff is friendly. Canoe at 1136 SW Alder in Portland is one of those places. Even if you don’t find anything to buy it’s still a fun place to explore and the staff could write the book on friendly customer service!
04 /
October 2011
Spending time to make memories is a lot better than spending money to have things. Things don’t last and the good memories never seem fade, they only seem to get better with time. This last weekend I was fortunate to have had that opportunity, fishing on the Williamson River with my oldest son, Nathan, and Marlon Rampy, Wildwest Fly Fishing, the best fly fishing guide and friend out there.
Too often we get caught up in the daily race to do more, to have more or to be more. But there are times that we simply need to say “time out”, go out and play and build those memories of good times with good company. And don’t forget to smile!!
