davistudio

Studio Summer Hours

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:49:00 +0000

New wall idea. 1st draft. This is what will greet you when you walk in.

It is officially summer in Columbia County. I'll bet you thought that was June 21st. Hah! No, it is the weekend after the 4th of July. Why is that you say? Because that is the first weekend of my open studio hours! I will be receiving visitors from 2-4PM on Saturdays from now until Labor Day. Come and see where I make the dinnerware. Handmade fine porcelain dinnerware, custom, on site by the potter (me:-) like the good old days... I keep waiting for the gnomes to show up and make plates as night while I sleep, but alas, they have yet to appear. Oh well!

technorati tags: davistudio, madras, handmade

Grasshopper510

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:28:00 +0000

New eco-boutique Grasshopper510 ordered a few things from the madpotter (me;) which I shipped this week. See above. If you are in Chicago, stop by and say hi to Jean. She has the start of what looks like a rockin' shop... No guilt shopping! :-)

technorati tags: ecoboutique, grasshopper510, chicago

Pride

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:10:00 +0000

A set of 8 saucers for Avventura, NYC, unloaded out of today's kiln...

technorati tags: davistudio, handmade, plates, pride

Greenfluencers

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:36:00 +0000

We have a name. We're "Greenfluencers," according to the new Porter Novelli report. We may represent just a sliver of your market, the report says, but we guide the green conscience of your entire market.

from No Impact Man, Collin Beavan.

technorati tags: porternovelli, noimpactman, greenfluencer

Seed vases and summer flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:49:00 +0000

I picked this bunch of flowers just circling my studio. Mostly wild flowers or WEEDS in some people's books... Beautiful. I am married to a guy who is a fanatic when it comes to weeds. He just loves to figure out what they are... Oh, that little vase is part of my seed vase project. Just started new blog here for it. Interactive. :-)

Micro-Production: Part of the Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:17:00 +0000

Umair Haque posted a Manifesto for the Next Indutrial Revolution and people are talking about a lot this morning and over the weekend. I am delighted to see this esteemed academic write such a thoughtful and to the point article about the worlds problems and even more excited that it is gaining so much traction around the web. Alexander Elsas wrote about it here in response to Fred Wilson writing about it here.

Umair's list -

Organize the world's hunger.
Organize the world’s energy.
Organize the world’s thirst.
Organize the world's health.
Organize the world's freedom.
Organize the world's finance.
Organize the world's education.

I add : Organize the world's Production

While Fred Wilson expresses the potential for boredom in Web 2.0, Umair's post seems to come just in the nick of time. His words and ideas may spark that which he has called for; a revolution. Local economies are the backbone of any region. Give away your ability to make and do for yourself and you give away your ability to sustain life. Sustainability has to include strong local economies, perhaps local currencies but most important, the ability to produce the basic needs of a population with in a specific region. The people who will get on the ground and make that happen are the young people working with mentors, locally and experts, perhaps from abroad. But, listening is essential in the process.

Much compost has been laid on these principals over the decades. Yes, the invisible hand may have been an illusion all along. Crafting a life, in community and in a region, these are the issues of our time.

Here is an earlier post of mine, called Techno Swadeshi, that talks about making and connecting.

I am going to start a list of posts around Haques original post, as they are rpoliferating like bunnies! Hooray!! Alan Patrick here and here.

technorati tags: localeconomies, umairhaque, web2.0

Clay Shirky on the TV Bender

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:52:00 +0000

OK, so I am having a little too much fun posting short videos. This one is totally awesome. A talk from Web 2.0 conference about how everyone is and will contribute more and more to everything.

Pretty pictures of new, handmade fine porcelain to be posted tomorrow! :)

technorati tags: clayshirky, web2.0

I love this Man

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:24:00 +0000

My friend, John Krynick.

technorati tags: johnkrynick, advancedknitting

High Price of Oil

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:08:00 +0000

I have to write this post. I had an insight yesterday I felt would be perfectly expressed here and today's paper just inspires me further to state it. Here goes- The high price of oil is more about getting as much profit from the final days (OK, years) of the fossil fuel economy as possible, because, well, alternative energy and conservation are the future. Like a tsunami... Exxon, Getty, BP, their days are numbered, at least as the force they are today. Peak oil, well, maybe. Global warming? I think yes! Our collective wisdom is winning and the oil companies know it. The advent of the post fossil fuel world is here. Toyota has surpassed Ford and GM as the leading auto mobile manufacturer in the world for one reason. The Prius. Can you say 45 miles per gallon?? (well, they run a pretty tight ship too)

There is lots of talk from the CEO of GM about the return of electric car. Energy star is the new standard in all home appliances. Radiant heat, solar panels, better insulation, the rising awareness of local food, for taste, health and inherent goodness, well the list goes on. The environment will win because we DO want to survive. This will preclude the end of the fossil fuel era as we know it. As demand decreases, profits will plummet and the current kings of the economy will experience a dramatic seat shift.

Thanks for reading. :-)

technorati tags: fossilfuels, alternaiveenergy, electriccar

Tournesol

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:28:00 +0000

Just sent a bunch of stuff off to Tournesol, a fab store in Pittsburgh, PA. Stop by and say hi to Barb if you are in town.

technorati tags: tournesol,, pittsburgh,, davistudio

Yves Behar on TED

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:10:00 +0000

Wonderful designer, worth the 17 minutes to watch... He says "advertising is the price companies pay for being unoriginal " in this talk, which I see is new meme.

Oh, I AM a colorist and glad for that. :-)

Social Sculpture

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:50:00 +0000

“Only on condition of a radical widening of definitions will it be possible for art and activities related to art [to] provide evidence that art is now the only evolutionary-revolutionary power. Only art is capable of dismantling the repressive effects of a senile social system that continues to totter along the deathline: to dismantle in order to build ‘A SOCIAL ORGANISM AS A WORK OF ART’… EVERY HUMAN BEING IS AN ARTIST who – from his state of freedom – the position of freedom that he experiences at first-hand – learns to determine the other positions of the TOTAL ART WORK OF THE FUTURE SOCIAL ORDER.”

Beuys statement dated 1973, first published in English in Caroline Tisdall: Art into Society, Society into Art (ICA, London, 1974), p.48. Capitals in original.

Joseph Beuys made famous this notion of social sculpture. I have been interested in this line of thinking for many years, hence my focus on the table and dinnerware and accoutrement's for sharing meals. I am introducing this concept here now because I hope to engage a conversation about art as a social intervention and the future of communication, particularly as the Internet is developing, as a means to produce a less aggressive means of being on the planet together.

The New Web

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:27:00 +0000

"Something's happening here....What it is ain't exactly clear..."

I started tuning into FriendFeed a few weeks ago, and I feel like I am being whipped into a whole new world. This blog is 2 1/2 years old, my Facebook account is 1 year old, maybe? Twitter got added to my party, oh late last year. All of these services I have approached from a hmmm, cool but not quite sure how to use them, what is it, what do really want to share with all these people, most of whom I don't even know. Then, here comes FriendFeed and whoosh! I am off and running. Suddenly, I am checking out posts about social networking, conversations I actually feel I understand and can connect too.
This particular post is a response to Colin Walker's recent post which led me to Alexander van Elsas. I suggested my blogging about this is a bad idea and he says, "why?"

OK, for anybody who has been reading this news outlet for my studio knows it is mostly pictures of my work, occasional sharing of what I deem interesting news on politics and economics. I struggle to stay focused on my work, an old idea. Focus. Getting things done... Creating goals, seeing through an idea, a thesis, developing my skill as a craftswoman, etc. etc. The Internet is inherently disruptive. It interrupts the flow of work in numerous ways. Today I read email is the new snail mail. (can't remember where or I would post a link). Access to this conversation is limited to; 1) one's ability to own or access a computer and an online service, 2) one's facility in learning how to use the tools currently available- Adaptivity. When Gutenberg invented the printing press, the first book published was a 1000 year old tome, the Bible. Most agree a seminal work. I argue the current communication revolution is still in its very formative period, but moving along very quickly. As such, it is almost impossible for non-professionals to stay abreast and current - a multiple problem.

I am interested in the conversation and even more interested in where this is all going. I look forward to expanding how I communicate, how I engage and if Doug Englebart is correct, in the evolution of my own intelligence and consciousness. The games, they have begun...

350 Make a Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Sat, 17 May 2008 11:38:00 +0000

What do I do, what can I do, each day, to reverse the impact of global warming?

Madras

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:15:00 +0000

I am exploring madras, in my plates, layering glazes, crossing stripes, like that. In the process, I am finding out more about Madras, India and the textile itself. I have just started the anthropological exploration but my aesthetic journey is well under way.

MAD in Manhattan

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:39:00 +0000

My work is being featured in the window of Avventura, a fabulous glass and ceramic store on New York City's upper west side, 81st and Amsterdam. Thank you Scott for a beautiful display and thanks, George, for the wonderful photos!

My Two Best Friends...

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Tue, 06 May 2008 22:26:00 +0000

photo courtesy of George Gruel

Handmade Pottery to Grace Your Table

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:48:00 +0000

Gourmet.com has some beautiful images of ways to use handmade pottery for food and serving- Here is a lovely shot featuring yours truly.... Thank you Corky Pollan!

Albany Saratoga Pottery Trail

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:10:00 +0000

Going up to Troy this weekend for my 2nd visiting potter gig at the beautiful home and studio of Victoria Crowell, potter extraordinaire. 12 potters in 7 studios around the capitol district of New York. Looking forward to it.

cake plates by Vikki Crowell

More info here.

Being Creative

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:03:00 +0000

gapingvoid lands a book deal...

"Work Hard. Keep at it. Live simply and quietly. Remain humble. Stay positive. Be nice. Be polite."
Hugh MacLeod.
I am printing this out in some pretty script and putting it on my wall. Thank you Hugh, and congrats. Hugh's manifesto.

Owning the Means of Production

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:54:00 +0000

There is a lot of talk around the web about NOT owning the means of production - in fact, it is a veritable tabu to own the place where things are made. I find this a perplexing idea. I own my studio. As an artist, owning my studio became more and more important as neighborhoods I contributed to the gentrification of became financially unavailable for the creatives who established them in the first (well, maybe 2nd or 3rd) place. Artists tend to live and work in edgy neighborhoods mostly because they are affordable. Then, well, those neighborhoods improve and the artists are forced out. Anyway, I bought my studio 8 years ago. Let's not even talk about real estate values in an insane economy.

Anyway, conceptual art, mid-60/70's made making; painting, actually sculpting etc. unnecessary. Thank you Sol Lewitt! But, life goes on and economics affects us all whether we follow the muse or the crowd. SO, making art is experiencing a resurgence; note the booming DIY movement and craft/art/design are all starting to bump elbows in the dark room of pre-new world discovery. High/low, democratic connectivity, the onslaught of being in touch- Takes my breath away.

I am a potter. I make things. I sell them (hopefully). I use the web to help show pictures of new work, to talk about new campaigns, be it here, or on my website, via email, etc. Not to mention Facebook, Twitter and now FriendFeed. I am trying to keep it simple. There are piles of other options for the tech obsessed.

Owning the means of production involves being on site of the place where stuff is produced. Not outsourcing. This thought may piss off the remote and inexpensive labor in our planet's fast growing economies, but there is a reverse kind of colonialism at hand. If I have my stuff produced cheaply in a developing country and I focus on designing new and novel products, well, I will end up with Phillipe Stark's karma. Ouch! Making stuff and selling it, this works for me. Simple, clean, efficient. Hard. Lots of work. But, I sleep well at night and I try my best.

Contemporary Persian Rug Designer

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:16:00 +0000

Ferdod and Karli are 2 rug designers and merchants I met last year at Dwell on Design. They were here in LA at CABoomV and we reconnected. Lovely people, beautiful rugs. Ferdod is of Persian descent with deep ties into that rug making tradition.

David Albert Design

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:10:00 +0000

Kirby and David Albert team up to run this very beautiful, handcrafted, soulful furniture studio. Exquisite.

Gimme Art

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:20:00 +0000

Lars and Victoria debuted gimmeart here at CABoomV this past weekend. Smart couple, great website with beautiful photography...

I am in Santa Monica, California!

noreply@blogger.com (Mary Anne Davis) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 01:28:00 +0000

CABoom is this show I have been blogging about and putting on my Facebook and well just highly focused on for the past 5 weeks. I have made 100 sets of dishes which I packed and shipped out here last week and now the show is all set up and open to the public. Feels really good. Am here with Janet McKean and having a ball. Not to mention staying in a way cool hotel one block from the ocean.

I'll be blogging about more stuff at the show in the next few days. Totally psyched to be here-