Marketfest 2011

Tomorrow evening will find me and my pots set up at Marketfest in downtown White Bear Lake. For those who haven't been, Marketfest happens every Thursday evening during the sunniest six weeks of the summer. There is an impressive amount of great food (even a farmer's market), fine art and swinging music. It is a FREE event and includes activities that keep kids happily entertained. For directions or more information, go to their website: http://www.marketfest.org

I will be sharing a booth with Bella Skye Jewels. MaryJane makes beautifully hand-crafted jewelry with bright gemstones and the finest metals. Many of her items are also for sale on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BellaSkyeJewels

I'll have some hot-out-of-the-kiln pieces there that I have been working to finish for this market. There will be mugs, bowls, plates, and luminaries enough for everyone. See what I've been making in my studio and stay for the fun. 

The Golden Moments

the climb

Turning forty brought great joy. I was showered with love and was reminded of my lucky lot in life. And to top it off, my husband bought me an incredible macro lens for my camera. The detail it can catch blows me away. While first looking, I wasn't able to see this little ant's colored stripes as he so quickly climbed. It was only with my new lens that I could detect such fine detail. Stopping the action allows my eyes to linger and soak it up.

a family portrait

I look forward to carving some of these newly captured images onto clay. When I carve, I see even more deeply into the moment. I am able to relive it and in doing so, experience it fuller.

Turning forty also brought pain. I have been confronted with a spring filled with family deaths and dying; the opposite of what I anticipate spring bringing. I have been finding solace in being outdoors, breathing in the fresh air, and taking pictures of the miracles as they emerge. Enjoying the beauty of the moment is what I am focusing on.

confrontations

How utterly transitory life is in all its glory makes me want to stop it. I know if I don't take advantage of that golden moment, it passes without delay. The wild plum scent is already gone. The goslings have already grown large.

I have been presented with this truth more than ever before in my life. I will have to learn to live without people I love dearly. I use my camera to remind me of the intensity with which I love. Viewing an old photograph brings back the nuances of that time in a flash. I am grateful for those memories and having played my part in them.

(I am involved in a flickr photo group that sets a weekly challenge for a photograph. These three are part of that project. To see the rest of my photos in this series, use this link: Project 52)