Supporting the local economy

Yesterday I went to a golden wedding anniversary for friends.

As I unloaded the dishwasher just now, I realized that there is not a day when I don't think of them. Why? Because my kitchen is full of their beautiful handiwork: bowls, small plates, pitchers, serving platters... they are gifted and generous potters, whose work is both useful and aesthetically pleasing. Every time I make a sandwich or soup I remember our friendship. The handmade tiles in part of the backsplash came from them as well.

We redid our kitchen over the past few years (still ongoing) and it is filled with similar memories: the alder cabinets were designed and made by my skilled brother-in-law; the glass in the upper doors was cut by artist friends who do amazing prisms and stained glass crafts; the rest of the backsplash is the work of a local builder who combined materials we already had in an original and unique way.

I look up at the latillas in our ceiling, and remember that our builder had his two young sons helping with the installation 34 years ago. Both "boys" are now well-established builders today, and our families are still friends.

Our lives have been enriched by knowing countless artists and craftspeople due to my many years of doing shows, and as I look at our paintings, sculptures, and weavings, I see their faces. Even our wooden spoons have a story, involving a fierce storm at a show in Pittsburgh.

And our yard is filled with plants from friends who were dividing their own; those are the ones that grow best. A 20 foot apricot tree volunteered from a seed in the compost pile after friends invited us to pick fruit over 30 years ago.

Perhaps someday a new owner will wonder who carved the front door (it was me) and why we used soapstone for kitchen counter tops (we went to the quarry near my childhood home in Virginia and brought back stone quarried over 100 years ago).

May this community always be filled with creative people and may their neighbors continue to nurture them.