Ancestral

25 Willett Street, 1870 census, Manhattan, District 7, Ward 13.

     I am working on some family genealogy. The story of my family background has been pretty static for decades, mostly because there were few people interested enough to do some digging (immediate family to me), and because, prior to the internet, it took longer to track down information. However, thanks to online search engines and databases, I have started to paint a picture of my family background prior to my parents. So far, I've tracked down my Cusick side to my great-grandfather George and his wife Mary. Boston Irish in origin, they moved to the NYC area sometime in 1870. I had found the 1870 census about a year ago and glanced at it, noting that they moved to New York but until the other night, I never really read the details. They lived on Willett Street in Manhattan in April 1870. At first, I thought it said Millett Street or Nillett Street, neither of which I could find on a map of Manhattan. When I located Willett Street in Manhattan, I realized that my relatives lived in the Lower East Side. Not just near the Lower East Side, THE Lower East Side. The "Give me your tired..." poor, immigrant, multi-ethnic, tenement housed, filthy, crammed, notorious Lower East Side.

While most people think of Orchard Street when they think of the Lower East Side, Willett Street was also part of the mix. If you look above, Willett Street is one block away from Sheriff Street, which had a large German population for some time. The stories about the Germans there at the time focussed on their "occupation" as "rag pickers" starting in the 1850's. Here's a link to a description of this area then. 

Delancy and the Williamsburg Bridge approach bisect this area now. This is what exists at Sheriff and Willett today.
     Humble beginning, hard life, they eventually moved out of that situation to Westchester County, N.Y., so some things got better for them. George and Mary both passed away in Connecticut, around the Hartford area. 

     I'm also looking into the recent release of the 1940 census. The US Archives have released the images of the pages but they are not indexed by name yet. If you know where your relatives lived, you can look through the maps to determine the Enumeration District (the area sectioned off for counting) and then find the census pages for that ED. You have to slog through the images, lots of scrolling, but I have found my mother's side of the family when she was 12-years-old. My uncle Vincent was listed as an Assistant Instructor for a "private golf course." The census was taken prior to the US involvement to WWII so it's an interesting snapshot of things before the shit hit the fan. Scanning the names has made me nostalgic for the East Coast, living here in landlocked Kentucky. So many lyrical Italian names! So many names of people I went to school with; I must be looking at their grandparents, their parents as children, cousins, aunts, uncles. Really cool stuff. Take a look. It's addicting.

Think for yourself

I am signed up for several web blogs, newsletters, emails, etc., to do with marketing your art, your website, your craft, your pottery. About 10% of the time I find bits of information useful and interesting so I stay signed onto these things, just in case. The rest of the time I wonder, just who the hell is writing this shit and what kind of a world do they live in?
     Recently, I ran into another listed article the other day explaining how to write a blog. When I say "listed" article, you know the kind. They have to count everything: "5 New Ideas for Baking Potatos," "10 Ways to Clean Your Catbox," "6 Reasons You Will Be De-friended on FB," and so on. Anyway, beyond the usual anxiety-ridden questions about "should I or should I not write a blog?" this article gave tips on what constitutes The Way To Do It Right™. You should focus on your customer, your reader. You should tell them how reading this blog benefits them. You should tap into their needs for reading your words. Give them tips, show them cost-cutting measures, explain step-by-step procedures... and I thought, "What a load of clap-trap."
     What business is it of mine to tell you what you need, how to do something or what to think? If I was a technical expert in something and I felt a need to pass on some information about how to make something, yah, maybe but let's get real, I write this blog to self-express and open a small window onto one tiny individual's world. That's it. You read at your own peril, to your heart's content. You make up your mind whether I have something interesting or thought-provoking to say. You form your own opinion about what I'm saying. You make the decision about what your needs are, not me. I write this blog and put out the word with zero expectations that anyone will read it. The way I look at it, if people do, it's a surprise and a bonus. Like extra cake on your birthday.
    And that's where I'm coming from, briefly. I write this blog to announce shows, new art developments, new ventures, fun things I've discovered, to gripe and bitch, to express my point of view. Sometimes, some people find it interesting or thought provoking. Most times, I expect, they give it a passing glance or they don't find anything interesting. Is this exercise of self-expression on the internet a narcissistic exercise? Yes, it is. Nearly anything to do with any form of self-expression is narcissistic by it's very nature, as far as I'm concerned. We all have narcissistic needs; it's part of human nature. Acknowledging this is okay and is not exclusive of empathetic expression. Lately, probably because of the advent of the social media explosion, I have found a tendency towards dismissing connectivity and interaction between human beings on the internet as being "narcissistic." The implication is that it is an either/or proposition. You are either narcissistic and self-centered or empathetic and outward-looking. Bullshit. The internet is simply another medium, another way we humans interact. It does bring its own complications, the primary one in my mind being: on the internet, no one knows you're a dog. But beyond that, you might as well have millions of potential pen-pals and an unlimited supply of postage and envelopes. Plus the ability to mail packages of pictures and videos at minimum cost.
   Which brings me back to this garbage that gets spewed by crappy writers of canned articles on the internet vomiting sage advice about how you should be pigeon-holing your art/craft identity. Do what you do. Do it as best you can. Express yourself. And fuck everyone else.
<insert bow>

Bad Electricity

<Insert whine about computer problems here>
I think I've fixed some things.
     So anyway, in the in-between time, I've been throwing items for some salt/wood firings, mostly the carved Paleolithic drawing-type thingies. I think the wood/salt effects are appropriate for that cave-man like feel.

     I am still carving and sculpting the more organic items, mostly in the teapot and serving dish mode.

     I am sticking to my one-sculpture-a-month schedule. Still all about the seed forms.

Uncomfortable Surprise2012, Stoneware, Glaze, Beads

Also, I have a piece in the upcoming Dogwood Regional Arts Festival in Knoxville, TN. My husband and I toyed with an overnight to make the opening but after our five-and-a-half-hours-stopped-in-traffic odyssey on the drive back from Knoxville following dropping off the artwork, we have decided to forego that. What should have been a two-and-a-half to three hour drive turned into sitting in traffic for nearly twice that amount of time. As a result, the round trip ended up being 13 hours long. Seems there was a bad wreck on I-75 and we just happened to be in the absolute worst section on the highway, nowhere to turn around, nowhere to turn off, nowhere to pee. It was awesome. I hope they have fun in Knoxville but I'd rather not see that section of I-75 for about a month. The exhibition runs from April 6-27th at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville, 100 Gay Street.

Blue Spring

Eastern Bluebird, male

    Scratching noises this morning in the kitchen. I though it was a wasp banging against the window because it's been so warm the past week. I finally realized it something else and it was coming from the wood stove. But then... it got quiet. Maybe I was mistaken.
     When I heard scratching again, I turned the flue and heard something drop in to the main chamber. I got my flashlight and got myself ready for whatever might come rushing out at me. When I opened the door and turned my light inside this little bluebird blinked back at me. Poor little thing. I picked him up (took his photo) and put him outside where upon he promptly flew away.

Female bluebird

     Then I sat down again, satisfied that I had done the right thing. And promptly hear more scratching. Well, just how many of you are in here? The female suddenly flew towards the window where I trapped it against the glass (took her picture) and set her outside to join her mate.

All in a days work :) My hands are black.

Wood-fired pots

Wood-fired Slit Cup in Red Shino with Yellow Salt Interior, $28

     Well, computer problems are still dogging me so the listings and postings are slow and erratic but nevertheless, here are two of several pots to come out of the Tater Knob wood firing a few weekends ago. Mostly, my computer issues have been meant that I have to jump between the laptop and desktop computer and that makes production of photos for listings and blogging slow and cumbersome. Some days I've been relegated to "liking" Facebook posts. Not very productive.

Wood-fired indent Cup with Red Shino and Yellow Salt Interior, $28

     In the mean time, I take these computer glitches as signs from the universe that I should get out to the studio and do more work there. Why fret over what's going wrong when you can move onto something that's going right? And when the studio work is not going well, I give the computer another try. And so on.
     I do have some pix of the kiln at Tater Knob and will post more in depth about that later on. Enjoy!

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Ouch

The weather in this part of Kentucky got a bit severe last week. We had no tornados in Estill but we did get this nice-sized hail. Fortunately, we got no damage from the hail but I do know people who had damage to their siding and their vehicles. I listed the mug below on Etsy as part of a donation to the local Red Cross relief efforts in the state. It lasted 5 minutes before it was snatched up by Kristin in MN so I didn't get to blog about it!

Sun Mug Sold!

Right now, activity in the studio is centered around glazing as I am getting ready to participate in an upcoming wood/salt firing at the Tater Knob Pottery in nearby Berea. Once that's unloaded, I believe I'll have some work to upload to Etsy. Ciao for now!

Kentucky Crafted: The Market

Buddy Dobbins Pottery  on Etsy.

     Yesterday, Buddy Dobbins and I went to Lexington to visit Kentucky Crafted: The Market (KyC:TM), a trade show organized by the Kentucky Arts Council. The Market is a yearly juried show (two days trade only; two days open to the public) that showcases some of the best of the state's (and immediate region's) art and craft work. Buddy and I were there to scope out the general expectations of KyC:TM and the mix and quality of the work presented. This year was its first year in Lexington. Previously, it's been held at the halls on the State Fairgrounds in Louisville. The show has always been a great collection of artists and craftspeople but I really liked the venue change this year. The Convention Center in Lexington gave the show a more intimate feel. I felt the total effect of this change for this show that showcases handmade things, was to really help the average person connect with the work produced. One other thing I felt strongly while walking the floor of KyC:TM is Kentucky certainly shares in the quality of work in regions like Asheville, NC. I would like to think with the rich tradition of craft work here, that the Central/Eastern KY is a hidden gem and less well-know rival to Asheville, NC.

Functional Work by Crimson Duvall. I own this piece :)

     Buddy and I (and fellow artist Crimson Duvall), are working on applications to get juried into the Kentucky Crafted program and possibly, exhibit at the next KC:TM event. The 2012 Market had a great eclectic mix of artistic talent suitable for retail/wholesale applications. We already have a few friends exhibiting at KyC:TM. I also picked up a few cards while I was at the show for my future purchases. I'm as guilty as the next person when it comes to buying mass produced things for myself and my home as gifts. I as, much as anyone else, need to remind myself of the great, fabulous hand-made things that are out there. Do they cost a little bit more? Yes, often. Is there really a quality difference? YES! By a landslide and that alone is worth the price of admission. Not everyone can afford to buy everything hand-made and custom-made all the time but it is good to remind yourself to consider a hand-made item for gifts and special occasions at minimum.

Tea Horse Studio on Etsy.

     I'm rambling on. Here are some links of the vendors whose work I enjoyed yesterday, just a small sampling:

Alley Cat Pottery  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alley-Cat-Pottery/124857910863440

Handmade stuffed animals made from recycled materials  www.judygeagelybyhand

Iron forge work  www.podsforge.com

Letterpress invitations, postcards, etc. I LOVE letterpress.  www.hounddogpress.com

Where science meets art, Resin insect jewelry  www.PhbeaD.com

Beautiful feminine pottery  www.ameliastamps.com

More pottery... by Megan Sauter  http://www.wix.com/megansauter/artist

What can I say, I'm into clay. Another potter :) Nita Claise  www.nitaclaise.com

Marianne Brown Pottery  www.stamped-clay.com

Amy Elswick  www.clayhousepots.com

Laura Ross Studio Clay  www.laurarossstudioclay.com

Snug Hollow Farm  www.snughollow.com

Pat Banks Watercolors  www.patbankswatercolor.com

Moss Hill Bath and Body  www.mosshill.net