Blue Mood

I was in a Blue Mood yesterday, though I wasn't feeling down; I was getting ready to do a series of blue net bags. So I put on a turquoise blue top with a grey jacket and started combing the house. Out came pieces of my large collection of Real Old Willow (must be Booths, around 1920-30 so that the cobalt is just right) and some early English Willow as well. Next I brought out one of my favorite dresses, which is long, ombre chiffon: turquoise into green with a touch of pale yellow; that dress has been to parties in Laguna and a wedding in Switzerland. It's so subtle and a total winner. I pulled a few pieces of blue and white pottery too, some of which will be used this weekend in Corona del Mar and Palisades.

While many of the pink and peach and yellow bags I did a week or so ago had a saturated color, for the blue bags I had a lighter hand with the dye. Part of the first set is here: ombre turquoise with blue jean blue at the bottom, ombre turquoise going into green. I did some to match my dress, pale turquise going into green with a touch of yellow at the top.

When I lived in NY I did pottery for quite a few years, handbuild and wheel, though mostly wheel. I usually did series: 12 or 15 plates, and then bowls of a certain shape; then all majolica glaze etc. Someone somewhere has one of my "bather" series of majolica plates; I hope just one will turn up for my collection! I don't hold myself up to be a master artist, but I do OK. And whether its pottery or painting or drawing or net bags, I like to do series: you iron out your mistakes early and can test variations. Look at most major artists of course, and you'll see the same thing; mastering depiction of a subject matter, a medium, a form. It's what they did until they perfected it or got bored, and then moved on.

Tomorrow I will be in Corona del Mar, Sunday I will be in Pacific Palisades next to Elle again; I am really looking forward to my first day in that market. Sunday Erin and Kailea will be in Brentwood. Come see us for lots of pretty blues!