Jane Hamilton, from Jane Hamilton Fine Art, a gallery in Tucson, happened to be in Denver during the Cherry Creek Art Festival and stopped into my booth.  She was enthusiastic about my work and placed an order for her gallery.  Here are some of the pieces you can find there if you are perchance in Tucson, AZ.

Her web address is JaneHamiltonFineArt.com.  Her address is 2890 E. Skyline Dr., Suite 180.  If you stop in, let me know what you think.

This was not something I expected when beginning, and it took some time before I acknowledged it as a fact.  Talking to other artists, they had the same story - at least one day of recovery is needed after a show.  I've tried to "hit the ground running" after a show, but inevitably, at some point that very week, fatigue sets in and I need a day off.

It doesn't seem like the hard work of setting up or taking down is the cause.  I enjoy that mostly.  There's something about the relative physical inactivity that is draining, especially if much travel is involved.  Others of you might be able to relate to that.

It could also be that switching gears takes some mental time.  Cleaning the studio and the house is a good way for me to transition back into the work routine, or pulling weeds.  But there's still that day of sleep and rest.

After the French Revolution, out of rebellion against how the church had so been part of the system of oppression, a new week was established of 10 days instead of 7.  It didn't last long.  Animals used for plowing began to get sick or die from overwork.  Our chickens, each one, will lay an egg 6 days out of the week, not every day.

After first starting to do pottery, any time away from it at all felt like a forced vacation, like when Mom used to make us take a nap.  Boring, couldn't wait to get back into the studio.  Now, however, it's become a refreshing break to hike, nap, read, etc.  I even look forward to it.

New work from this summer - about 10 of these Garden Gate tiles, many inspired by French impressionist paintings.  In this one, my poppy tea set is part of the garden scene.  Approximately 10" x 14" x 2" deep    $250  Hangs from a wire in the back.

COMMUNITYHow 260 artists are chosen to be part of the Cherry Creek Arts FestivalOnly 260 of the 2,138 artists who applied to the 2018 Cherry Creek Arts Festival were chosen to be a part of one of the most competitive juried art shows in the US.
Author: Amanda Kesting
Published: 4:34 PM MDT July 2, 2018
Updated: 5:33 PM MDT July 2, 2018DENVER - The Cherry Creek Arts Festival, coming up this weekend, is one of the most competitive juried art shows in the country.
But what does that mean? And how are the artists who do get to exhibit at the festival chosen?
A juried show means each artist who wants to exhibit his or her work has to first submit an application to a jury.
This year, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival received 2,138 applications from artists who wanted to be a part of the festival.
A panel of five artists, consultants and curators then have the job of choosing the exhibitors. They don't know who submitted each piece and are asked to "select work based solely on artistic excellence of original, handcrafted work."
Eventually, the jurors select 260 artists to participate in the festival. Only about 12 percent of those who apply make it through.
Learn more about some of the chosen artists on our Instagram page!
In the 2018 Cherry Creek Arts Festival, those artists will represent 13 different media categories and 62 of them are first-time exhibitors at the event. Thirty-six are from Colorado.
The Cherry Creek Arts Festival takes place July 6 - July 8 in the Cherry Creek North Shopping District in Denver. Booths will be set up between 2nd and 3rd Avenues from Clayton to Steele Streets.
MORE | Cherry Creek Arts Festival...A World-Class Tradition In Denver
Along with the juried art show, the festival includes food booths, a community mural, an interactive children's area, live music and other performances.
Admission to the festival is free. Learn more here: http://cherrycreekartsfestival.org/.
Editor's note: 9NEWS is a sponsor of the Cherry Creek Arts Festiva
© 2018 KUSA-TV

For a long time I have been trying to do California poppies on my pieces but was dissatisfied with the results.  I just looked for photos to show you the earlier pieces, but it's a sign of how dissatisfied I was that I must not have bothered to take any pictures of them.  They began by being too pale, so next I blended orange stain with the yellow on the brush, but the orange I had was a burnt orange that surprisingly made the flower more dull.

Then I found a couple of new ceramic stains from Mason - a brighter, more intense yellow and an orange.  The yellow was an improvement, but the orange, although it looked like it might work before it was fired, came out neon.  Garish.  I let the endeavor go for a while - until the CA poppies came up again in the garden this spring.

This time I mixed the garish orange with the brighter yellow, maybe a touch of the older marigold yellow and a tiny bit of burnt orange.  Will I be able to duplicate it?  Hope so.  I was very pleased with the results.