"Wild and Precious" Show at Paso Robles Festival of the Arts

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Vessel - Wild time in the Poppy Field

My piece "Wild Time in the Poppy Field" has been selected for the signature exhibition of the 2013 Paso Robles Festival of the Arts. The exhibition and sale will be open this Saturday, May 25, at Studios on the Park and showcases original artworks inspired by the Mary Oliver poem “The Summer Day.”

According to the show planners: "Juror Elizabeth Tolley selected pieces demonstrating personal vision and creative approach as well as excellence in execution."

I was excited about the theme of the show, taken from Mary Oliver's wonderful poem (see below). My piece fits right into the exuberant tone of "The Summer Day," and features a woodcut-style bee diving right into the etched poppies surrounding the base of the vessel. 

Visit Paso Robles this weekend and see the show, plus all the other exciting events and activities during the Paso Robles Festival of the Arts. A great time!

The show "Wild and Precious" is on view at Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine Street in Paso Robles. The gallery will open at 10 a.m. this Saturday for the start of the Paso Robles Festival of the Arts. 

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Vessel - Wild time in the Poppy Field - View 2

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Vessel - Wild time in the Poppy Field - View 3

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Vessel - Wild time in the Poppy Field - View 4

Interviewed by Connie Norman!

What a treat to be interviewed by Connie Norman!
Check it out here.
I loved reading the other artists' interviews and seeing photos of their studios.
Plus, Connie's own work is amazing and has been featured in major shows, as well as the cover of Ceramics Monthly (which is the Rolling Stone of the clay world). And, if you check out her blog, you'll get to see how she almost cut her finger off prior to starting up a workshop, and kept teaching the class! That's dedication!

Here's a snippet from the interview:

Small Favors VIII - Get 'em while they're hot!

I was excited to see that one of my pieces in the "Small Favors VIII" Show in Philadelphia has been purchased!

For those of us who won't be making it to Philadelphia to see the show, they have a very cool online exhibit with all the works available for sale. One of my two pieces is still available, along with so many wonderful pieces of art from talented makers.

View the pieces online and purchase here.

This piece will be going to a new home:

Jumping - Woodcut Series - Covered Jar by Patricia Griffin

You can check out my other piece accepted for Small Favors VII, now available at the online gallery.

The show will continue through June 2, 2013. It is such an honor to be included with this group of outstanding ceramic artists!

Buzzing - Woodcut Series - Covered Jar by Patricia Griffin

Here's a description of the show:

Small Favors challenges and engages artist’s creativity in new and exciting ways with the challenge of making pieces for this exhibition. For some artists, the work they create is similar to what they normally make, although at a reduced scale. Others use it as an opportunity to break away from what they create in their daily studio practice. Regardless of this choice, the works exhibited are incredibly varied in material, form, and aesthetics. Though small in scale the artworks created for this exhibition are huge in impact. Each work is exhibited in a Plexiglas wall mounted cube.

Conceived of in 2006, Small Favors grew out The Studio's efforts to offer accessible, high-quality artworks that appeal to art enthusiasts of all ages. For older collectors who are challenged for space it allows them to continue to collect work by artists they love. For young art collectors it provides an accessible entry point.

Flying home

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Pitcher - Side A
This piece is off to a great new home! Thank you Sandra!

Back to the studio after our trip to Davis for the opening reception of the show "8 from ACGA" during the California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art. It's always fun to get away, especially when meeting new clay buddies... But, oh so great to be back in the studio!

Within an hour of opening the doors to the studio gallery yesterday, I had a great visit from a couple who have several of my pieces.

They took this little birdie home! 

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Pitcher - Side B

8 from ACGA

It's almost show time!

Gerald Arrington installs signage for the "8 from ACGA" Show in Davis.
Reception is Friday, April 26.
More information here and here.

Small Favors VIII

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Covered Jar - Jumping

Philadelphia-bound!

I was floored to get the acceptance letter from Naomi Cleary (whose work I have admired for years) that these two little babies will be in the show "Small Favors VIII."

Small Favors is presented each year by The Clay Studio, which is Philadelphia's premier non-profit ceramic arts organization. Previously, planners selected and invited artists to participate. But this year, they threw open the doors and put out a call-for-entries.

So, feeling bold and adventurous, I took a run at it... and submitted two pieces for consideration. And both were accepted!

Patricia Griffin - Woodcut Series - Covered Jar - Buzzing

All pieces in the show are no larger than 4x4x4 and will be staged in plexiglass cubes. The show will be May 3-June 2, 2013.

Here's the description from The Clay Studio:

Small Favors was conceived of in 2006 as part of the Studio's ongoing effort to offer accessible, high-quality artworks that appeal to ceramic enthusiasts of all ages: older collectors who are challenged for space and young fine art collectors who are challenged for money. It allows those who are space challenged to continue to collect work by artists they love, and those who want to begin to collect work an accessible entry point. 
This exhibition engages each artist’s creativity in new and exciting ways. For some artists, the work created for this show is similar to what they normally make although at a reduced scale. For others, it’s an opportunity to break away from what they create in their daily studio practice. Regardless of this choice, the works exhibited are incredibly varied in material and form. Though diminished in scale, these artworks are huge in impact.  

Eight from ACGA

The postcard is here! The postcard is here! Am excited about joining this awesome group of artists for "Eight from ACGA" later this month. The opening reception will be held Friday, April 26, during the Annual California Conference for the Advancement of Ceramic Art.

The juror for the show was Lana Wilson, who I took a ceramics workshop from years ago at Arrowmont in Tennessee. I hope she's there for the reception. It would be really fun to say hello!