This past fall my talented partner, Ed Ralston, pulled out drafting paper and pencil and we marshaled resources to construct a new structure on my property designed explicitly for one purpose: to serve as a gallery, to permanently display my various types of arts and crafts. This structure is positioned at a special spot on my property, which is more…
My studio is located on Dairyland Road, and for the past year I have shared my space with Erick Serritella, who is a nationally recognized sculptor and ceramic artist. It has been a new experience for both of us and we have learned a lot about our work and built a nice friendship. Sharing the studio has worked out just…
Two OCAG artists have been producing collaborative paintings for about a year and a half. Luna Lee Ray and Shelly Hehenberger have been asked to write about their process and here is what they have to say. Luna Lee Ray: Shelly and I have found a great format for collaborating that works for us: we take turns working on each surface,…
Have I learned yet to love uncertainty? Creating work in ceramic is not like painting. When you put a combination of glaze chemicals on clay and subject them to high heat, what you get is almost always surprising, even though you may have run many glaze tests and fired pieces under identical conditions. You do your best to control your outcomes,…
You look out and see the trees through the studio window. Green leaves, the sunlight making them yellowish with darker green shadows. Warm, tan tree trunks; deep, green foliage further away; a cascade of green in different shades. You assume that everyone looking out on these leaves sees them the same way that you do. So many people get cataracts…
On NPR some time ago, I heard part of an interview with someone who was discussing a depression era photographer by the name of Walker Evans. He quoted Mr. Evans as saying, “the truly hard part [of photography] is capturing the light in the air.” I realized in that moment that this is exactly what I am continually trying to…
Thirty six members of the Orange County Artists Guild were assigned quotes to illustrate for a sequel to the book TREE: a Community of Artists Explores the Meaning of Nature. This meandering blog is about Ruthananda’s experience creating her illustration for RIVER. Planning ahead is a really important part of any project and many details are considered along the way.…
After much heartache, my husband and I decided to sell our 30 foot sailboat, Sea Otter, last fall. Our final vacation on the boat was to Cape Lookout, the southernmost outer bank of North Carolina. This trip was memorable as neither of us almost died and nothing on the boat broke. We didn’t even run aground once. Despite all this, the…
I sent my newest young adult novel Brother, Brother out into the world today, or rather my publisher did. I delivered the manuscript nearly a year ago and uncorrected review copies have been circulating for months, but like the robin fledging that left its nest outside my studio over a week ago, my book’s truly soloing today, completely on its…
I have always been interested in exploring the theme of community. In this series titled Women in the World, I examine the supportive essence of womanhood. In the past I've lived and worked in communes where I've felt the strength that comes when everyone works together for the common good. Since the beginning of time, women have come together to…