Sunday, November 16, 2014

porchetta dinner with friends






photos by Erin Little


I love entertaining and nothing is more satisfying than happy guests.  My husband and I had long wanted to make a porchetta.  We have been buying half a pig from our farmer friends in South Bristol for the past half dozen years, or so.  This time we asked for the pork belly to be left in one large piece in anticipation of making a porchetta.  The belly is then wrapped around a pork loin and seasoned with fennel seeds, fresh sage, fresh rosemary, garlic and thin slices of orange.  We used a recipe from Bon Appetit that I had ripped out of the magazine three years ago!  We served it with buttery mashed potatoes, sauteed cabbage and apple sauce.  When our friends, and guests, remarked that the meal felt very much like a Thanksgiving dinner I felt sure our dinner was a success!  Dessert brought by our guests included a delicious apple cake, and a stunning triple layer pumpkin cake (seen in the last image above.)  If you would like the recipe it is here.  Also, take a look at photographer, Erin Little's new blog series called Monday's Meal where she featured our porchetta!





Wednesday, October 8, 2014

photo shoot on the coast of Maine




photo by Winky Lewis



A few weeks ago I headed to one of my favorite spots on Maine's coast, Reid State Park, to do a photo shoot with the photographer Winky Lewis.  Winky lives in Portland and specializes in children's photography.   Her work has a magical, dreamy quality to it.   I was very excited to have the opportunity to work with Winky in shooting my newest collection of pieces in the setting that most inspires my work.   Our goal was to photograph my ceramics in beautiful little tidal pools, in beds of seaweed, half buried in sand, tucked between the granite rocks.....all to reflect the earthy, watery quality of the glazing and textures of my work.  Although it was a perfect blue sky day, that made it challenging to shoot. Especially when the shiny glazed pieces were sitting in water where reflections are numerous!   Winky shot many gorgeous images that will be part of a redesign of my website coming later this year.  Thank you, Winky!  And, thank you to my dear friend, Lari Washburn, for being the best assistant on our shoot (as seen below holding the reflector above Winky!)




  




Thursday, July 10, 2014

a fun interview with the photographer Erin Little!







The very talented photographer, Erin Little, came by my studio several weeks ago to document my space.  Honestly, I think I went a little overboard in my spring cleaning to get the studio ready for the shoot.  The studio never looks this good while I am actually in the middle of a project!  Erin's images are gorgeous and I swear she shot every angle so that you get a truly good picture of my work space!  That's my dog Pinkie keeping me company for my portrait shot.  Erin shoots editorial and commercial projects for various publications including Maine Magazine and The New York Times.  She is also an amazing wedding photographer and you can see that work here.

To see the full studio tour and read the interview you can head to Erin's blog.  










Wednesday, May 28, 2014

martha stewart "everyday works of art"





I am honored to be included in the "Everyday Works of Art" feature in this months Martha Stewart Living magazine.   It's beautifully photographed by Gentl and Hyers.  Produced and styled by Ayesha Patel, the Editorial Style Director at MSL, who is responsible for so many of the gorgeous stories in the magazine. Together they have created this visually stunning story.  Thank you, Ayesha, for including my work among this talented group of ceramicists!



love David Chang's cooking





Thank you to Food & Wine magazine and Market Editor, Suzie Myers, for including my indigo platter in the June 2014 issue of F&W.  I'm a huge fan of David Chang's restaurants and food!  Living in Maine I do miss my favorite NY restaurants, and this being one of them!





Thursday, April 24, 2014

shop update sunday, april 27th!









Shop update on Sunday, April 27th at 7pm edt!


Here's a bit of a preview for some of the pieces that will be for  sale.  There will be many cheese boards, lots of spoons, smaller and medium size platters and a few bowls.  I have customers around the world and am hoping that the 7pm sale time helps those in Europe (yes, I know it's very late for you....sorry!) and those in Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia (yes, I know it's very early for you....sorry!) get to participate in the sale without it being too crazy an hour! -michele xo  







Thursday, April 3, 2014

my studio











photos by Stacey Cramp


I'm looking forward to springtime in my studio!  My barn will start to lose all the beautiful winter light once the leaves start coming back on the trees that surround it.  That's o.k. because the windows will be open and I'll be able to hear the birds singing again! These beautiful images were shot by the photographer Stacey Cramp.  She did a wonderful post about elephant ceramics on her blog and also included some images on her website.  I am kind of revisiting these images again!  My favorite photo of all is the one she took of my chihuahua Chi Chi hiding behind me!  She is the funniest little dog who I just adore.  For some reason she had a moment of shyness with the camera pointed at her!








Tuesday, March 25, 2014

pink!






The spring issue of Sweet Paul magazine is out and gorgeous as ever!  Flipping thru the pages I spotted one of the rare pieces I made with a pale pink glaze.  My bowl is the top right piece.  I love it in this mix of rhubarb red, plum and yellow.....so pretty!  This feels like spring to me!   







Thursday, March 6, 2014

food & wine march 2013



                                                                                                          photo by Line Klein


Thank you Food & Wine magazine for including my Peacock Platter in the March issue!  Beautiful styling by the talented prop stylist Paige Hicks.  Lovely issue, as usual!










Monday, March 3, 2014

photographer kristina mckune








I was immediately drawn to Kristina McKune's landscapes.  These photos were shot during  her travels and a road trip in the US. Last year Kristina relocated from the east coast to Colorado. That was after she spent the previous seven months exploring the United States by car in her quest to find a new place to call home.  I asked Kristina to tell me a little bit about these four images that I chose to post on my blog.  Here is her answer:

I love that you selected two images I took with my Holga. In case you’re unfamiliar, a Holga is a wonderful instrument for photographers who love shooting unconventional images. It’s a plastic “toy” camera with no settings or controls and takes 120mm film. Because of it’s flimsy construction, light leaks are a natural (and beautiful, in my opinion!) result of shooting with the Holga. The black and white double exposure was shot in Monument Valley, Utah and the bright section in the top left is a light leak. The color image of the geyser was shot in Yellowstone National Park, also with my Holga. The bright spots of color at the top and bottom of the photograph are also light leaks. The second black & white photo, with the buttes in the background, was taken in Colorado after we moved to Denver. It’s an area called Pawnee National Grassland, and is a perfect place to drive for hours to find that perfect picture. And the last color shot you selected was taken at The Blue Lagoon in Iceland, which is one of the most magical & otherworldly countries I have been lucky enough to visit. I am not just taking a photograph of a beautiful place, but am attempting to build a story for the viewer of the atmosphere and environment, and how one could see herself or himself inside the picture. 

Check out Kristina's website for more of her beautiful images and to find out how to follow her work.  She also sells her photos thru her etsy shop!  



food & wine



photographer:  Christina Holmes




Thank you Suzie Myers, and Food and Wine magazine, for including an elephant ceramic bowl in the current issue of the magazine!   

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

happy 2014!







                                                                                                   textiles by heather chontos