Raisen Twist Bottles
Cal Breed

Last week I traveled to Portland, Oregon, to attend the annual conference of the Glass Art Society. This event is truly a glass love fest, bringing together almost 2,000 artists, gallery owners, collectors, and others in this large and diverse field. It is a wonderful opportunity to catch up with glass artists in The Artful Home catalog, such as Cal Breed, and to meet, and see the work of, new artists.

But the real star of this conference was the host city of Portland, which is home to so many of our nation’s talented artists. In Portland, the Zen attention to the materials of daily life has attracted all kinds of creative people, and the city radiates energy and optimism. Everything, from the amazing bookstores to the farmers markets to the bike lanes, speaks to the long-standing attention to quality of life.

And then…there is the food. The citizens of Portland take their food very seriously, and numerous restaurants have elevated food to a high art. My fervent recommendation to readers who love the combination of art and food: plan your next vacation in Portland!

Garden Flight #3
Lisa Kesler

This past Sunday was Father’s Day, a particularly poignant day for me as my own father is no longer alive. But my activities for this Father’s Day weekend also included a high school graduation ceremony for a very special girl in my family, as well as the wedding of two close friends.

As a result of all these emotional activities packed into short period of time, coupled with the announcement of Tim Russert’s untimely death, I find myself reflecting on the circle of life that we move through one day at a time. The important occasions, such as graduations and weddings, carry our hopes for love, joy and celebration. These events provide a context for the sorrows that have accumulated over time.

For me, it is a gentle reminder that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, and every personal connection has so much meaning.

Glass Faucet
James McKelvey

I love it when an artist comes up with something so wonderfully unexpected that it immediately elicits a WOW! Such was my reaction when I first encountered James McKelvey’s glass faucets and other bathroom fixtures. This talented artist has created a virtually non-breakable glass that twists and turns in the most amazing ways to deliver water to our bathroom sinks.

Surely the most unlikely showcase for the work of artists in the home is that paragon of practical, antiseptic efficiency, the bath. But it’s time to take another look. In the bathroom we have wood cabinetry, ceramic tiles, mirrors in all media, stained glass windows, one-of-a-kind lighting, and surfaces just asking to be painted. This room, contrary to all expectations, provides us with many opportunities to be artistically creative.

For this reason, I am particularly grateful to artists like James McKelvey, who allow my imagination to take flight when considering the next generation of my home’s bathroom.