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!