Winter Recap and Spring Preview

This newsletter will take a look back at some winter highlights... like Ritual Mugs, Mahjong Night, new writing projects, and look around the corner at what is shaping up for Spring (There is lots)!

End of Summer...

This summer has been jam packed with beautiful events, travels, and new opportunities to lean into the creative journey of TreeBed Design. 

It is hard to believe that summer is almost over! This newsletter will recap some of the highlights of the last few months, and hint at some fun things to look forward to. 

Catching up from Winter... Into Spring!

I began the new year on a adventure to Guatemala (more on that later in the newsletter), and thought I would have a pretty quiet rest of winter to reflect on the past year... as well as plan for the new one ahead. However, things took a different turn, and I found myself hustling through the "slow months". I am grateful to take a few moments now to reflect, refocus and share a bit about what's on the horizon for TreeBed Design!

2024 didn't waste any time getting busy... As soon as I returned from Guatemala, things had to ramp up in a hurry with multiple projects! 

There was a rush to supply a slew of dishes for Compline to host a guest chef event with Diego Isunaza Kahlo (yep... as in Frida Kahlo's great great nephew)! He put on an amazing tour of Mexico City through food, and my dishes got to be the canvas for much of it! This was a quick turn around during a (rainy) time of year where clay wants to go slower than usual, but I got (most) of it done... what an honor!

Kristin had the sweet idea to make little clay medallions to celebrate Vallejo Art Walk #100, and hand them out to all the creative folks who make the art walk happen! We knocked out 100 of these little gifts, hopefully to be given many times over to show love for our little Art Walk community. 

Also in the mix, was a big production job for Love YAAH More. A series of beautiful little bud vases to be featured in the offerings of our friends, Events By GS! 

Oh... and did I mention we had 4 weeks of kids class going on during all of this!

Soaking up the End of Summer

It has been a bit of a strange Summer around here... lots of behind the scenes work and a bit of fun as well! As I sit down to write this, I don't feel like I have that much to share about my summer.

I've been putting so much energy into things that are "coming soon", and I'll admit I have been struggling with the fact that I don't (yet) have much to show for all that work (a stressful spot for a business owner). However, this week as I start to push past anxiety, fear, and doubts... I can begin to see that there are good things ahead. I can see that progress may be slow, but it is being made. Dreaming up the big dreams has never been the hard part for me, but staying focused on all the little details to make the dreams reality can be my challenge. 

So, it is my hope that a summer of slow, small steps... is building towards a beautiful Fall harvest. It can feel like I will be forgotten if I am not posting all my progress for everyone to see every minute of everyday. Instead, I am coming around to the idea that part of my artistic practice has to be about slowing down, and being in the flow of each season. For most of the garden's growing season... there is not a lot to show for it, but when those ripe tomatoes (or what ever you love) starts to roll in... it is all worth it!

Saturday Open Clay Table

Come join us downtown for OPEN CLAY on Saturdays in August. We’ve had a blast bringing the community into the studio on Art Walk Fridays (the second Friday of every month!) and with all the interest in Clay Classes, we wanted to expand by offering a few Saturday sessions. 

We've enjoyed seeing all the creative things everyone comes up with, and also how therapeutic the act of playing with clay can be! So come and get your hands dirty, and make something special to pick up at a later date. It will be open and unguided (hand-building only), but we will be there to help support you along the way.

$30 per seat for the 2-hours, which will allow you to make two small items or one medium sized item out of a 1lb. ball of clay. You can paint it while you are there and we will fire with clear glaze for you to pick up in a couple of weeks. 

Get Your Tickets Here!

This is OPEN CLAY, so it’s open to all ages and skill levels! Most people have made something in an hour during Artwalk, so this extended session will hopefully allow you more time to enjoy, relax, have a cup of coffee and chat with your other creators around the table. Our goal is to create connection within the community, with art that is approachable and affordable, and create more creative moments and spaces in downtown Vallejo!

We’ll also be sharing more info about the other studio clay classes coming in September 2023! Thank you for your patience as we get these different offerings started. We are so excited to create something with you!

SepTemBer 23rD SAVE the DATE!

What are you doing on the first day of Fall? How about celebrating the changing season (my favorite one), and the polishing off of the TBD Showroom space downtown! 

Saturday, September 23rd 
from 5pm - 8pm

I am collaborating with some talented folks to bring you amazing food, drinks, music (I might actually play a short set for you)... all while surrounded by TBD creativity on full display, AND you get to take a part of it with you at the end! Yep, you will enjoy all that deliciousness above, on freshly made TBD plates/tumblers that you will take home! 

This event feels like a big part of my journey to re-emerge from the 2017 fire (and then pandemic) to realize this space as I envisioned it when I moved in... a place to showcase my work and host small community gatherings. It would bring me such joy to see you there!

Tickets and details coming VERY soon!

Although this Summer has mostly been about working towards things coming soon... there have been some fun new things being added to the website! This includes LARGE mugs (yep, I finally did it), and also some various products to compliment things I have made. You can also find some of the Lunar series of vases (and more) celebrating two super moons in the month of August! 

The showroom has been open more than ever in August (and moving forward)... every Thursday for August Summer Nights, and Saturdays during the Farmer Market. Stop by and say hello!

Welcome Back

Whoa… it has been awhile since I have sent one of these! The Fall/Winter was pretty crazy for me, and no matter how much I thought about writing a newsletter… it just never happened. I am happy to be sharing a bit of that story, and what is new with TreeBed Design!

NEW STUDIO!
I’ll get right to the big news, and the main reason that no newsletter showed up during the Fall/Winter… I finally have a new studio in Vallejo! There was a year or more of back and forth about whether my space in Napa (where my kilns were) was going to continue, and in early fall it looked like I could stay. However, the landlord changed their mind, and suddenly (right before the holiday push) we had to be out of the warehouse by the end of the year!

This was obviously jarring, and the scramble to find a new space kicked into high gear. My spot in Napa had come about after loosing everything (except some ceramic equipment) in the 2017 fires… a coffee customer of mine graciously offered me a storage spot for my kiln, and then hooked it up so I could fire… and then carved out space for me to work! It was so helpful, and I will always be grateful for that foothold to get ceramics moving forward while I recovered after the fire (which all took way longer than I ever expected).

The whole past year had been filled with little events that seemed to be wrapping up loose ends from my 5 year journey dealing with the fire. In that context, moving the studio into my own space felt like another step in that process. This did not make it any less disruptive though, and it was very difficult to find a new spot… which resulted in all my equipment living in storage for two months (and VERY little work being done).

Then… after looking at lots of spaces that I could maybe “make” work… I got the chance to land in a space that I actually WANTED to make work! So now I'm settling into a space filled with light and possibilities! I am making the focus of this year, a deep dive into how I want to move through the world now that I am no longer in recovery (survival) mode. What is the work I want to make, the space I want to hold, the service I want to be in? I hope to share more about the answers to these questions as I work through them this year.

I am hoping to polish the new studio space off enough to have an open studio soon, and invite YOU to come see the space! Keep an eye out for that…

THIS WEEK! Spring is here, and we FINALLY have the weather to prove it… just in time for the April Vallejo Art Walk (https://vallejoartwalk.org) . Join me in our historic downtown Vallejo for art, music, makers, food and community 5-9pm! My neighbor The Joint is opening back up after their own experience of fire, and it is going to be better than ever! On Saturday I will be at the artist’s reception for the CLAY invitational out at Mare Island Art Studios. I’m honored to be showing some work along a bunch of talented ceramic artists. The intention of the show was to bring together ceramic artists from the area, and allow both artist interaction… as well as a chance to show off the diversity of clay work! The show is open every Sunday this month from 12-4pm, and this Saturday April 15th for the reception (small bites and wine/beer) from 12-5pm. CLASSES & COLLABORATION With the new studio, comes the new possibility of finally folding in some classes and new offerings! I’m still in the process of designing these ideas, and refining it down to something that feels sustainable. I also want it to be something that fits the needs of this community. So if you would be willing to fill out the survey below (link)… that would be SO helpful! There is also space to write in anything you’d like to see from TBD, or ways you might want to collaborate.

TBD CLAY CLASSES QUESTIONNAIRE

Spring is Here (where am I)!?!

I can hardly believe that we have landed in Spring already! I was just settling into the post holiday slow down, and then I blinked. Now it is the end of March! I have been on a wild ride since I last wrote one of these (Dec): I completed my first holiday product release, did some hunkering down for covid, my truck died/got a new car (whole story right there), said goodbye to a bus (as well as some dreams), and with that cleared a bunch of stuck energy, not to mention all of the work for new restaurants/wineries and old favorites too. All of those things have plenty of stories to tell in their own right, but I'll sum it up as being… a bit of a blur! 

I tried something different this year. I have attempted several times in the past to put together an intentional release of items for the holidays. However, I was always working other jobs, and became too busy to pull it off. This year I knew I need to make it happen, and even then... I still almost made myself too busy to pull it off! Except... I did it! 

The holiday newsletter was sent out, and gave exclusive access to the limited release of items. If you were one of those people that received it... Thank you for choosing to sign up, and for following along my journey! It has been quite a year of new ways that TreeBed Design is showing up in the world, and it hasn't always been easy (the last few days of getting this all put together were certainly a challenge). However, getting the holiday release out into the world reminds me that I am making progress. If you didn't receive the newsletter with exclusive access... I invite you to sign up (next one comes out in Dec, and only happens a few times through out the year)!

I hope you enjoy the new items, and keep an eye out for a few more to be added as the next month unfolds. I hope your holidays are beautiful in big and small ways!