Whew!

Yes, yes, I know: How long is it since you've heard from me? A really long time. It's been a pretty interesting year or so - some important losses and some encouraging accomplishments. I lost my dear friend Kathy Peabody in February, my Mother passed in April and my friend Gary passed in July. But Black Cat Pottery and The English Landscape are still here and going strong.

We've actually been growing and I'm now teaching in my studio, keeping class sizes small and intimate. This arrangement has worked out well, as all my equipment and materials - including gardening references and the computer (both of which have been useful) are right here for my students' use. We'll have more a more extensive schedule during the non-gardening season (January-March), so drop a line if you're interested. I've also been adding some improvements (real, actual stools, instead of five-gallon buckets for seats!), including a new kiln, shelving and ware carts (only took three hours to put that together!)

I've been doing some pretty great stuff, including some amazing new "Extra Fancy" Sunflowers, including the Ginormous "Teddy Bear" Sunflower you see here, in my very amatuerish image (gotta get with Don once he gets back from Florida). My friend Gary Kohs challenged me to make a ginormous sunflower covered with petals; I thought he was trying to kill me but - true to form - I gave it a shot and I'm pleased with the results - and can't wait to show it to Gary and Laura! Also doing some new designs for wall pockets and platters using large leaves - and I'll upload images of those as soon as I have them.

My friend Don Schulte - the photographer guy referenced above - has also bee busy, turning out a new set of Spring Wildflower notecards (with another on the way), a new set of Fall Wildflower notecards, new Clematis notecards, and upcoming sets of Herbs, more Clematis and one more set of Summer Wildflowers. And that's in his spare time, which hasn't been a lot as he and Debbie were married in September!

It was a tough gardening season but I had some great help from Andrew, Theresa and Andy. We completely renovated one property, moved a lot of mulch and drank a lot of water. I could not have done it without their help (or that of my massage therapist, Brandy, who is the best). Used to be, before I gardened professionally, that I dreaded the onset of winter; now, I confess, I quite look forward to it!

The cats are great: Alex and Meli are getting older but hanging tough and the kittens, well, the kittens aren't kittens any more! Rameses still tries to pick on Princess Nur but we're working on that.

Upcoming events include the Gifts and Greens holiday mart at Christ Church Grosse Pointe, December 3 and 4 ; and I'll be having an open house at the studio (at 3903

Grayton St., Detroit, MI 48224-4003) December 11, 10:00am to 4:00pm (no stragglers - I have a dinner appointment!) Come see what's been happening - there's always new stuff going on, enjoy some Christmas cheer and do your last minute shopping for Black Cat Pottery and Notable Greetings note cards and prints. Cheers and Happy Holidays!

In the Public Eye

Greetings all.  Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July.  I had a great time, taking the weekend to work in my garden and help my friend Cathy in hers.  It's also been exciting as an article about my garden can be found in the July issue of Michigan Gardener magazine, on pages 28-30.  Sandie Parrott and I spent some time in my garden last summer and a lot of time this spring putting the article together (the photo is hers, from the article).  I'm pretty happy with the results.  I hope you enjoy the article as well.

Also in May, my friend Linda Pegg shot an episode of her show "In the Garden" for Clinton Township Television, which aired June 26-July 2.  I finally was able to get the DVD from her and watch it for myself (I don't watch television/have cable) and I was pretty pleased, although it is definitely true the camera adds at least 10 pounds!  The rest of the summer is shaping up with the Troy Garden Tour this Wednesday, a stop at the West Park Farmers Market July 11,  the Gabriel's Garden Lavender Festival July 17-18, a stop up to my friends David and Mary Moore at Stone Cottage Garden (with my friend Theresa Deerhammer along for the ride) July 25 for a program on Hydrangeas and the Belleville Garden Tour on July 26.  August starts out with the St. Clair Shores Yardeners Garden Tour on the 1st, another stop at the West Park Farmers Market August 15 and the Macomb Master Gardeners Garden Tour at my place August 16 (and maybe a stop at the MSU Horticulture Gardens "A Day in the Gardens" August 7).

Hope to see you there!

I'm running late (of course) but I wanted to take a minute to post photos of my Gerber Daisies recently taken by my friend Don Schulte.  The same day he took these photos, he also photographed some Spring wildflowers and has come up with yet another dynamite series of notecards, which have already proven quite popular.  We're hoping to photograph again in the Summer and Fall, to cover the entire growing season and representing the range of Michigan's beautiful native plants.

Don't forget to visit us here at Black Cat Pottery/The English Landscape for our next garden tour Sunday, August 16, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  More updates coming up soon!

Spring 2009

Although it's been a long haul, in many ways, it is finally Spring and the gardens are getting going.  The winter was a tough one - I had major surgery early in February (recovery was very smooth, assisted by many wonderful folks) and I lost two of my best friends in March.  Gus (picture at left), my friend and companion of 17 years, succumbed to kidney failure at the age of 20 on March 7; and on March 16, his little girl, Isis, went home to be with him when we discovered pervasive cancer.  Alex, Meli, Princess Nur, Rameses and I miss them terribly but we know they are with us every day, as are Domino, Memnon and Sisygambis.

So, Spring is here and the world is beginning to warm up and get moving.  I'll be having another garden tour, in connection with the Macomb County Master Gardeners, on May 24 - that's the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend - from 1:00-4:00pm.  Please come and see early flowering Clematis as well as a garden in transition away from primarily exotic species to one featuring numerous native plants.  I'll also be featuring my pottery in its "natural environment", as well as some lovely artwork by my good friend Cathy Dossin, who could paint circles around me with both eyes closed and one hand tied around her back (and hopping on one leg?)  The lady can paint, I'm sayin'.

I've actually gotten quite a lot done in the garden that I didn't get to last year:  I straightened up (as much as a body can) the structure on which C. montana 'Pink Perfection' and C. viticella 'Alba Luxurians' are growing; I put out the decorative bird house, which has been languishing for years in my garage; I bought a wind sculpture on sale this winter and that's out, on a 7' post (it might even be taller than Joe Pye come the end of summer); there are new "Daughters of Clytie" in the back - my friends Deb and Sharon have joined the rest of us out there; I cleaned lots of deadwood out of C. montana 'Pink Perfection' and she looks great; and numerous woodland wildflowers have been going in as I'm working on my presentation on native plants in a small urban garden.  So, there will be lots to see come May 24.

On May 16, I'll be down on Grosse Ile for the Herb Fest, an absolutely superb annual event put together by the members of the Grosse Ile Herb Society.  This year they're going with a "green" theme, in keeping with the trends so many of us are seeing and pursuing these days.  My friend Jill will be there with her herbal products (love the Patchouli oil, Jill!) and hopefully Tim Hanks will be there with his beautiful handmade redwood birdhouses embellished with vintage hardware and other findings (as well as some other folks, not to mention the great plants for sale).  The members of the Grosse Ile Herb Society know how to put on a event, so catch us there at Centennial Farm if you can.

On May 23, I'll be at Ray Hunter in Southgate giving a presentation on "Plan(t) for Success".  Please support your local, independently-owned businesses and come visit me at Ray Hunter on May 23.

May 30-31, Karen Bovio of Specialty Growers in Howell has her annual open house, including appearances by the famed Janet Macunavich.  Janet is amazing and not to be missed; and a number of garden artists - including yours truly - will be there to share the love.  Karen does great work growing perennials suitable for Michigan gardens and she does it the right way, so the plants are hardy and ready to go at planting time.  And the variety is staggering.  It would be great to see you there.  (Just watch out for the kitty - she has a bit of a temper and can be somewhat of a tease.)

I want to thank everyone who helped me get through the last four months - especially Catherine, Stephen, Lisa, Sharon, Cathy, Kathy, Katherine, Kath and all the people who have supported my pottery, public speaking, gardening and art education enterprises.  You know who you are.  I'm not always sure where I've gotten myself but I know that, wherever I am, I wouldn't be here without the support all of you.

The Odd Note and Observation

Although I love what I do, there are times I feel that trying to make it as a professional artist, gardener and public speaker is, in a phrase, a brutal way to make a living. (I especially feel this way as I'm loading up my poor Saturn wagon with twelve boxes of pottery, a canopy and weights, two tables, a cordless drill and other various and sundry "stuff" for yet another trek to parts unknown.) Even the merest words of appreciation are balm to my perplexed spirit (and aching body). So, when I received the following after giving my "Establishing and Maintaining Winter Interest" presentation for the Milford Garden Club in October, I felt pretty darn good:

Cheryl-

I want to thank you for inspiring me to embrace the season and to look for beauty in any season in the garden and yard! Your presentation to the Milford Garden Club a few weeks ago really inspired me to get out of my "winter is coming funk" and do things now to enhance my winter landscape. I have uplighted a dogwood and a Japanese maple and have left snow catching stalks in my perennial beds. I knew to do these things - I just needed you to motivate me. Thanks!

Lisa Willard

Thank you, Lisa, for letting me know it really is worth all the effort!

During the craziness that was the summer of 2008, Dr. Ralph Stuckman, Managing Editor for The Potter's Shed on the Art-to-Art Palette site (www.arttoartpalette.com), contacted me to contribute to the "Potter Asks" portion of the site. You can get some more insight as to what drives me as an artist (and human being, for that matter). Thanks to Ralph for his interest!

Workshops in the Works

Well, due to consistent demand, I've been in discussions with a couple places to share my pottery techniques in a more "hands-on" setting. Anton Art Center, in Mt. Clemens, and Firebrick Studio and Gallery, in Rochester, have both been very supportive and we're putting together a couple two-session workshops to give folks a chance to explore the potentials of a slab roller and to see if a larger-format class might be workable in the future.
On Sunday, November 21, I was at the Anton Art Center, with a lot of other very cool people, for their "Meet the Artists" reception in connection with their Holiday Shop. The photo, taken by the peripatetic Don Schulte, is of me with Jennifer Callans, the Anton Art Center Director, with some of my pottery. It was a great event, hosted by the Women Presbyteers (those cookies were really good). I couldn't believe how quickly two hours passed!
If you're interested in taking a workshop at either location, you can contact the Art Center at (586) 469-8666 or Firebrick at (248) 394-5355. Hope to see you there!

Can You Believe It?

I don't know about you, but I can't believe that it's already almost Thanksgiving. And there's a lot to be thankful for, even here in Michigan. I had a good gardening season, working with Mil Hurley's team at A Southern Gardener (hey there, Mil, Terese, Alaine, Carol, Cathy, Sue, Fran, Debbie and Emily): I learned I was doing a lot of things right, met some great people and learned a lot of new things, too. I was hoping that I would have some time to do some stuff in my garden before the winter clamped down, but no such luck. I'll be lucky to get the leaves off the drive near the garage or cut down the peonies!

I met some great folks on the speaking tour this last season as well, and so many people supportive of my artistic endeavors, also. My work was featured on the first page of the Business Section of The Detroit News on November 11, 2008, in connection with an interview with my good friend Mark, who owns and operates a delightful business called Ariel's Enchanted Garden on Gratiot in East Pointe. They say there's no such thing as bad publicity but I say there's nothing like good publicity, period.

Now it's time to gear up for the holiday season, and I've got my pottery at a number of community art centers for gift giving. Please support our local arts councils and arts centers, as well as our local artists, when considering your gift giving choices. Buying local keeps the money here in the local economy, instead of shipping it to the states where the big-box stores have their headquarters - which are not in Michigan.

Here's the run-down:

Anton Art Center, 125 Macomb Place, Mount Clemens, MI 48043, (586) 469-8666. Christmas Market Wonderland, November 21 - December 21, 2008.

Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, 1516 Cranbrook Road, Birmingham, MI 48009, (248) 644-0866. Holiday Shop 08 December 5-20, 2008.

Grosse Pointe Art Center, 15001 Kercheval, Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230, (313) 821-1848. Gallery Wide Holiday Shop, November 21 - December 23, 2008.

Northville Art House, 215 West Cady Street, Northville, MI 48167, (248) 344-0954. Holiday Art Market, November 7 - December 21, 2008.

Pewabic Pottery, 10125 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, MI 48214, (313) 822-0954. Earthy Treasures, November 7 - December 31, 2008.

Starkweather Art & Cultural Center, 219 North Main Street, Romeo, MI 48065, (586) 752-5700. Holiday Show, November 7 - December 21, 2008.

I'm also in talks with both Anton Art Center and Firebrick Gallery & Pottery Studio (404 S. Main Street, Rochester, MI 48307, (248) 650-2500) regarding teaching workshops and/or classes focusing on the techniques I use in creating my work. If you're interested in learning more, please contact me at cenglish@blackcatpottery.com.

Keep well and warm out there!