SENSATIONAL CERAMICS

Since ancient times, ceramic arts have been the mainstay of Vietri sul Mare on the Amalfi Coast.

What makes this pottery so special is the artistry of its makers who over hundreds of years have interpreted and reinterpreted traditional motifs to suit their personality and their clientele.

The local clay, rich in volcanic minerals, is used for everything from everyday dishes to public water fountains.

The vibrant glazes that reflect the colors of the surrounding landscape are employed on decorative tiles, wall plaques, murals, and architectural cupolas.

Tile embellished church steeples are the norm in Vietri and in nearly every town up and down the Amalfi coast.

One of the major – and most visible --ceramic factories in Vietri is Solimene. It was designed by Paolo Soleri, a student of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

In operation since 1947, Solimene’s landmark building features more than 20,000 pottery vessels embedded in the façade with even more pieces of pottery available for sale inside.

In the 1980s, Solimene’s classic motifs were synonymous with Vietri and Mediterranean ceramic patterns.

Today, it is run by the grandchildren of the original founder and is known for its excellent variety of tableware.

Pitchers are one of their specialties. They are exported worldwide.

But you need not go into a “ceramica”, as the local factories are called, to view local craftsmanship.

It's on display on every street corner, restaurant and windowbox.

Everywhere from the local fruit store to the town hall is decorated with painted tiles.

Some street plaques are religious in nature.

Some tilework is purely decorative.

Ceramics offered for sale frequently reflect Vietri’s proximity to the sea.

One of my favorite ceramica’s is Bottega di Vietri Romolo Apicella where I purchased my fish platter.

Homeowners from all over Italy travel to this two-story showroom to commission tiles for their kitchens, pizza ovens, walls, floors and gardens.

One of my other favorite spots to shop has as much to do with the location -- on a hill in Positano -- as with the exceptional colors of the plates, platters and kitchen basics.

Look at those sunflowers, grape clusters, and lemons!

*** WATERSIDE WEDNESDAYS***

Time flies! Tomorrow is Wednesday. To join in just post your own WATERSIDE WEDNESDAY entry and don't forget to link back to The Book Blog! I will add a link tomorrow morning.

Everyone who posts is entered to win a Little Fishie (sorry leaving comments won't count for this giveaway but they are greatly appreciated!)

And please visit all of this week's participants by clicking the Mr Linky box.

** BLOG DU JOUR**

Run right over to Things Created By Me for some great shell projects. If you gave access to beachcombed sea urchins, scroll down for a tutorial on the best way to clean them.

DOG DAYS OF FEBRUARY

Call me naïve…

I thought everyone loved snow.
However, when I asked several of my favorite artists to send me a few of their winter scenes to post, I found out otherwise.

Upstate New York artist Ruth Welter is surrounded by so much snow that it fails to inspire her.

“It snows a lot here, but I've never painted any snow,” says Ruth. “Actually, I hate winter. Spring and summer are my favorite seasons.”www.artfulcreations.blogspot.com

Living in Southern California, Erin Houghton doesn’t paint snow, either. "It's not something I see frequently!"

www.thepaintedgarden.blogspot.com

Donna Longenecker does paint snow. Originally from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, she and her husband moved south and now reside in sunny North Carolina.

Although she professes to enjoy sunshine, gardening, and taking walks with her two dachshunds Otis and Riley, Donna looks forward to snow and runs out to take photos when it appears.
Donna also paints the snow in her garden.

and when it quickly vanishes, she paints her fun-loving pups!

www.donnas-art.blogspot.com

And, while we're talking about pups. Yesterday was my pup's birthday (yes, those are his baby pictures at the beginning of this post. He's the pup in the middle -- one of six!)

HAPPY 11th BIRTHDAY BELGIUM!

All that partying wears a guy out!

SNOW DAY

Yesterday, we had the first real snow fall of the winter.

With the house – and road -- blanketed in fluffy white stuff, I spent time frolicking in the backyard with Belgium and catching up on e-mails.

An e-mail from artist Anna James came with several attachments… images of her works that capture the wonders of winter.

Anna’s photographs and Primitive Folk Art style paintings are inspired by her simple country lifestyle.
Her hand-built log home, friendly Jersey cow, boisterous flock of fowl, seasonal pumpkin patch and family of cats frequently appear in Anna’s works.


To see more, visit her online gallery at www.britewoodart.com.



*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

Matthew Kenney, one of my fellow authors at Gibbs Smith, recently posted about the First Snow in Maine. Don’t miss his gorgeous photos and wise words.

MY ELECTION DAY ADVENTURE

Have you been following Natasha Burns’ chronicle of her journey across America?

If not, here’s the plot summary to date.
* My extremely charming and talented Australian blog buddy landed in Los Angeles about a week ago.
* Dede of Dream Create Share and Christine of Dolly Belle’s Peep Show were her cordial tour guides. Check out their beautiful blogs to join in Natasha's fabulous Shabby Chic expedition.

* Next, Natasha flew to Georgia where altered art/mixed media maven Jenn introduced the down-under darling to Halloween (the holiday isn’t much celebrated in Australia) and assumed the mantle of gracious guide. Check out Natasha’s first ever Jack-O-Lantern on Jenn’s Sweet Candy Creations blog.

* Before heading North, the two southern belles (living in Melbourne automatically confers southern status) traveled to Savannah where they met mosaic artist extraordinaire Penny Carlson of Lavender Hill Studio and enjoyed the splendors of this historic city.

MY ELECTION DAY EXCURSION

Having voted a week early, I turned up in NYC on November 4th to join Natasha and Jenn for several days of non-stop shopping and sampling local food specialties.

I met the dynamic duo at Jing Fong, an enormous Chinese dim sum palace.
My friend Chitsou, who rarely misses an opportunity to share his native cuisine with visitors, ordered an amazing array of delicacies, including these faux carrots filled with peanuts.

I surprised Natasha by presenting her several gifts from Jo of Neere An Dear Creations
(including the rose painting in the lead photo!)

You’ll have to wait for Natasha to fill you in on our post-lunch shopping adventures and Chitsou’s negotiating know-know...

However, here’s a peek at one of our stops... Pearl River Trading, one of my favorite places to find unexpected treasures.
Its bargain-priced imports were a hit.

Later, that same day, while more than 130 million American were casting their votes, we had a quick drink in SoHo with photographer Dan Mayers.

My ‘Best of NYC’ excursion continued on the Lower East Side where Natasha and Jenn tasted hot dogs and sour pickles from Katz Delicatessen.

Then, it was on to Rupa and The April Fishes’ Election Night Extravaganza concert at Mercury Lounge.
The name April Fishes was inspired by the French term les poissons d'Avril, a similar concept to April Fools day.

I'm a big fan, so I hope you will check out their latest album and let me know what you think.

Rupa now has two new members of her fan club.

My friend Scott presented Rupa with a bouquet when the TV over the bar indicated that Barack Obama’s victory seemed certain.

Along with the many of New Yorkers, we took our celebrating onto the streets of New York.

We partied til the cows came home, and since there aren’t many cows in NYC...
We stayed up mighty late!