Manna Pottery is All Painted by Hand

Meet Rezgar Mamandi who hand paints the beautiful pottery and tiles you see in the photographs below.

Manna Pottery was at Shadyside.. the Arts Festival on Walnut Street on Saturday.

The pencil lines will burn away when fired
Close up detail -all hand painted by artist
The colors even more vibrant in person
The tiles can be made in any size
Vases, bowls, mugs, tiles, teapots, plates, lidded jars .
All beautiful.

Watch this YouTube video to see Rezgar Mamandi paint and glaze a ceramic plate for a wedding gift.

From the Artist’s brochure
About the artist

A Prancing Lamb

A vintage ceramic prancing lamb has been in my friend’s home at least fifty years and in her mother’s home long before that.

I visited my friend Tookie today to share our knitting projects progress and sit on her front porch.

We even talked about our gratitude for sheep and the wool they provide for our use. The. She showed me this vintage ceramic lamb. We checked it out on eBay to get more information on Kay Finch.

There’s a book by Mike Nickel about Kay Finch Ceramics going for $99.99 on eBay.

Kay Finchh “Kay Finch Ceramics were made in Corona Del Mar, California, from 1935 to 1963”

The Prancing Lamb by Kay Finch Ceramics
A close up
A faint mark on the underbelly

1984 Ceramic Pumpkin saved from the Trash

About 18 years ago Erika, my daughter-in -Law, was pitching this little ceramic pumpkin she had created in elementary school. They were cleaning out the basement. I said No, no no and took it out of the trash. “You have to save it and give it to your children, show your kids someday.” Well her eldest is 17 at the end of this week.

I found this in the back of my China closet. I can’t wait to give her daughter the little ceramic pumpkin her mom made circa 1984. Hoping it doesn’t end up in the trash again

And

Happy Sunday Birthday to Erika.❤️

Anticipation

Waiting. Patiently.

My granddaughter Anna made the beautiful flower covered ceramic art in her high school ceramics class. She gave it to me at Christmas. I put a glass jar inside to hold the stems in water.

The daffodils are from Ireland, but bought them at Trader Joe’s Monday afternoon.  I’m sure many will have opened up by morning.

Bringing Spring inside

Throwback Thursday Home Decor

Ceramic figurines seem to speak of yesteryear to me. People might have them in their homes but I wonder how recently they were purchased. Do people still buy these and put them on display? Dust them? I am fascinated by what people collect. Especially when I’m trying to pare down and reduce my “stuff”.

I’ve posted about Hummels and Lladros before. You’ve seen my Royal Doulton Beatrix Potter figurines and ceramic rabbits who knit. Perhaps you’ve inherited a ceramic figurine from a relative who has passed. One thing I know is this-my own grown up children don’t want any of the porcelain or China things I have in my glass door cupboards.

One this large can’t be classified a tchotchke, can it? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tchotchke)

Urban dictionary says “look around your home and see what a robber probably would not steal.”

Liberty Avenue Window Display

Mac ‘n Berries by Lexi V.

Mac ‘n Berries by Lexi V.

I saw it in on a shelf in the glass door built-in cupboards this morning.  Finally  putting away some special dishes the grandkids had used their last visit.

The Mac ‘n Berries  tag on the bottom reminded me of the creator Lexi V.

I bought it from a former photography class student who took ceramics as well.

So I set a place for it on the dining room table, took a picture and cheered myself.

Celebrating Life as a Clay Artist

“I’m Celebrating Life as a Clay Artist.”   Bernie Pintar

Meet Bernie Pintar.

Today  I went to see him in the Sculpture Studio in the basement of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. 

He graciously agreed to be in my People at Work Series.

Originally from East Pittsburgh, he’s a 1972 graduate of the Ivy School of Professional Art which was a six story building in downtown Pittsburgh Market Square ( no longer there)-  I looked it up and saw that Artist Activist Keith Haring went there, too.

And here is the amazing part of Bernie’s story- He started in clay in 2009.  WOW!

img_1183

img_1227

IMG_0988.JPG

img_3905A tribute to Cecil the Lion

River Styx Cruise and Detail

img_3909img_3910img_3914img_3932

So here is how Bernie packages his stunning ceramic artwork-

he has “nests” for them and see where it says HEAD?  He learned how to package his artwork like the Television Repairman who used to come fix his mother’s Zenith- Frank G. smelled like mothballs he remembers

He’d come with a box and say “I have the tube for your set.” and it was in a box with handles, just the way Bernie now makes his carriers.  That’s where he learned that method. Frank G the TV repairman.

img_1031

 Dragon Peacock Teapot

An entry for the International Invitational Teapot show at Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery in Shadyside  April 9- May 29th 2017

 

The Piece below is titled Da Burgh

an entry for upcoming Pittsburgh Society of Artists- da Burgh Show to be held at the FrameHouse and Jask Gallery in Lawrenceville Friday June 9- Friday June 30, 2017

img_3937

That tiny piece that looks like wire or spaghetti?  It is CLAYimg_3938img_3939img_3940

Everything on the sculpture moves

img_0924

img_1028

Da Burgh

from a different angle

img_1071img_0909

 

img_1086

 

Below- a bisque ware piece. What it looks like before the glaze-

img_3948img_3952img_3960

Here’s another quote from Bernie

“I don’t go to bed to sleep anymore…..I go to dream.” He shared with me that Transcendental Meditation saved his life.

 

Artist’s Choice Show Opening at Panza Gallery

Pittsburgh Society of Artists

Artist’s Choice Show Opening at Panza Gallery in Millvale PA

At Panza Gallery Saturday night.  What a crowd!

IMG_5552

It’s good to get out.  Steve went with  me.

I volunteered to photograph the event which was a great way to meet the artists and art appreciators who attended.  I am posting just a few now.

 

 

Our host Mark Panza

IMG_3104

IMG_3101

IMG_3003

Patty Hill

IMG_3053Marian Phillips

IMG_3008

IMG_3085

A few of the artists with their work

IMG_3023The mayor of Millvale, Vincent Cinski, with his wife, the First Lady of Millvale

Me

Meet Rodney Burrell- Editor-in-Chief of LOCAL-Pittsburgh and arts/pgh LOCAL

 

IMG_3025Meet Brian Crawford  The River’s Edge  Station Manager “serving the communities along the Allegheny River”

IMG_3126Tony Cavalline and Carol Skinger

IMG_3143Jennifer Panza

Love that purse you got in Wisconsin!

(If I missed anybody’s proper spelling of name, let me know)