Covidian decor

At the beginning of May I decided if we were going to be spending more time at home I wanted to make the space look and feel fresh. So one day while Mark was in the country shooting photos, I rearranged the living room furniture. I put the couch perpendicular to the big window wall so I could enjoy views of the garden all summer. It had been parallel to that wall and facing the fireplace. I rolled up the rug that is usually under our glass topped coffee table to make the space feel even airier.

When Mark came home, he approved of the changes but said it was his turn now. He would replace the art on the wall that his reading chair faces and redo the tabletop display in front of that same wall. He printed three of the scenes from his day in the country, popped them into frames and put them on the wall. 

Then he set up a display of our collection of tea pots, most of which are rarely all out at the same time.

Though teapots are one of the most inventive forms potters create, we've limited ourselves to this small grouping.

An antique Japanese version in iron with a bronze lid, that caught Mark's eye, is last addition to our little group.

The first teapot I ever bought, back in the 1980s, at the Potter's Wheel gallery in Door County. The artist is Polly Whitcomb.

This one is by Bill Farrell of Galena, Illinois. Bill is one of our favorite artists; we have quite a number of his works from tea bowls to sculptural containers.

This beautiful example is by Tony Gebauer of TR Pottery in Fish Creek, Door County, Wisconsin. 

A raku pot, also from a gallery in Door Country, by Lou Ann Lewis.

A pot that pours perfectly by Mark Skudlarek of Cambridge Woodfired Pottery outside of Madison. We own untold numbers of useful and beautiful items made by Mark. All but one or two of the big pots in our garden are also his work. 

This porcelain charmer is by Dolores Fortuna of Galena, who currently shows her work at Abel Contemporary Gallery in Stoughton. We bought this one on a visit to Dolores' studio. It did not yet have a handle and she offered us a number of options. We could not resist the idea of a teapot with a barbed wire grip. 

This weekend we are going to repaint our bedroom from deep yellow ochre to a shade of gray. All the art will be replaced. Mark's large, gilt framed abstract painting from his college days will move from the bedroom to the wall behind the teapots. So this space is due to change again as well. 

Comments

[Kristin]

I love seeing your art! You both have such wonderful taste and so many beautiful things. Thank you for sharing them with us.

[Kris P]

That's a wonderful use of your time in pandemic confinement! I love your teapot collection - each piece is uniquely fantastic.

[Barbara H.]

What a lovely collection of tea pots but I would expect no less of any collection you have. Each is beautiful and unique.

[danger garden]

Thanks for the close-ups of each one of them... true works of art!

[Susie]

Awesome display and awesome response to being confined to home.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

I have this overwhelming urge to have another cup of tea.
Great collection of pots and of course the photos are great.

[Christine]

Bravo! Will you come do my house next? You brought back such good memories of when I worked in Door County. Not as many potters in those days but I do remember the work of Abe Cohn and Kash Yamada.

[Linda Brazill]

Christine — For years a friend and I always took an art class at the Peninsula Art School.  We drew and painted until lunchtime, then went shopping and gallery hopping. The read after dinner. Magical days. And when one is on vacation, there are always little art treats one must take home.