Glassblowing - Michael Magyar

Michael Magyar's glass is found in restaurants (including Pearl in Wellfleet), the Cape Cod Hospital lobby, and the Sandwich Glass Museum. It may also be found in your kitchen cupboard, where his sea bubble line captures the color and movement of water in glassware.

Sea Bubble lager glass

We also love his ocean balls. Filled with Cape Cod sand and shells, it's like Cape Cod take-out.

When we visited his studio (click for images), he wasn't demonstrating glass blowing, so we came home and found it on video. We thought you might like it, too:

 

A Bowl to Hold

"The handmade object has a vitality of its own that no mass produced thing can duplicate.” 

- Beatrice Wood

What is it about handmade objects that is so appealing? We think it has to do with the maker. We hear time and again that a craftsperson made a certain thing because he or she wanted one. When you start from the point of wanting one yourself, your focus is on how to make it great, not how to make it profitable. Fortunately, great can be profitable, too.

Mea Rhee of Good Elephant makes pots that have a quiet vitality all their own - so we thought she'd be a good person to ask about what separates functional ware from functional ware you choose every day. There's something about the shape of her pots that makes them irresistible to pick up and hold.

"That factor is really important to me," Mea says of how a pot feels in your hands. "I think this is the difference between pots that are frequently used, and those that get shuffled to the back of a cupboard. I tweak my designs whenever I see some way to improve this. In particular, I like pots that have rounded bottoms with no foot ring, which fit in the cup of your hand. And they must be balanced for weight, i.e. not top-heavy or bottom-heavy. I also think my semi-matte glaze is really nice to touch."

We've found that people who make pottery use handmade pottery, and Mea is no exception. "I look for pots that specifically fit the types of food that I like to cook and eat," she says. "I drink lots of coffee so I buy large mugs. I eat a lot of rice dishes, so I look for bowls that will hold the amount of food I want. I look for the same qualities that I strive for in my own pots: weight, balance, and comfort."

When buying pottery, she cites a deep admiration for wood-fired pottery, especially when combined with highly functional forms and surfaces. "I mostly buy pots where the aesthetic qualities are in that [woodfired] spectrum, with natural color palettes, and lots of subtle surface textures, things that can only be achieved with a whole lot of practice and expertise."

Given her fondness for woodfired pottery, it's not surprising to learn that at one point Mea thought she needed to move to a rural area and build a fuel-burning kiln in order to be taken seriously as a potter. In 2007 she attended a trade show with wholesale buyers, who took her work seriously just as it is. That's where we found her! Over time she's learned "you don't have to go somewhere else in order to chase your dream. Build it where you are."

Good advice worth pondering over a big cup of coffee and bowl of rice.

Vacation Homes - bird style

We love these birdhouses by Cape artist Sal DeSantis! We have one made of wine boxes (above), a couple little cottages, some very elegant two-story dwellings and a couple that defy simple description. Take a look at the collection on our website, or stop by the gallery (25 Commercial Street, Wellfleet) to see them in person.

Sal is a Harwich Port resident. He has been pursuing his avocation in woodworking - especially designing and constructing birdhouses - for more than 35 years. His unique style offers a wide selection of hand made aviary structures featuring single and multiple dwellings suited for exterior or interior use. All houses are designed to accommodate specific species of songbirds including chickadees, titmice, sparrows, nut hatches and wrens to name a few. They are proven nesting houses. His goal is to provide an artistically pleasing structure that will enhance any garden and offer an environmentally friendly home to our feathered friends.

Imagine how happy your neighborhood birds would be.

Gifts under $50

What do all these things have in common? They're under $50 and ready to be gift wrapped! Beautiful gifts in every price range.

Flameware - everyday handmade

In preparation for a woodfire show, we asked some of our potter friends to comment on handmade vs. commercial pottery (which is like asking the choir to comment on elevator music). This is what Sequoia Miller had to say:

I find using industrial ceramics to be like having a conversation with a mute person. Handmade objects have a particular point of view that is a combination of the maker, the material, and the user. Using handmade anything simply gives you more to respond to. It’s like riding a horse versus driving a car, only much less inconvenient.

Bearing that in mind, meet Flameware, by Terry Silverman

I, for one, have some great serving pieces but am not a fan of making extra dirty dishes for everyday meals. Flameware is safe to put on the stove top and in the oven, so you can cook in it AND serve out of it.

There really is something about interacting with handmade items that makes life just a little more nourishing.

Flameware makes a coffee pot, baking pans, skillets, sauce pans, butter warmers and more. Check them out on our website and find them in the gallery on Commercial Street in Wellfleet.

It's like riding a horse, only less inconvenient.