A couple of weeks back I went to the Clayfolk Pottery show & sale at the Medford Armory. With free admission, dozens upon dozens of local artists, inexpensive and fabulous work to purchase, along with an agenda filled with artists teaching you their tricks while doing so, you cannot go wrong. This year was my 4th year in a row attending Clayfolk. It is so much fun to speak with the artists about where they get their inspirations, how they do it, and where to find them next. This is a world I wish I would have discovered much sooner. Year after year the same artists and consumers come back, but every year there is always more. This time around, I embraced a new favorite couple from Grants Pass. I adore their pottery, with blazing blues and greens of deep, rich tones. I found myself admiring their work and perusing other areas of the show, yet continually coming back to the same spot. I started with a small dish, which went to four small dishes, then an appetizer plate was added (shaped like a fish I might add), then a set of bowls and salad plates, and I finally added an olive boat. Jerry and Shirley Huft of Pig Pen Pots ended up with an $80 sale from me. But let me tell you…it is by far the best purchase I have made so far for both beauty and practicality. With under $100 I managed to buy a whole set for two. In fact, I loved their work so much I contacted them when I got to work Monday morning to see if they would be interested in having a spot for their work in the RCC/SOU Higher Education Center’s display case. Fortunately for both of us, they did. You can now view their work at 101. S. Bartlett St in Medford until the end of January.

Little did I know, the other artist I secured from Clayfolk for the second section of the display case was their best friend. Nina Fernstrom-Duong of Happy Raku Fish has an excellent collection of hanging fish (from string) with all different facial expressions. This artist is from Junction City, OR. I have also noticed her work year after year at Clayfolk. When Jerry and Shirley saw who the other artist was going to be in which they shared the case, they were simply tickled with pleasure. To be honest, I was more than delighted when I discovered this. The last thing I wanted to do was reach out to artists in order to help their sales and networking, and step on toes along the way. You can view both on www.clayfolk.org and browse the others while you are there. Lastly, I have to mention Cheryl Weese of Red Bird Pottery, located on the South Umpqua River. Her focus is in cartoon like, wild women faces. A must see!

You can view pictures on our Travel Southern Oregon Facebook page, in the album: Travel Southern Oregon

 

—Bonnie Ryan

SOVA

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