Seattle Vacation: Part 1 - July 6 & 7, 2018

I have been looking forward to this trip to Seattle for months. The last vacation Matt and I took was to St. Croix in 2015. Before that, we made the trip to California in 2013. Obviously, we don't get to make trips as frequently as I'd like.

Scott and Robby's wedding is July 15 on Orcas Island, so we decided to take advantage of the trip and make it into a real vacation.

After multiple delayed flights that eventually led us to change airlines (you know things are bad when customer service offers to get you on a flight with an entirely different airline and pays the difference for you), we made it to Seattle. We lost a day of our trip, but because of the time of the new flight, we had enough energy to go straight into sightseeing.

Our first Airbnb was in Alki, which is southwest of downtown Seattle and offers gorgeous beach views and parks. This turned out to be the perfect start to our vacation because it was calm and quiet, without the stress of the city. We grabbed lunch at a little Thai place, then walked around Schmitz Preserve Park. We drove around the area and stopped for pictures of the skyline, then headed to Lincoln Park for some more light hiking.

Schmitz Preserve

We found a gator at Schmitz Preserve!

Our first view of the skyline. Spot the Space Needle!

Liocoln Park

We had dinner on Alki beach at Blue Moon Burgers. I was already loving how many gluten free options the area had to offer!

On July 7, we had breakfast at Bird on a Wire - I had an amazing GF coffeecake and took a piece of banana bread for later - and then made our way back to Lincoln Park to check out the driftwood "sculptures" we'd heard about.

I got some "light" running in.

Afterward, we went to the SAM and the Olympic Statue Garden. There were two things on my must-do list in Seattle, and the art museum was one of them, so I was really glad to spend some quality hours there. The exhibits were awesomely multicultural, and featured lots of art from First Peoples of Washington and the Pacific Northwest, female artists, and artists of color and various sexual orientations. (See SAM highlight on Instagram.)

I discovered a new favorite artist, Anselm Kiefer! Here is one of his pieces:

Click here for more about this piece.

From the Olympic Statue Garden, we headed out to Snoqualmie Falls, then grabbed dinner at Cactus on Alki beach. My friend Emily recommended it because of their jalapeño margarita, and it was well worth it!

These first few days of vacation were relaxing and reawakened my love of nature. I told Matt that I had forgotten how much I loved hiking and being outside as a kid growing up in Ohio, but once we moved to Florida I really lost that. I hate being outside; I don't like the beach and Florida is ugly, flat, hot, and sticky. Being surrounded by green trees and cool breezes again, I felt this little knot inside open up. I felt reconnected with the person I once was. It felt a bit like coming home.

It is a shame, though, that so many must-see spots in Washington are shrouded in the dark history of colonialism. Snoqualmie, for example, is a sacred place for the Snoqualmie people, but some white guy decided to build a power plant there in the 1890s, utilizing the physical power of the falls and ignoring the important spiritual power the area held for its original denizens.

The many placards around the falls itself barely mention this, simply saying that despite the importance of the falls to the tribe, Baker had a "bigger vision" for what the falls could be. It's so ridiculously whitewashed.

As you notice the various Native names of places throughout Washington, you start to realize just how much of this land was stolen and repurposed in the name of colonialism. (When I talk about our hike up Tacoma [Rainier] I'll touch on this more.)

Coming up: our side-trip to Vancouver!

ABK

Art Night at the Cottages

Matt's studio is in a gorgeous park; his is one of six artist cottages set up along the river, but they're not close to the road and don't get lots of foot traffic. During Art Fest, we constantly hear, "I've lived here for decades and had no idea these existed!" It doesn't help that most of the cottages had been empty for quite awhile before Matt moved in and started Upriver Ceramics.

So, in an attempt to get the word out, Matt and his fellow artists have started a monthly Art Night where the cottages will stay open late. They invite guest artists to come set up as well. This Tuesday was their first "event." We weren't expecting a huge turnout because this was a new endeavor, but we were happily surprised!

People came in waves throughout the evening to check out the various artists.

Some of the crowd outside Matt's studio.

Steve had a presentation going with some of his bigger pieces; I LOVE the lamps made of pieces of real mangrove roots.

John worked on a painting in full view of our guests.

Around 7:30 I walked over the bridge to pick up tacos for everyone - there's an authentic Mexican restaurant that sells $1 street tacos on Tuesdays, so it's pretty perfect that Art Night is going to be on a Tuesday each month.

Quick side story: When I got to the front of the line to order, the young man did a little double take and then broke out into a huge grin. "I think you were my teacher!" I immediately recognized him - he was my student 7 or 8 years ago, in my first or second year teaching! He gave me a big hug and pointed out his mom, who was working on filling orders. It turns out his family owns the restaurant!

Mm, nothing tastes better than food grilled outside!

Anyway, by the time I got back around 8:30 (taco night was slammed!) the artists were cleaning up. We ate our tacos and then called it a night. I don't usually stay out so late on work nights, but it was worth it.

I'm so excited that this first night was a success! Matt sold a couple pieces, including my favorite, "Forbidden Fruit."

Remember this piece? Well, it went to a good home.

I think this will be a great tradition the artists are starting, and I hope it only continues to grow.

ABK

Now I Actually Feel Old

This year, Matt pulled out all the stops and really surprised me for Valentine's Day and my birthday. I was impressed when he chose a restaurant and made reservations in advance for Valentine's Day - usually we go back and forth and can't make a decision, and we end up waiting for a table once we finally decide - but little did I know he had a bigger surprise up his sleeve.

I spent some of the evening kind of teasing him for making me drive to meet him for dinner (he was working at the studio) and for not brushing his hair to my satisfaction (yes, I am annoying). I gave him points for the reservation and changing into nice clothes; he even wore a pink shirt so he was very festive.

"You're earning a C+ right now," I told him.

When we got home from dinner, though, he quickly proved me wrong. I wasn't expecting an actual gift; we really don't do much more than dinner and cards on Valentine's Day. When I opened the watercolor print he'd gotten me, I was so surprised and touched that I started to cry.

"And you thought I earned a C," he smirked.

Matt had remembered how much I liked my lemon painting last year and when he was working at the art festival one day, he searched around to find something he knew I'd love. He surprised me with one print on Valentine's Day and a second on my birthday (which is the day after).

He picked out one of my favorite poems for the second watercolor; how did he know?!

He went out of his way to have them framed, too, and finally framed my lemons!

We hung them in the dining room.

Getting art as a gift had the weird effect of making me feel old, but in a good way. Mature. Most of our art up to this point has been pieces my parents had retired from their house; I love the Chagall print and other paintings we've gotten from them, but it feels really good to have art that is specifically ours. And I love that Matt knows me so well that he picked out literally the perfect pieces for me.

Now...I wonder how I'll top this for his birthday in August!

I couldn't finish this Valentine's Day/birthday recap without talking about my 7:15am birthday party! Stacey (our art teacher) told Elizabeth and me to come to her room before buses arrived. There we were greeted by a special little birthday party, complete with gluten free brownies and party hats!

We "blew out" some unlit candles because of fire codes.

I guess if there's any cure for feeling old on your birthday, it's acting like a child.

Do you like to collect art?
What is the most special gift you've received?
How did you celebrate your last birthday?

ABK

Art Festival Weekends

Our city (and the neighboring cities) have art festivals a few times a year. They're really fun and draw huge crowds. Artists travel from all over the world to put up tents for the weekend and sell their art. Matt has volunteered with the judges of these events for a few years now, but this is the first year he's shown his work like this.

As a permanent artist at this particular Art Festival location, he has the benefit of opening his studio and selling his work without having to travel.

Matt on the first day of the January Art Festival! This was before we figured out how many pieces to display outside.

There are three art weekends throughout season (in January, February, and March). January's was quite the experience; it was fun to show off Matt's work and sell some pieces. We learned about setting up to draw in customers, selling and wrapping up pieces, appropriate pricing, etc.

We soon learned that displaying 80% of his work outside and having him work on the wheel the entire time is the best way to draw crowds.

February's Art Festival was even better because we had a lot of family come in! My parents drove down and attended with my aunt and uncle, and my sister drove up to stay with us Friday and spent all day Saturday with us. Matt's mom drove down with a friend, too, so we had lots of good support.

The fam!

He's actually a really good teacher and Steph has some natural talent - her bowl turned out nicely!

My birthday is today, so mom and dad brought my gift when they came on Saturday. How pretty is this necklace?!

I took the photos and created the collage in the background; I was surprised by how many people really took the time to look at it and learn about the process of trimming this particular type of bowl.

Another perk of being a permanent artist on location is that Matt can continue to work while the studio is open. This means I do a lot of the talking/selling while he works, but when he works on the wheel he certainly draws crowds, and there's the added benefit that he's not losing any working time while the show is going on.

Matt is barely visible through these little crowds of interested spectators.

I'm looking forward to March's festival. Although it makes the weekend long and a bit exhausting - and the week leading up to it is hectic because Matt is always trying to get one last batch of work done in the kiln - these shows are a fantastic way to get exposure and see all his hard work pay off. I get a little thrill every time someone wants to buy something.

Matt literally pulled two all-nighters the week leading up to the festival just to finish, fire, glaze, and fire again one final batch of work.

It might sound weird, but I really enjoy carefully wrapping up the piece, putting it in a bag, and dropping a business card in. It's like we're running a little boutique; each piece we sell is completely unique and 100% handmade. I just love seeing people appreciate the talent and work that goes into it.

Right now, Matt's working on updating his Etsy shop to show all his new pieces, including some unique necklace pendants I tried on throughout the weekend.

One thing I've learned is not to be personally affronted when someone doesn't like Matt's work. I know that everyone has different tastes and sometimes certain styles just don't speak to you! I've heard people compare his work to Alice in Wonderland and Dr. Seuss, which is definitely accurate for some pieces. If that's not the look they're going for, they won't buy anything, but that doesn't mean they don't appreciate the skill involved, so I've learned to be okay with it!

Actually, that's helped me feel a little more confident in my writing; I've always been nervous to share with people, but now I realize that tastes differ and you can't force someone to like something that's just not them.

Does your city support the arts?
Do you like to collect any kind of art?
PS: It's my birthday today! I have no idea how I'm celebrating haha! But, it's also my mom's birthday, so feel free to wish her a happy birthday in the comments!

ABK

Seriously Proud

When I first met Matt, there were a few things that made him stand out from other fraternity bros I'd come across at Stetson. One was his super cool 1968 Chevelle...the other was the fact that he was an artist.

Despite being a writer, I'd never actually dated anyone who was also into any kind of creative outlet, and I was immediately drawn to the fact that Matt was. I loved that we could connect on that artistic level, and I was in awe of the fact that he could envision a piece, draw it, and then execute it.

Matt creating "The Oasis" in Ki Woon's studio.

The final product.

He was majoring in marketing so that he could hopefully someday market himself as an artist; the ceramics professor at Stetson didn't have anything to teach him because his skill had surpassed what instruction Stetson could provide (thanks to studying under a Korean master potter in high school).

(This short video features Matt's guide, Ki Woon Huh.)

After we graduated, the economy was in the pits so Matt started his own business, but we've always kept an eye open for a chance for him to get back to ceramics. In the meantime, Matt worked with the local art league whenever possible; his love of art has never faded.

In 2011, one of Matt's pieces, "Smoldering", was accepted into a local art exhibit.

The opportunity to open a studio and gallery finally came around when a local artists' cottage became available nearby. Matt applied alongside dozens of others for the cottage, and the city chose him from among all the applicants! Now, he'll be able to work on his art and give back to the community on a regular basis.

Kickstarter doesn't allow its campaigns to raise money for charitable causes, but after Matt's campaign ends, he'll be donating proceeds from all subsequent sales of his water-drop pieces (which are completely rounded on the bottom and meant to be hung) to support water conservation efforts in Florida.

"Dream Filter"

This is one of my favorites. It's called "Self Portrait."

Matt hand carves every cutout and groove in his pieces. Here's a great picture of the detail-work on "Realizing Dreams".

Because he works with ceramics, Matt needs all kinds of supplies and equipment other artists may not need. He'll need a kiln, a slab-roller, and a throwing wheel at the very least, not to mention the actual porcelain and glazes.

Matt has started a Kickstarter to help him get his gallery set up and running. Those who donate will receive a custom-made ceramic piece. If you're feeling philanthropic (or just love ceramics), please consider donating to his studio!

Click here to watch the video and view his Kickstarter page.

And of course, if you know anyone who would want to help a young artist make his big break, please pass along his Kickstarter link! We're trying to raise publicity as much as funds.

Matt's extremely talented and this is his passion; I'm so proud of him for taking the risk and going for it. It's not an easy thing to do, but I have a good feeling that this is really meant to happen for him!

What's your favorite kind of art?
Do you or your SO have a special talent?

ABK