Selling & Staging Ceramics

 Bill has these pieces at 1 Sidney Place, Brooklyn Heights, NY; now on the market for $22.5 million.

Six of Bill's Garden pieces; Seats, Stools and/or Tables, are now staging the renovation of 1 Sidney Place, Brooklyn Heights, NY. Lyndsay Caleo Karol of "The Brooklyn Home Company" has purchased most of the pieces for their largest; elaborate reno to date. Alex & family were able to attend the Open House as they live nearby.

The house was immediately in contract! "This historic townhouse set for second highest Brooklyn sale."

Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within

 Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within

March 20 2024 - July 28 2024

Bill's ceramic mentor, professor at Princeton University for whom he apprenticed two years; introducing us and Bill continuing to fire her kilns and demonstrate coil building for university classes while our sons were small, is now having an astonishing exhibit at the Noguchi Museum featuring about 200 pieces of her art.

Last year, one of Toshiko Takaezu's Moon Pots sold for $541,800.

Bill & I brought back these Guatamalen hammocks in the 70's for Moon Pots to be displayed in.

The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum has assembled a major nationally touring retrospective and largest ceramic monograph (Yale University Press) centered on Toshiko Takaezu's life. It is organized by The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum with assistance from the Toshiko Takaezu Foundation and the Takaezu family with works from private and public collections around the country. 

The opening we attended was packed followed by a dinner for over 100 apprentices, artists, friends & family celebrating her consumate artistic lifestyle and ethics which were embraced by all and well ahead of her time. A concurrent dinner featuring her monograph for donors and organizers was also held.

A bronzed bell in the Noguchi Garden Museum. Princeton University has a large one on campus.

All astonishing!

Tile Trivet

White hydrangeas on one of Bill's lovely tile tops we use as a large trivet. 

Black framed & beautiful.

One of Bill's "Garden Stones" on Leif's porch. Nice place to see & sit on real art, feel it and deal with your shoes.

Caryatid Sculptures

Bill has two new "Caryatid" Sculptures fired in a very hot glaze fire which gave them a tinge of warmer; deeper colors. These sculptures add to a series of seven. 

Faucet Find

Leif has used an extra faucet I had and his studio cabinet is finished. It was installed with the sink before the counter, and a P-trap constructed when all was secured in place.

Marine paint around the faucet base helps elongate the bar sink and protect the counter; installed with Liquid Nails, small wood blocks & screws, and silcone. Total cost: $420.

Wall mounted tall cabinet for art supplies, being built next to it with modern legs: $240.

Track lighting: $165. Done (the wall opposite is half glass).

LED Lights

Leif has been switching all of his house lights and most recently old flourescent tube lights to LED lighting. He choose "toggled" 4' & 3' 3000K LED T8 strip lights ordered from Home Depot for $60 total, to cover 24' over 6 sliding glass doors. They are the warmest type and will have walnut board baffles remounted in front. Next will be a dimmer switch added and WAC track lights matching the kitchen, attached to large ceiling beams here.

Whitewashing A Butcher Block Countertop

This butcher block was white washed with one coat of thinned paint & sealed with poly.

To whitewash our butcher block I used half Benjamin Moore White Ceiling paint (has more white pigment) and half water applied in sections. It was lightly wiped off with a cotton cloth minutes after application. A piece of 1" X 4" clear pine board was also cut and whitewashed for the backsplash. Three coats of "Varathane Triple Thick Waterbased Polyurethane" in a clear matte finish was used to seal the counter on all sides, using a 320 grit hand block between coats. Finally Bill added 1/2" furring strips to the counter back to gain depth. A good studio counter. 

The faucet area of the counter was taped off and painted "White Dove" marine paint.

First, this birch butcher block was cut to 23" deep with a skill saw (new blade) and thin; long piece of finish-edged sheetrock clamped down as a "fence". The sink hole had 4; 1/2" holes drilled at the corners with skill saw cuts between, and a hand saw finished the cut-out. A plane and sandpaper were used on the edges to soften them and the counter sanded with 220 grit.

Leanne Ford "whitewashes" (like this) and anything with anything. Photo Amy Neunsinger.

Photos: pinterest.