Pottery Treasures

I didn't really mean to take a week off from blogging... it just kind of happened.  So maybe I'll try to catch up a bit.  Let me introduce you to a marvelous potter I met today.  Her name is Mary Tuttle and now I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo of this vibrant creature, she was SO fun!  She is from Buffalo Gap, VA.  I'd met her work a while back, fell in love nearly instantly.  I had no intention of buying anything, I was just scouting out a shop to see what the product mix was when I stumbled upon pottery done in colors that made me happy.  Anyone who knows me will be able to affirm that color is indeed the truest love of my life.  Before I knew it I was buying these:

This adorable little weed vase... which prompted a quick walk around my yard and the golf course next door for a few weeds, etc...

Buttercups are oddly pleasing... for a weed!

And this little bitty pitcher, it's got little dents on each side for perfect pouring.  Oh, it pleases me!

I've thought it might be nice to have a spoon rest for years.  Order appeals to me but I never found one that was remotely aesthetically pleasing until I saw this one:

And it is perfect for holding my favorite stirring spoons!

So these three pieces were my impulse purchase a while back.

Imagine my delight when I wandered into a booth at "Art in the Park" and found the same work... and thus... the artist her fine self!  Tickle me PINK!

That's how this little wall vase came to be mine... (perfect home for small measuring spoons!

And this one is perfect for my nutmeg grater!  I told Mary I love pottery but don't collect much because many potters work in such somber earthy colors.  She laughed and said if something comes out of her kiln in a somber color it's a mistake!  Is it any wonder I kept shopping?!

A small mixing bowl with two pour spouts... and a little salsa bowl (which is actually sporting some blueberries at the moment.) 

 

I really like the two little pocket vases on the kitchen cabinets, and you can see the tiny little weed vase and pitcher on the window sill.  The bright reds/oranges and purples in the glazes works beautifully with all the other color in my kitchen.

Speaking of color, a friend of mine wrote this little blurb about me:

Carmen Rose, known for her passion for color, whether in glass painting and fusing, silk scarf dyeing, or art quilts, is going to splash OASIS gallery with a special exhibit. She has worked in many media, but an eye for color is her signature. 

It's not the first time I've been billed as having some sort of a special relationship with color, I guess sometimes I forget that not everyone loves color like I do. I think that's why the work of potter Mary Tuttle delights me so!  Mary doesn't have a website, facebook page or even a twitter account... she's a phone person.  (I hate phones!)  She spends her time in the studio.  And though I'd love to be able to go somewhere and look at photos of her work or drop her an email to say that it was nice to meet her... I think she's got her priorities right.  It's good to be reminded that the studio is still the place where art happens.  And who wouldn't want to play in the dirt for a living?!

Happy Creating

(And happy stumbling across cool artsy type people)

-Carmen Rose

Monday's Important Things

Part One: Goodness
Part Two: Knowledge
Part Three: Self-Control
Part Four: Perseverance
Part Five: Godliness

2 Peter 1:5-8
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

While we begin the maturity process by realizing there is more to life than ourselves, it takes a little while to put that into practice. But now, in the end of the process, we are back around to specifically focusing on others again. 

Brotherly kindness, the Greek word is philadelphia, is literally treating others as they are family. We extend the kindness to others that we would extend to family.

Another way of saying this might be: we extend our family.

I see the tennis team, throughout the years that I've been coaching especially, as one large brotherhood. You are all my little brothers. I want to see you succeed in tennis, my heart rises and sinks with your matches as it did when I watched my own brother compete. And I care about more than just tennis in your lives as well. I want to spare you from the heartbreak of bad decisions, support you through your worst times, and celebrate graduation with you. But I'll continue to follow your future success in college, whether playing tennis or not. I love to make contact with players I used to coach: Colin Yoder, Jordan Kauffman, Daniel Buschert, and others.

I hope that you will have this family attitude for those who have come before you, who will play with you, and who will play after you. I hope this year's seniors reach out to their little brothers, this year's freshman.

Tennis brings us together, but we will be a family. We will look over each other with kindness and concern.  We will be brothers.

Wednesday Opponent Overview

All Time Record vs. Taylor: 1-0

Classic Matches:

2009; Bethany Christian 4, Taylor 1
This is the only time we've played Taylor, and the doubles battles were great. It was especially rewarding to see Russell Klassen and Nick Rebec pull out a third set tiebreaker for a win at their position, while Kyle Miller and Austin Loucks downed a very athletic #1 doubles squad.

Top Players over the Years: We've only played once.

Last Season Result: Bethany Christian 4, Taylor 1

Returning Varsity Players:
#1S - Matt Brankle (lost to Seth Krabill; 3-6, 1-6)
#2S - Logan Barnes (lost to Ben Mast; 1-6, 1-6)
#3S - Drew Hansen (beat Blake Shetler; 6-4, 6-1)
#2D - Nathan Gotshall (lost to Russell Klassen/Nick Rebec; 7-6, 3-6, (7-10))

Top Returning JV Players:
We don't know, we didn't see their JV

Outlook: Taylor brings back as many varsity players as we do, but we were able to have success over most of them. The #3 singles spot will be a spot for us to measure ourselves against, to see how much we've improved. But hopefully this is a match where we can take advantage of the top of our lineup, and then gut out some wins at the lower spots. It will be important to make sure we are on top of our game when we play, because this tournament is a priority this year.

Wednesday Opponent Overview

All Time Record vs. Wabash: 0-1

Classic Matches:

2007; Wabash and Bethany Christian tie in Inaugural Wayne Tennis Invite
Both Wabash and Bethany easily dispatched opponents from FW Elmhurst and FW Wayne, and had split 4 positions between us headed into the last match of the day, the #2 doubles championship. Daniel Buschert and Matthew Amstutz won the first set, but fell in a second set tiebreaker and lost the third. We Wabash in points, but they took the trophy for winning 3 out of 5 against us.

2009; Wabash 3, Bethany Christian 2
This was a really great matchup, and it really came down to 2 great #2 singles players. Our #1 doubles played some of the best points they had all year, but couldn't beat a great team. Our #2 doubles definitely played their best, and won fairly easily. But it came down to a bad day for Ben Mast, as he dropped a third set tiebreak.

Top Players over the Years: Anthony Griffin, Frank Granger, Zach Sailors, Justin Middleton, Wesley Kosel, Ryan Richman , Ethan Powell

Last Season Result: Wabash 3, Bethany Christian 2

Returning Varsity Players:
#2S - Justin Middleton (beat Ben Mast; 2-6, 6-3, (10-8))
#2D - Trevor Patton/David Driscoll (lost to Russell Klassen/Nick Rebec; 3-6, 2-6)

Top Returning JV Players:
We don't know, we didn't see their JV

Outlook: It all depends on their JV. The #1 singles match should be pretty even, and the players they have returning from #2 doubles were good players who weren't having a great day. So they bring back strong varsity contributors. The match should be close. It all depends on something that we don't know, how strong will the rest of the team be? All this means for us is that we will need to be focused, because winning this match and this tournament is a definite goal this year.

Middle School Minute - vs. Westview

Last Thursday, the middle school club traveled to Westview for our last match of the season. We switched up the lineup a bit from our Saturday tournament, and things worked out well. We ended up winning the match 6-3.

There were many highlights of the match. Abe Thorne and Parth Patel formed a powerful and confident #1 doubles team. In the Angola tournament, #1 doubles had defeated this same team 8-6, but today, Abe and Parth won 8-1. And the result was rarely in doubt. Abe and Parth were a great mix of consistency and power, and played comfortably with one another. It was what a doubles match should be.

The other doubles positions played well too. Hans Miller and Jesse Amstutz were playing their first matches of the season, and pulled off an easy win. Landon Weldy teamed with Joseph Mumaw to get his first victory of the season. Justin Zehr also won his first and only match, with an impressive display of skill, especially his forehand skill!

In singles, Isaac Brenneman ran into a very good player, while Sol outlasted a powerful player by taking the net when available. Kyle Snyder only had the opportunity to play in this one match, and he took full advantage of that, winning quite handily. Joel Gerig played his first singles match well, but lost in the end.

It was a beautiful night, and a fun way to end the season. I look forward to seeing many of these players continue in the Bruin tennis program. Summer camps, summer lessons, high school team... I hope many will continue to enjoy the tennis that we offer! If you see them, compliment them on their work and encourage them to keep it going... for a lifetime.

Scores
#1S - Isaac Brenneman - 2-8
#2S - Sol Brenneman - 8-3
#3S - Kyle Snyder - 8-2
#4S - Joel Gerig - 5-8
#1D - Abe Thorne/Parth Patel - 8-1
#2D - Hans Miller/Jesse Amstutz - 8-0
#3D - Joseph Mumaw/Landon Weldy - 8-0
#4D - Brooke Hershberger/Liz DeLeeuw - 6-8
#5D - Justin Zehr/Neel Bhagat - 7-5

Maybe You've Noticed

That I have had trouble keeping up with posting the last couple of weeks. Well, it's the end of the school year, and I have a long list of things to do. Sorry. I know that many of you are heartbroken about the lack of traditions, numbers and cartoons. No worries, they will be back!

Hopefully something new this afternoon!

Delight in a Vase

Some weeds and things from the yard in this lovely little weed vase I picked up this week.  I had no intention of buying anything, I had gone into the shop just to scout it out... and I found this little bitty vase.  I ended up buying it and two other pieces that look like they were created just for me.  Isn't it lovely?!  I loves it!

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose

Why hello there!

I do love it when the critters visit me in my solitary work!

This handsome fella comes by, and sometimes his girlfriend visits.

I caught them smooching a while back, my friend told me later I should have told them to "get a tree!" =)

Yes, you are beautiful!

Happy Bird Watching,
-Carmen Rose

Jacob's Ladder Series Continued

The Jacob's Ladder series continues... this time turned on it's ear. This pair has been on the design wall a while but I've just finished up the one on the right. The other was in an earlier post.

I suppose I got a little carried away making "ladders" but they are a little like Pringles.  Can't make just one, can't eat just one... completely addictive!

I wrapped it around a 36 x 12 canvas that is about an inch deep. 

And I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

Put it together with some of the other quilts from the study and they seem happy together..

I have no idea what to title this one either, it's in the "Jacob's Ladder" series but turning it on it's side kind of changed the ladder into a slightly more architectural look.  

"Untitled in Blue"

hand dyed cotton, hand dyed white on whites and batik

fused and machine quilted

12 x 36

$450 framed

Happy Creating

-Carmen Rose 

Jacob's Ladder Quilt

Yeah, it's a theme with me right now... this "Jacob's ladder" imagery. I think it's safe to say that I'm on a "kick." This is one of the earliest ones, it's been on my design wall for a while.  

I quilted it up and stretched it over a 12 x 12 canvas.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

I love the piece of fabric on the right hand side.  It turned out with such neat color and texture.  And the fabrics are a combination of mostly hand dyed fabrics, some hand dyed white on the whites plus my favorite rich purple batik. 

"Jacob's Ladder in Blue"

Hand dyed cotton, white on white plus batik

Fused and machine quilted

12 x 12

$199 Framed

Happy Creating,

-Carmen Rose

Photo Shoot with Broken Pieces

I spent an evening with the men of the band "Broken Pieces" for a photo shoot. They are a neat group of guys, we had lots of fun on location. It was an overcast Sunday evening, the light seemed a bit unpredictable but I think we got some good shots anyway. I also liked what happened when I changed a few of them over to black and white. Which one do you think they will chose for their main photo? They've got choices.

These photos are taken at the Warf area of downtown Staunton.  There is a train station, and the train came by in the middle of the shoot, unfortunately one of the band members was on trapped on the other side or else I'd have photos of them in front of the moving train.  The location seemed to be a great fit and the guys had a natural sense of what to do in front of the camera.  I am pleased. 

one

Two:

Three:

Four:

Five:

Six:

Seven:

Eight

Nine

Ten:

Eleven:
The guys are: Jesse, lead singer & black guitar. Jeremiah, with the guitar the color of honey. Roy, longer hair, bass. Phil, drummer and La-Thon, sound guy. I'll drop by to hear them play one of these days, that sounds fun. Broken Pieces website.

Which one do you think they should choose?  Leave your vote in a comment.

Happy Creating (with some great music as well)

-Carmen Rose

Monday's Important Things

"behaving like God is the number one priority..."

Part One: Goodness
Part Two: Knowledge
Part Three: Self-Control
Part Four: Perseverance

2 Peter 1:5-8
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have considered the good of others, filled ourselves up with knowledge, controlled our actions as to follow through on what we've learned, and then persevered even when things get difficult.

And now we are to have godliness.

The word godliness comes come the Greek word eusebeia, which literally means reverence toward God. Reverence meaning to place as the number one priority. In other words, this "godliness" is that in all things, behaving like God is the number one priority.

This has many different applications to it. It has as many applications as there are characteristics of our Lord. For example, one of God's great characteristics is giving. Our Lord is eternally generous. Therefore, in all situations, we are to be generous and giving. For example, a JV player needs assistance on their serve. We are to be generous and giving with our time, stop and help them. For example, we are unsure of a line call. We are to be generous and giving to our opponent. For example, a teammate runs out of money for food at team camp, we are to be generous and giving with our help, and money, if possible.

God has more awesome characteristics as well. God is love. God is hope. God is peace. God acts on behalf of the weak. God speaks truth and honesty. These and more are part of the process of godliness, reflecting these values.

Hopefully, as we have gone through this maturity process, we have gained knowledge of what the Lord is like. Hopefully, as we have learned to control ourselves, these values and characteristics are things that we have learned to practice. Hopefully, as we have gone through trials and difficulties, these actions have been practiced even when not its not easy. Hopefully, then godliness is something that begins to flow naturally from us.

The more we get to know God, the more we practice his values with thought and intention, through the rough spots, then the more it becomes our character. We then become defined by godliness.

Christian simply means "little Christ." Each one of us bear that because of the school we have chosen. Let us be like Christ this season, as we learn to let the very nature of Christ define who we are and how we react.

Iris Quilt

I looked at a drawing I did ages ago and decided I wanted something to go with it

And this is what happened: 

I decided to put this one on a canvas stretcher as well as it was too big for any of my other frames.

The batik used for the background is all through the piece, so I think that's kind of cool.

Here they are together, the happy couple. 

The drawing is not for sale.  "Best Iris in Show" Bath County Art Show, I can't remember which year.

"Iris"

Hand dyed cotton, batik

Fused and machine quilted

12 x 12

$199

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose

Wednesday Opponent Overview

All Time Record vs. Bremen: 6-8

Classic Matches:

Bethany Christian 3, Bremen 2, 2005
In a match typical of the 2005 season, we won three positions with relative ease. But we dropped the other two in the same way. A team can be built on strength and do well, but it needs depth to truly be successful in trophies!

Bethany Christian 4, Bremen 1; 2006
A surprising result, as Bremen brought back more players than we did. We pulled out tight matches at #1 singles and #3 singles, only losing a very tight match at #2. This match was also one of the coldest I've ever coached at, where spectators and players not on the court were drinking hot chocolate to keep warm!

Top Players over the Years: Josh Kiefer, Josh Hueni, Jarryd Anglin, Marcus Manges, Brad Harrington, Joe Rallo, Blaine Maxson, Kyle Hudson, Thomas Manges, Mitch Cook

Last Season Result: Bethany Christian 3, Bremen 0

Returning Varsity Players:
#3S - Briley Bollenbacher (lost to Russell Klassen, 0-6, 4-6)
#1D - Mitch Cook/Thomas Manges (lost to Kyle Miller/Austin Loucks, 6-4, 1-6, 2-6)
#2D - Ty Holmes/Alex Overholser (tied Misha Rebec/Nick Rebec, 4-6, 6-7)

Top Returning JV Players:
Alex Fitch - lost to Claude Stickler, 2-8
Joey Zeltwanger - losing to Matt Ebersole, 1-7
Austin Huff
Brad Foster/Nate Strehler

Outlook:
Bremen brings back 5 of their players from last year, as do we. Assuming that they leave their doubles the same, that will be their strength. We will have our strength in singles, behind Seth and Ben. I assume that we will win the top 2 singles match-ups when we play the Lions, but beyond that, nothing is guaranteed. We return a couple of doubles players, but will have to play well to overtake these experienced teams. Most likely, both teams will have new players playing #3 singles, and it is possible that the result will come down to that match. Hopefully, we'll improve enough that it won't have to come down to just one spot.

Middle School Minute

This weekend, the MS team traveled to my home town of Angola to take part in the 1st annual Angola MS Invitational. We participated with Angola, Westview and Coldwater (MI). It was a beautiful day with perfect temperatures, and after a cold and rainy week, the sun came out on us.

The day was bright, and the tennis was pretty good too. Highlights included Isaac Brenneman defeated a stronger, taller, older player from Coldwater's team. Coldwater's team ended up winning the tournament by winning 6 of the 9 positions that were played. Isaac was the only one of our players to take down the powerhouse school in his position. I was very impressed by his consistent and persistent play in this match. It was right down to the wire, but he pulled it out.

Another highlight for the day was our #3 doubles team, the only ladies that were part of the tennis club this year. Brooke Hershberger and Liz DeLeeuw defeated Angola and Westview to earn a second place finish. That was all the more impressive considering they had only been able to come to one practice this spring due to the MS play!

I also enjoyed a myriad of other things about the day, the instruction and learning Parth got from playing #1 singles. The rapid improvement of Landon Weldy, and what a good match he gave his final opponent. Landon's closest match of the day was against the Coldwater player, losing 5-8. And the Coldwater player won his position!

The best points of the day were often on display at #1 doubles, where Sol Brenneman and Abe Thorne used there athleticism and quickness to attack the net and their opponents. Ethan Miller still has one of the best forehands on the team, and it was good to see him sprinting around the court in his matches. Bryan Nguyen also took second place, getting an 8-0 win over Angola in the process (along with a forfeit from Westview :-)

Cristian Romero found himself in many good matches at #3 singles, and it was good to see him make it through the day without falling asleep :-) Finally, I really enjoyed coaching Joel Gerig and Joseph Mumaw, because they listened to my advice and it worked. I love players who try to do the things they are coached to do, and Joseph and Joel did just that. They were excited and had fun on the court as well, which is what tennis is all about!

Thanks to those of you who participated, it was a lot of fun. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Scores

#1 Singles - Parth Patel
vs. Angola - 2-8
vs. Coldwater - 0-8
vs. Westview - 1-8

#2 Singles - Isaac Brenneman
vs. Angola - 0-8
vs. Coldwater - 8-6
vs. Westview - 8-1

#3 Singles - Cristian Romero
vs. Angola - 2-8
vs. Coldwater - 1-8
vs. Westview - 8-1

#4 Singles - Ethan Miller
vs. Angola - 0-8
vs. Coldwater - 3-8
vs. Westview - 8-4

#5 Singles - Landon Weldy
vs. Angola - 0-8
vs. Coldwater - 5-8
vs. Westview - 4-8

#6 Singles - Bryan Nguyen
vs. Angola - 8-0
vs. Coldwater - 3-8
vs. Westview - forfeit

#1 Doubles - Abe Thorne/Sol Brenneman
vs. Angola - 3-8
vs. Coldwater - 4-8
vs. Westview - 8-6

#2 Doubles - Joel Gerig/Joseph Mumaw
vs. Angola - 2-8
vs. Coldwater - 1-8
vs. Westview - 8-3

#3 Doubles - Brooke Hershberger/Liz DeLeeuw
vs. Angola - 8-6
vs. Coldwater - 2-8
vs. Westview - 8-1

Another Jacob's Ladder Study

This is another in the "Jacob's Ladder" series, except it just kinda went every which way.

I looked at it for a while trying to decide how to finish it and finally decided to work it on canvas stretchers.

 This is a gallery wrapped canvas, so it's about an inch and a half deep.

Now to decide what to call it.  

Suggestions?

"Untitled"

Hand dyed cotton and white on white, batik

fused and machine quilted

12 x 12 gallery canvas framed

$199

Happy Creating,
-Carmen Rose

Wednesday Opponent Overview

All Time Record vs. Fairfield: 4-12

Classic Matches:

2007; Bethany Christian 3, Fairfield 2
One of my favorite matches ever, as we turned a 5-0 loss into a 3-2 win only ten days later. We were able to play to our potential at #2 doubles, and took a two set win there. Buoyed by that win, Luke Hostetter and Jonny Shenk completed stunning three set comebacks to seal an unbelievable win.

2008; Bethany Christian 3, Fairfield 2
And in 2008, the Falcons almost did it to us. We won the regular season match 5-0, and then marched into the Sectionals (overconfident?) They were able to take #1 doubles and #3 singles, and held a 5-2 third set lead in #2 doubles before Mikey and Daniel had the most important comeback in my coaching career, roaring back to take the last set in a tiebreaker.

Top Players over the Years: Marc Stutzman, Justin Klase, Kyle Carrick, Brian Miller, Eric Miller, Anthony Miller, Kyle Miller, David Stutzman, Weston Bontrager, Wyatt Stutzman, Derek Troeger, Josh Beck

Last Season Result: Fairfield 4, Bethany Christian 1; Fairfield 4, Bethany Christian 1 - Sectional

Returning Varsity Players:
#1S - Wyatt Stutzman (beat Seth Krabill; 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 & 6-4, 6-2)
#2S - Malachi Randolph (lost to Ben Mast; 2-6, 0-6 & 3-6, 1-6)
#3S - Brad Shipley (beat Blake Shetler; 6-1, 6-2 & 6-2, 6-1)

Top Returning JV Players:
Josh Mullett (beat Matt Ebersole; 8-4)
Nate Kropf (beat Ike Lehman; 8-2)
Jordan Hochstetler (beat Ryan Minter; 8-2)
Josh Ketcham/Logan Munn (beat Claude Stickler/Misha Rebec; 8-5)
Austin Beer/Jake Walter (beat Jake Gerig/Evan Grimes)

Outlook:
Our intense Sectional matches over the last three years have come to make this a real rivalry. Like all true rivalries, I envy the success that Coach Filbrun has brought to their program year after year. It is what we are striving for. In our striving, we have to take them down in order to win the Sectional. The Falcons may be one of the best teams we will play next year. Their doubles will be a bit in flux, and much of our success against them will depend on the lower part of our lineup. Can we challenge them at #3 singles? Can we pull out both of the doubles victories? These are the tense questions going into next season, the ones that should be making us work. This is the match that we practice for, this is the match that we have to have. And it won't be easy.

Featured Artist Display May/June

I'm the featured artist at Oasis Gallery in Harrisonburg, Virginia for the months of May and June.  I've shown lots of pieces of the display, here's your chance to get back and take a look at the whole thing.

There are art quilts on the wall, some framed and some unframed.

Hanging on the wall I also have colorful hand dyed scarves in a variety of styles, cut velvet, cut satin and lovely silk scarves in a rich variety of colors.

And lots and lots of glazed art glass!

I'm pleased with how it all came together!

Happy Colors, Happy Creating,

Carmen Rose