Chelsea Makes me Smile

When my daughter was just a little girl, she drew this picture of our dog. It was a simple drawing, and in the drawing the dog sat, sort of all-to-one side like dogs do, on the lower right hand corner of a large sheet of construction paper. The rest of the paper was blank.
Somehow she had captured the essence of a sitting dog just perfectly, I thought. So, I made sure I kept that drawing.

Chelsea's a senior at UNCA now, majoring in Spanish and Art. She's applying to get her BFA this year. On Thursday, my oldest son, Wil, and I drove a couch and dining room set up to her boyfriend, Adam, who's majoring in Political Science at UNCA. While I was there I got a chance to peak into Chelsea's pottery studio space and take a few pictures of a couple of her latest pieces. She's been working on bowls and plates.

A pair of small plates that belong together

A small plate and bowl from the anagama firing

Chelsea's lobster apron

I'm very proud of my daughter.

I went to the bank the other day and the teller asked me if I didn't have a daughter in school at UNC Asheville. I said yes, and she said she saw in the local newspaper (The Courier Tribune) that she had made the Dean's List. I believe she's made the Dean's List every semester except one.

When I was setting up a new studio space at Wild Rose Pottery back in the early 1990s, I had Chelsea decorate some bats I was making to throw plates and bowls. I still enjoy those bats. There's probably 12 or so with her decorations: a whale, what looks like a flag, "her" lyrics to a song from Lion King, sun and moon, etc.

I've probably got nearly a hundred bats, so Chelsea's decorations slip in every now and then as I'm working. I'll slam another bat down and turn the wheel on, and when I give it a wipe with my wet sponge, they always make me smile.

She signed this one, Chelsea, '95.

Thanks, Chelsea.

Love,
Dad