CATS AND YOU AND ME

 I love Susan Halls quirky animals. She manages to capture the essence of the animal in her ceramic pieces. See Susan's website here  and Youtube video here

CATS AND YOU AND ME by Charles Bukowski 

about
our argument tonight
whatever it was
about
and no matter
how unhappy
it made us
feel
remember that
there is a 
cat
somewhere
adjusting to the
space of itself
with a delightful
grace

in other words
magic persists
without us
no matter what
we may try to do
to spoil it.

Read the whole poem, Cats and you and me by Charles Bukowski here

By Valerie Davide. See more here

By Valerie Davide. See more of Valerie's delightful animal sketches here.

Ceramic cat by Leza McVey. See more here

 Cat by Leza McVey

 "I know. I know.
they are limited, have different
needs and 
concerns.

but I watch and learn from them.
I like the little they know,
which is so
much."   
 -  Charles Bukowski (Read whole poem here)

 I couldn't resist this typical cat moment by HISSKISS. 

For more cat magic have a look at Mo's enchanting Illuminated Book of Cats, here.

ON THE TABLE

On the table ....

or on the shelf ....

or any surface ....

preferably scrubbed wood

in a kitchen ...

in the studio ....

in the homes of artists.

Catherine White's blog held me captive for days and nobody could get any sense out of me until I had finished reading it from one end to the other. I love the way Catherine writes and thinks. I love her ceramics and the way she photographs pieces against hand painted backdrops. And I love her choice of poetry and excerpts from the books she reads.

"Sometimes when asked how I chose to make pots I jokingly say that in a household of artists the only space left to express myself was the table. The family dinner table was the place of sit down meals, jokes, shaggy dog stories, limericks. Grandfather White's round robin letters were read aloud and our day-to-day adventures recounted. While conversations whirled around me, I studied the flowers, the pitcher, the sugar pot and the coffee cup, often imagining them with cartoonish variations." - Catherine White

The three images above are all Catherine White's. Visit her blog here.

"My dream, was to make an evocative setting of plates, some cups and a teapot to nourish my friends and to fill the table with pottery" - Catherine White

I can't resist weathered or scrubbed wooden surfaces. Perfect for Watanabe Takayuki's ceramic pieces. Photo credit: Nazara Lazaro. See Watanabe's website here.

More of Watanabe Takayuki's work. Photo credit: Nazara Lazaro

An old favourite of mine, Elaine Pamphilon's paintings. See more at her website here.
Elaine Pamphilon
Elaine Pamphilon
On Tim Johnson's work table. See Tim's website here.

Elizabeth Bunsen's tables are always laden with inspiring, arty things. See Elizabeth's blog here.

Stephen Croeser's work table. See Stephen's work here.

I love this image of African carvings which I found on Pinterest. I would love to give credit to the photographer if anyone knows anything about it.

Link to my Pinterest board, On The Table, here.