Pottery Studio tour

I mentioned earlier that Matt's cousin is a potter, and a very successful potter at that!  Ben and Lynette invited us over while we were in Utah and we had to take the kids and show them his amazing studio.  We first received the tour of his outside studio area.  It was truly amazing!  It was unique and oozed creativity.  Ben had a batch of pottery in the kiln which was cool to see.  He made every piece of pottery that covered the walls and columns.  He welds the iron for the "flower" yard decor and even welded the railing for his porch out of "junk" he found as he called it.  We just couldn't stop looking and inspecting everything.  

Then we had the tour of inside of his studio.  Very cool!  It was fun seeing where the "magic" takes place and where he works every day.  Ben says he "slings mud" for his job.  That is some might fine mud then!  We went upstairs to the "store" part of the studio and had fun looking at all the various pieces!  Small pieces, gigantic pieces, mobiles made from spoons, moose heads, "mud pies"-or quote plaques and small tiles to magnets.  He is also an author of four books.  I own all of them and LOVE them!  His first was a series set in a town called Neiderbipp.  His new book just came out in November and I am really enjoying it.  Check out Amazon for Discovering Isaac, Remembering Isaac, Becoming Isaac, and his new book Borrowing Fire. He autographed my copy of Borrowing Fire, yeah me!  ha ha  I love seeing his books on shelves along with his pottery.  The Forget-me-Not flower bowls and tiles were from this book series.  The kids were able to pick out a few of their favorite mini tiles with various phrases or designs as treasures.

We finally moved inside and oohed and awed at the amazing work they have done since they remodeled their home.  Artsy fartsy EVERYWHERE!  He had pottery tiles everywhere.  From the floor to the fireplace to the back plash of their counters and stove.  He also made bowls that were made into sinks in the bathroom as well as parts of his stairs.  Sculptures and vases were plentiful too.  I could have stayed for days trying to take it all in!  Our stay was too short and we wish we lived closer, they are so much fun to hang out with!  Drew was in heaven looking at all the different art and ways you can be an artist!  He loves to draw/sketch and he loved discovering all the fun things around!  It was a fun experience!  Thanks Ben, Lynette, Isaac and Eve for letting us hang out!