Brenda George has a well-used "blooper bucket" for the practical recycling of failed experiments in clay. "I love seeing how far I can push this medium," Brenda said, and if someone tells her "you can't really do that with clay," all the more reason to find a means. From August 5th through the 29th, you can catch a selection of Brenda's pottery at the Blinking Light Art Gallery in her show titled And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon. There will be a reception for the artist on Sunday, August 15th from 2:00-5:00 pm.
Much of Brenda's work uses motifs from nature, but otherwise her pieces take exuberantly diverse artistic paths. Part of her collection features bowls, mugs, teapots and other tableware. These she differentiates with a variety of finishes. Some pieces have simple flowing glazes. Others have painted scenes or richly textured designs. As an outlet for her love of carving, she also makes decorative sculptures - some that cross true living forms with elements of enchanted beings. She has a colony of nodding ceramic mushrooms. She makes outsized, caress-able snails with shell designs not found in nature. Her most whimsical work may be her sculpted figures - both human and animal -- intended as toppers for outdoor fence posts.
Brenda grew up around fence posts. She was raised, lives and works on Stilbroke Farm, a family operation on Luce Road in East Calais going back several generations. In recent years the Georges installed an eclectic farm shop. There, Brenda's pottery shares space with her sister's woodenware, their mother's jams and pickles, cuts of dad's grass-fed beefalo, cartons of farm eggs…and more. Brenda's farm ethic infuses much of her art. "I like to produce things that people will love to take home, but that are meant to be used," she said. As with everything produced on the farm, Brenda said, "If I can't make something people can afford to buy, I don't feel good about selling it."
The Blinking Light Gallery is located on Main St. just off Route 2 in the village of Plainfield, Vermont. Hours of operation are generally Thursdays from 2 to 6 P.M., and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. For information call (802) 454-0141 or visit www.blinkinglightgallery.com. The goal of the arts organization behind the Blinking Light Gallery, founded in 1999, is to promote the creative work of regional artists through a cooperatively-run, community-centered operation.
