Also at Midtown Gallery this month and next is my dear friend Susan McHenry! Check out her work as well.

Jewelry by Meg TangPhotos and clay by Maria ScottClay by Heidi FahrenbacherCan’t make it on Friday? No problem, the show is up through April.

It has been long road. After the pain subsided somewhat, Maggie’s family started the Remembering Maggie Fund. The proceeds are used to help educate young men and women about the dangers and warning signs of relationship violence. Since the fund is under the umbrella of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation we have to raise a certain amount of money annually.  This year we have to reach $25,000 by August 31, 2012 and we are already at $23,200!

This weekend Martha (Maggie’s mom), Rick (Maggie’s step dad), and I will be at selling Maggie’s Hat at Spring Into Wings Arts and Craft Show at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, MI.  Maggie’s Hat is a knitted hat where each stitch has a meaning.  The hat is a way to commemorate Maggie Wardle and to raise awareness and funds to stop further instances of relationship violence.  If you want knit the hat, the pattern is here.

Martha, Rick, and I make the heart buttons that adorn the side of Maggie’s hat.  Each button is handmade out of porcelain clay and displays a butterfly decal, the symbol of the Remembering Maggie Fund.

New this year are the hat and scarf combo. Now you may be thinking winter is over, but you must not be from Michigan. It will still get chilly in the evenings for months to come and why not show your support against relationship violence and remember Maggie. Below Martha is modeling Maggie’s Hat and Scarf.We also haven’t forgotten about the little ones in your life.  We also offer Maggie’s hat for babies and children too! This cutie is not included.But Heidi, how much are these beautiful handmade creations? Good question! Adult Maggie’s Hat are $35, scarf/hat combos are $50, single scarves are $25, children/baby hats are $25, and headbands (not shown) are $15. If you have anymore questions feel free to contact me.

Martin’s story is heartbreaking on so many levels.  For starters, Martin was unarmed. Two, Zimmerman should not have been captain of his neighborhood-watch due to his lack of training. Not to mention his previous charges of resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer, that were later dropped. Three, charges have not been brought against Zimmerman for his murder of Martin!

My father was born in Springfield, IL, the birthplace of Lincoln. I’m not sure if it is that commonality that makes him fascinated by Lincoln and the Civil War or just plain intrigue.  But the man loves Lincoln and reading about the Civil War. As a child our family vacations revolved around Civil War battle fields, particularly Gettysburg. Last month I was in Philadelphia and Baltimore for two wholesale shows and was accompanied by my father.  So when my dad read me a passage from Carl Sandburg’s biography of Lincoln it was par for the course. The passage my father picked was about the state of slavery and the monetary value of slaves. We talked about our ancestors that were slave owners and how my grandmother told my father he was not allowed to EVER use the “n” word.

My father has always talked to me about “the curse of slavery.” As a young adult I shrugged it off, but as I aged I realized he was right. It really hit home at the Pennsylvania and Baltimore Convention Centers: most of the artists were white, most of the buyers were also white, but most of the convention center workers were black. It’s the curse of slavery that keeps blacks down. It’s the curse of slavery that makes black parents give talks to their children about how to act in public or around cops. It’s the curse of slavery that makes my friend Maria (a black woman) afraid to drive down south. It’s the curse of slavery that is making a mess out of Trayvon Martin’s untimely death.

Last week I finished rereading my favorite book To Kill A Mockingbird. My grandfather was the spitting image of Gregory Peck, while my own father’s philosophies are similar to Atticus Finch.  Is it time for American’s to reread this classic and ask how much have we really changed?

So where are all these hot new samples? Right here for you to purchase.

Since I’ve been spending a lot of time of Pinterest looking at different household wares I thought it was time to switch it up and take lifestyle photographs of my work.

What do you think?  Can you visualize my work in your home better? Is the natural daylight more affective? Any feedback would be appreciated!

I also wanted to share that I’m on Pinterest (mildly addicted) and can be found at: https://pinterest.com/heidimcf/

Happy pinning!

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I’m teaching again for the first time in two years.  I needed it;  I was burned out. In retrospect, I realize I didn’t set enough boundaries with my students and tried to do too much. I almost ran into a similar problem Wednesday night. I’m teaching a low fire class that is using red earthenware, but some students wanted to continue to use white earthenware.  Last semester students used white earthenware and fired the kiln, but to a different temperature than we are going to do this semester. Can you imagine what that would be like? A fiasco.

I explained why we would only be using one clay and one firing schedule. I apologized for any inconvenience. I may have some students drop my class, but that’s ok. My students will learn more by focusing on one style.

For years I’ve been all over the place.  I have been working in porcelain since 2000, but I’m always doing something else on the side.  For instance, I used to wood-fire, salt-fire, and low-fire.  I was driving myself crazy trying to do to many things at once. Now it’s all porcelain and I’m narrowing down my surface decoration. (Stay tuned.)

I’ve found that when I’m not focused on one style, I can’t grow that style, refine it and master it. By dividing your attention, your work is divided by time, attention, and style.

What are you focused on?

Here is a preview of my new focus: