My mother's sister, Leah, celebrates her 100th birthday today, the third of her siblings to reach that age, with one more sister close behind . Here's to you, Aunt Leah!
This shining gal is my mother's sister.
Aunt Leah is one of a strong, opinionated and wonderful breed of human who lives life on her own terms to the best of her ability, working hard through her lifetime and trying to do it with style and grace despite serious adversity. Her century-mark is a remarkable milestone.
So today, inspired by my aunt, I choose to celebrate three potters, one living, who is nearly 100, and two now gone, who lived and worked beyond that age while continuing to do what they loved.
Rose Cabat, whose 100th birthday is this June, is still working, making her "feelies." There will be a major retrospective of her art at the Tucson Art Museum to coincide with her centennial.
found pinned on Pinterest- sorry I can't attribute this photo properly!
The "feelies" are easier to show than to explain.
They have satiny textures.
Their colors and surfaces are extraordinarily inviting.
Here is a photo of Beatrice Wood, who lived to 105 and till age 103 worked nearly every day in her studio in Ojai, California:
image found in her autobiography, I Shock Myself.
A set of Beatrice's lusterware. She experimented extensively with luster glazes & the work was carried for years at the Garth Clark Gallery, NYC.
And one of Beatrice's figures:
from oceansidemuseumofart.blogspot.com. Her sculptures were like her drawings, whimsical.
Then there was the artist and industrial designer Eva Zeisel, who lived to 105 as well and was active in design nearly to the end of her life.
I can only aspire.
Happy birthday, Aunt Leah.