Travels of THB: NCECA Day 5, Sacramento and on day 6 home to E-ville

Department of Conclusions:

Felt great to be chasing art again
THB was still squeamish being indoors without a mask
THB was still squeamish being indoors when other people weren't wearing a mask
THB is back in E-ville and feels fine
THB and DB bought some very nice pieces, now need to figure out where to squeeze them in and what gets squeezed out
THB and DB went to NCECA and never attended any sessions of the conference nor visited the convention center

The Collectors Tour:

Large bus allowed tour folk to spread out, and masks were not used
As always, the access afforded the tour to private collections, studios, and museums during off hours makes for exceptional viewing of art
Added bonus: often there were curators and artists on hand to explain things
Lunches were served from boxes carried on the bus, casual and outside. And some days the lunches were really good
The leaders were gentle, informative, pleasant, generous, and kept the tour pretty much on schedule, much appreciated by those of us who think planning AND executing the plan is a great way to run things
A number of tour members were beyond deeply knowledgeable, they were encyclopedic when it came to certain artists

As THB exited the hotel, this sign was very helpful...until you realize that there is a Starbucks on every damn corner in every damn city

THB got mildly confused: which button to push when standing in the lobby

The first stop of the day

The artist, longtime local artist and teacher Mark Lancet, is with the tour today and has a lot of work on displa. He makes a lot of different things, and made a lot of tea bowls

Christa Assad is back for a short stay, she relocated from E-ville to Mexico around 2018

Her work, like Notkin, has a war/politcal theme at times: Bait and Switch

E&J bought a piece years ago made by Ray Gonzales. He's here at the Kaneko Gallery (not that Kaneko)

Another Ray G piece

Kris Marubayashi (THB thinks JS knows her)

Yet another one by Ray G...how did E&J miss this guy for so long, he's prolific (and THB hasn't even shown his bricks)

Tom Bartel

This stop was mostly a ceramics supplies store, with an NCECA exhibition

Scott Parady: sold

Heidi Kreitchet: sold

The Fab Four: sold?

THB and DB lost a Catherine Hiersoux plate in the 1989 earthquake; here is one of her bowls

The lunch stop: Shepard Garden and Arts Center in East Sacramento

Chris Efstratis

Dania Lukey

M C Richards exhibition site. She was a ceramicist, poet, teacher, enthusiast, intellectual

First it was a dog, now a cat...what next? Lions and tigers, OH MY!

Exhibit curated by Beth Ann Gerstein of Amoca

But first, THB heads next door for 3 scones

The scones were very good, sorry no pics. Irish style: more round than triangular, purple from the blueberries, nice taste, good texture. 3 (with tip): $15

Francois LeClerc

Guangzhen Zhou

The modern world has come to ceramics: $4K gets you a photograph of mud on the wall...not bad for 10 feet by 14 feet....WHOA: inches, not feet

Ashwini had pieces in a number of shows we saw, and talked to us at the Mill Station stop

Amoca ( has a show up of Cheryl's ceramic porcelain work in dialogue with another artist, Michael Rohde, tapestries: Connected Spaces presents nearly 50 artworks by California-based artists Michael F. Rohde and Cheryl Ann Thomas. This assembly of ceramic sculptures and woven tapestries is focused on a recent series created by the artists through a year-long artistic exchange in 2020-2021. The exhibition will also include pieces by both artists beyond the series to provide context.

THB loved this piece...remember, this is porcelain, hand made. DB and THB are considering other work by Cheryl before deciding to make a purcase

A cup by the same guy that made the Predator Drone

The going-away dinner at Firehouse in Old Sacramento. The woman on the left is Ife (pronounced Eee-Phay) Williams. She is an outgoing NCECA board member with a background in teaching. See an article on her here. And if that wasn't enough she has twins (boy and girl) born on October 11, the same day as the TWINS! Okay, 14 years apart, definitely the same calendar day.

Day 6: Back to E-ville on the train. 2 hour journey, only 1/2 hour late. Walk from the station to the platform: 10 minutes, maybe longer. Cold on the platform.