Tea and Silk • Art by Cliff Glover and Marion Miller • July 2018

There are love dogs no one knows the name of.
Give your life to be one of them. —Rumi

     Cliff Glover and Marion Miller just might be Love Dogs. They may not wag, but their hands certainly express their love and devotion to this world. 
    Though their work is very different—one works in clay, the other in silk—they share a delight in nature, which is their source of inspiration. Together they live and work at home, in the coastal village of Albion. There they have a charming studio that is often open to the public. 
    Both were introduced to the ancient tradition of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Chanoyu, over 30 years ago. They were so fed by the beauty of this teaching, that it continues to give them nourishment to be true to their art and to life itself.
    When you see Cliff Glover’s work you’ll sense a natural rhythm in his pottery. It is as rich and alive as the earth from which it springs. The first time I picked up one of his bowls I was so pleased by the unexpected lightness. I thought, “This level of refinement comes from years and years of practice.” So it is.
​   Marion works in silk. Her scarves remind me of waterfalls and sunlight filtering through leaves. She uses the natural pigments of local plant materials and a traditional hand dying process. Her pieces have a lovely ethereal quality to them that seem to convey layers of awareness. These scarves are a pleasure to the touch. 
    Maybe we are all Love Dogs. We long to merge with the beauty of this world. We hunger for the simplicity and elegance found in Nature. We hunger for signs of the eternal. And we are so grateful for the age old practices that center us and keep us steady when the waves come crashing down. 
    If you sense you are a Love Dog, get your longing satisfied at this show where both tradition and new possibilities abound. While Marion’s scarves are as surprising and ephemeral as life itself, Cliff’s pottery is born of such an ancient art that it reassures. When you see their work together you’ll know: Life is good—life is of itself enough. 
     Perhaps life might even be sustained through the creation of Beauty made with human hands and honest intention. 
    Come see, and wag your tail at, Tea and Silk, opening First Friday, July 6th, 5 to 8 pm, at Northcoast Artists Gallery in Fort Bragg, CA.

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