So, after Rise of Phoenixes, I got sucked into another Chinese wuxia epic on Netflix, Word of Honor. There are several similar shows right now on Netflix themed around an epic bromance and/or love triangle (see also Untamed, Handsome Siblings, My Country), and I’d tried watching a couple of them and gotten all of 10Continue reading “Drama Queen: Word of Honor”
Category Archives: magpie
Saturday Ceramics: Betsy Williams (Enbi Studio)
I met Betsy Williams on the High Road to Taos during the annual fall festival where artists put on two open-gallery weekends. She trained in Japan and is current researching wild clays. I love her work and have owned several pieces over the years (none currently; I tend to get pieces I can use inContinue reading “Saturday Ceramics: Betsy Williams (Enbi Studio)”
Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up
Here are some things I was saving about corvids that turned out to be pretty fun: Josh Klein’s crow vending machine and citizen-science Crowbox project (I really want to build one). And, The Ravenmaster, a rollicking and heartwarming memoir by the guy who’s currently in charge of the Tower of London ravens. If you’re notContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up”
Ceramics Saturdays: Modern Korean Ceramics
There is so much really interesting work going on in Korean ceramics today–young potters taking the clean, organic forms of tradition into experimental lines and colors. The incense burner pictured above is by my friend Jeewon (Mellanie) Jeong, an incredibly talented young ceramicist with a Master’s degree from Seoul National University and now her ownContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Modern Korean Ceramics”
Friday Favorites: Kung Fu Movies, Part Two
This time it’s personal…. Compared to the first list, this one is less orthodox, with newer films as well as more wuxia (sort of the MCU for martial arts, featuring fictional heroes mixed in with actual historical ones): Hero. The fight between Donnie Yen and Jet Li in the rain at the teahouse. Nuff said.Continue reading “Friday Favorites: Kung Fu Movies, Part Two”
Ceramics Saturdays: Korean Celadons
Korean celadons began being produced in the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392 BCE) roughly contemporaneously with Song celadons, and that’s not accidental: diplomatic and trade relations between the two regimes facilitated the transfer of techniques for mixing the iron-rich celadon glazes, as well as the kiln structures best suited for reduction firing. Initially, Korean celadons imitated theirContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Korean Celadons”
Chicken Arms
Sorry, I just remembered these this morning and almost burst my spleen laughing about them all over again. I think Malena or Cheryl sent this to me in the first place. FWIW if anyone sees fit to send me these for my 3 hens for Xmas, I will definitely take pics of them and post–ifContinue reading “Chicken Arms”
Ceramics Saturdays: Chinese v. Korean Dragons
I’m going to do a post next week on Korean celadons, but since I was at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco last weekend, a veritable treasure trove of Asian ceramics, I thought I would illustrate a fun fact first: there’s a neat trick to tell if you have a Chinese or Korean vaseContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Chinese v. Korean Dragons”
Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up
This one goes to 11. Woody perfumes are my favorite, and cedar is my favorite note in that category. This is a really nice deep dive from Fragrantica into where those notes comes from. I hate Strava for a number of reasons, but I absolutely love it when people use it (and other GPS-tracking apps)Continue reading “Friday Favorites: Feedly Clean-up”
Ceramics Saturdays: The Moon Jar
The next couple of entries in Ceramics Saturdays are going to be about Korean ceramics. The moon jar (dalhangari) is one of the most, if not the most, famous of Korean ceramic forms. Thrown all throughout the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the most collectible and prized examples today date from the 18th century, when technique andContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: The Moon Jar”
The Rookery 