Home&Real Estate
OPEN HOME GUIDE 32
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Home Front MANAGING GARDEN PESTS ... UC Master Gardeners will offer a free talk on “Diseases, Insects and Weeds, Oh My! Managing Pests in the Garden� from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 7, at the Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Drive, Palo Alto. Participants are asked to bring fresh, large samples of weeds, insects or plants with problems. The talk will be followed by a tour of the garden and a Q&A with master gardeners. Information: Master Gardeners at 408-2823105, between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
Among the hundreds of pieces to view at the festival are (clockwise, from top): Beverly Crist’s unglazed terracotta planter, “Swoop Oblong�; Julie Cline’s “Domino Teapot�; and Michael Hermann and Gina Lunn’s glass sculpture, “Affinity.�
ARTISANS SHARE PAS SION FOR C L AY, G L A S S A N D THE ENVIRONMENT
FRUIT TREE PRUNING ... Kate Nowell, Filoli horticulturist, will teach a hands-on workshop on pruning fruit trees from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 21, at Filoli, 86 CaĂą-ada Road, Woodside. Nowell will demonstrate how to thin out fruit trees to encourage optimal fruit production, followed by guided, hands-on practice. Bring garden gloves and clean, sharp shears. Fee is $40 for nonmembers, $35 for members. Information: 650-364-8300 or www. filoli.org COOKING CLASSES ... Hands-on cooking classes at Sur La Table, #57 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, include: “Essential Knife Skillsâ€? (Saul Flores, Saturday, July 7, 11 a.m., $59); “Date Night: Chef’s Tableâ€? (Will VanBrackle, Saturday, July 7, 5 p.m., $79); “4 Grilled Fish Dishes Every Cook Should Knowâ€? (Michelle Marquez, Monday, July 9, 6:30 p.m., $79); “Summer Paella Workshopâ€? (Will VanBrackle, Tuesday, July 10, 6:30 p.m., $69); “Warm and Breezy Caribbean Cookingâ€? (Michelle Martin, Wednesday, July 11, 6:30 p.m., $69); and “Great Summer Cookingâ€? (Kim Henderson, Friday, July 13, 6:30 p.m., $69). Information: www.surlatable.com650-289-0438 or email Cooking073@surlatable.com WHACK INVASIVE PLANTS ... Volunteers are needed every Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon to remove invasive, non-native plants — including yellow starthistle and French broom — at Foothills Park. Friends of Foothill Park volunteers meet at the Orchard Glen picnic area, but are advised to check the website, www.fofpark.org, in case the group is heading for more remote areas of the park. Information: Bob Roth at 650-321-7882 or bobroth@lavabit. com. N Send notices of news and events related to real estate, interior design, home improvement and gardening to Home Front, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302, or email cblitzer@paweekly.com. Deadline is one week before publication.
Fred Yokel will be showing his ceramic, low-fire oxidation “That’s A Keeper.�
by Lauren-Marie Sliter photographs courtesy of Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival
J
an Schachter is “a functional person� and her ceramics reflect her personality: practical, but full of
life. Twenty years ago, it was her practicality that helped to create the Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival, this year slated for July 14 and 15. Likewise, her practicality filtered into her ceramic firing process when she installed solar panels at her home studio in Portola Valley two years ago. The panels have covered all of the electricity that her electric kiln uses. “I was pretty excited about that,� she said. While attending the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, she and several other Peninsula artists began looking for a South Bay location to show off their work. And they found Palo Alto’s Art Center. “It’s been incredibly successful,� she said. The festival has grown since 1992, when it hosted 42 artists, now boasting 175 talents from around the Peninsula
Love
and beyond. Even though the Clay & Glass Festival has been relocated to Rinconada Park due to renovations in the Art Center, Schachter said it is still a fantastic location. “The venue is different, but we still have the spirit of the Art Center,� she said. Schachter said she mainly creates vessels: pots, casseroles, vases. “I am inspired by traditional vessels in all cultures,� she said, highlighting African and South American art as particular interests. Schachter has been working with clay since she was 6, only taking a brief break from the medium to study microbiology in college. While Schachter has tried other media, such as basket weaving, she has always come back to clay. “I wish I knew why,� she said. “I must be drawn to it in some way.� Part of what is exciting about working with clay for Schachter is its unpredictability. While a piece may look one way before entering the kiln, she said, it can come out the other side looking com(continued on page 25)
AT FIRST TOUCH
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