Lunch with an artist
You can’t play cards all the time, at least I can’t. After 5 great days in Monterey, Gail and I took off Sunday morning to meet Sally Russel, an artist whose work we collect. She created the three ceramic “totems” on the walk right out the front door. We met for lunch at a tiny place called the Wild Goose, and talked art and tennis, kids, travel, bridge, more art, faira reviews and more art.
Sally in her studio
Sally lives in Carmel Valley Village, a place I didn’t know exists 14 miles inland on Carmel Valley Road. It’s beautiful and picturesque as Carmel by the sea, but warmer, cheaper and not foggy. She has a husband and a 5 year old daughter. Her studio is in a small industrial park, right off the main road and next to her daughters school.
After graduating in art from UC Santa Barbara, she has always been an artist–she says her life was always directed to art, there was no other way for her. However, successful artists must be good business people as well, and she has proven her talents there, as well. Her website has both her one of a kind artworks and ceramic and linen good she has designed and had mass produced. Among other things, she is currently working on tiny versions of her large “beads”, since it is easier to sell smaller, cheaper items.
Afterward, we drove back to the Hyatt to pick up Gail’s car–we came down on different days, and had two cars there. The drive home turned into a road race, of course, and Gail won, as she usually does.
Totally Unauthorized 