ON THE FARM
Beside’s the date on the calendar we tend to look for signs of the approaching spring around the farm………raccoon tracks they are awake from their winter slumber, the buds on the fruit trees are swelling and tree bud casings are reddening, the maple tree sap is flowing, the sun is a bit higher in the sky and the day is longer letting the chickens know to increase egg production and they are, the Tom turkey has started his mating strut, and the arrival of baby chicks like the New Hampshire Red above – she’ll be laying eggs by June.
As for the bees we went to check on the six hives all froze out but one. Keeping bees is one of the toughest projects we have ever worked on and it is a continuous education of the world around us. 3 hives were near conventional soybeans. Bees love soybean nectar unfortunately they are heavily sprayed with pesticides which can weaken a colony and thus making them vulnerable. We will have the one hive reconstruct a second hive this spring and see how it goes. FYI a bumble bee is now listed on the endangered species list.
borage in full bloom
This is our 20th anniversary year at our studio’s and farm we are excited and happy and frankly can’t believe it. It actually starts in May and we want to celebrate with you with one of our celebratory offerings with the plant sale.
annual plant sale
We are offering amazing varieties of tomatoes, basil, a lettuce/greens 6 pack and borage that you may grow for your own home gardens. The varieties are easy to grow and unique. The plants are from organic seeds and are grown……..see more details and the 20th anniversary offer.
PAPER STUDIO
Andrea has two exhibitions this spring.
She is in a group show at The Bridgeport Art Center entitled, PAPER-ARTS. Exhibition runs March 17 – May 5.
She is busily finishing up a new body of paper/print works to be shown at the Brauer Museum at Valpraiso University entitled Botanical Lore, Legend and Transformation:Works by Jon Hook and Andrea Peterson. Exhibition runs April 11 – May 14. Jon and Andrea will be giving a gallery talk April 19 at 7pm.
print in progress: blue sisal(from twine) paper with woodblocks
She also completed research on a new paper 
that which will debut soon called momiINDIANA which will be featured in the summer issue of Hand Papermaking Magazine.
CERAMIC STUDIO
The clay studio is a blur of activity including spring firings. Jon’s research on natural plant ash glazes is amazing and the new work will be on view at the Brauer Museum mentioned above.
Jon is busily teaching at the Krasl Art Center in St. Joe and at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN and loving both of the experiences.
hook pottery paper 