Vol. XV. No. 2. 
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK 
June 1913 
ITH the summer vacation approach- 
ing, we are reminded of the troubles 
of some of our good friends who 
want to use this season for study and 
for various reasons are prevented. 
There is one who writes that not 
only are her means limited but that 
every summer, because of the beauty 
of the country where she lives all her 
good friends from all points of the 
compass descend upon her in swarms and she is compelled to 
use all her time from early morn to dewy eve in catering to the 
inner man by way of the kitchen stove. To discuss the last 
question first — If we were that too easily imposed upon lady, 
we would write a circular letter and have it typed and sent 
to all expectant and expected guests, saying that she finds that 
she can not afford to lose the opportunity for study that the 
summer affords, so, though she would dearly love to have them 
visit her, she can only invite them on the condition that they 
pitch in and do their share of the work. That seems to us the 
only fair thing to do all around, for it is not fair to others to let 
them grow accustomed to imposing on their friends. About 
that flat pocket-book — If, instead of painting naturalistic 
studies, she would decorate a lot of little things that would 
make pleasing souvenirs of her beautiful home, perhaps the 
friends might help inflate that empty bag by purchasing to a 
point where it could be utilized for further study. Or she 
could get up a summer class in china decorating and invite 
the friends to join at so much per. We know one awfully nice 
little girl who came last year to our summer school and did 
a lot of charming conventional and semi-conventional things 
with the teacher and went home and sold them and taught 
what she had learned until she had made enough to more 
than pay her expenses here another year. And this was her 
first attempt. It seems almost always that where there is 
sufficient will there will always be a way. 
This year in my spring garden I have some flowers that 
I have not had before and so I have not thought to suggest 
them to our readers as subjects for study and design. First of 
all there is a colony of Miterwort. Long ago in one of the 
earlier issues of Keramic Studio I published some of my 
own studies and designs from this dainty flower, but had not 
thought of it as available to garden lovers. Last year I went 
out with baskets and trowels to a ravine nearby and brought 
home a lot of wild flowers and ferns for the stone-walled garden 
about the gold fish pool; it was an experiment but a successful 
one for this year they grew bright and early and had increased 
a hundred fold; there I found them all, white and yellow and 
blue Violets, Ferns, Miterwort, Solomon's Seal, Squirrel Corn 
and Dutchmen's Breeches, Hepaticas, and many flowers of which 
I have not yet learned the name. They are mingled with the Yel- 
low Primrose and Crimson and Orange Polyanthus and Wall 
Flower and Japanese Iris leaves, with the Boston Ivy on the 
stone walls for a background. They delight our eyes and 
gladden our hearts. Tiy some of these flowers for study this 
year. The Primrose has wonderful possibilities in a decorative 
way as well as the different varieties of Dicentra, the Squirrel 
Corn, Dutchman's Breeches and their more conspicuous 
garden cousin, the Bleeding Heart, of which Miss Overbeck 
gives us so many studies this month. Out in the hedge we have 
a different set of wild flowers, Trilliums, Blood Root, False 
Solomon's Seal, Wild Geranium, etc., etc. 
•I- 
This season let us go to the woods for inspiration and next 
faU we will have a competition in conventionalizations of the 
various wild flowers. Suppose you all see what you can do in 
this line. Make your careful drawing of flower, leaf and stem, 
then make conventionalized units of flower and leaf, a page of 
these, then a page of semi-conventionalized designs, i. e., 
small flower panels connected with conventional or geometrical 
design or small semi-conventional flower arrangements for 
borders. Then a page of conventional designs applied to 
straight and curved edges, all from, the same flower. Do this 
with every flower of which you make a study. Send these to 
Keramic Studio about the fifteenth of September and we will 
have a wild woods Christmas issue with prizes for the best 
work. We will have a prize for the largest number of flowers 
studied and prizes for the best studies of flowers. You work 
on this idea and we will announce the competition later. 
SUMMER SCHOOL AND STUDIO NOTES 
The Studio of Mrs. Mary Alley Neal, 1425 Broadway, 
New York, N. Y., will be open during the entire summer. 
The Ai-t Institute of Chicago will, as usual, have a Summer 
School beginning June 30th and lasting twelve weeks. The 
Ceramic Class is under the management of Mrs. Abbie P. 
Walker, design class every day, painting lessons for china on 
Tuesdays and Thursdays. 
Miss Leah H. Rodman, 47 AV. 36th St., New York, N. Y., 
will continue her classes in Brooklyn and New York during 
the summer months. 
Miss May Reynolds of Chicago, has been engaged for a 
few weeks by the Railsback China Co., of Los Angeles, Cal., 
where she is teaching at present. 
Miss Reynolds spent two weeks at Winfield, Kan., at 
the studio of Mrs. Ida T. Lockwood, before going to the far 
west. 
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SHOP NOTES 
B. F. Drakenfeld & Co., importers and manufacturers of 
mineral colors and materials have moved from 27 Park Place 
to their new building at 50 Murray St., which the growth of 
their business made necessary. 
Mrs. F. N. Waterfield and Miss C. Kroll have purchased 
the Domestic Art Rooms, 149 Washington St., Newark, N. J., 
where they will continue the business formerly conducted by 
D. H. Morris. 
CLUB NOTES 
The ceramic artists of St. Paul and Minneapolis have 
combined in forming a new society under the title of the Twin 
City Ceramic Club. Winifred D. Sandy is secretary. 
