Potic Finale

Potic Cottage front facade

Potic Cottage screened-in porch

 Potic Cottage bedroom

 Potic Cottage stairwell

Long-time readers of this blog know that it all began with the purchase of a small cottage in the woods.  Potic Cottage, set on Potic Mountain in the Hudson Valley, was a one bedroom, 665 sq.ft. house we purchased in 2007. Now, ten years later, the cottage has taken on a screened in porch, two additional bedrooms, and a full bath. A mix of folk art, midcentury modern fixtures, and second-hand antiques, Potic Cottage has a classic Catskill vibe.  Better yet, we've had wonderful memories there, the bear that ate out of our bird feeders, the gong meditation Jackson created, even a documentary shot there.

Mose T: An American Artist

About twenty-five years ago, James purchased a painting from American folk artist Mose T (Moses Toliver, 1920-2006) from the artist's front porch in Montgomery, Alabama. Since then we started collecting Mose T's graphically interesting images crafted out of house paint on scraps of plywood. Left crippled from an accident at his factory job in the 1970's, Mose T was given a set of paints to occupy himself. It turned out to be a blessing of sorts. A prolific artist, Mose T's work is now in the Smithsonian collection and can still be purchased through his gallery Marcia Weber Art Objects.
Seen here are a few of our pieces. The top one, a self portrait, is the oldest. Notice how he depicts the body, emphasizing Mose T's limited mobility. The Blue Watermelon, a later piece, is my favorite. When I asked him why he painted the watermelon blue, I anticipated all sorts of aesthetic and meaningful reasons. Instead, Mose T said, "I ran out of red." Simple enough.