The spinnings at hutch studio

If by chance any of you have been on Morris Street in La Conner, WA over the past 20 years and it just so happened to be a windy day, you undoubtedly noticed the whimsical "whirlygigs" that top the fence posts in the front of a very old Victorian house. The fence itself is a whole other story and future blog post. That house is currently the home of hutch studio (formerly the BBTB museum). Recently the art of making these fun wind catchers has been rejuvenated. Old gigs are being repaired, post caps are getting leveled and fancied, and new whirlygigs are being created. Some say that they are drawn in by the color and movement on the fence. I love that they truly reflect the hutch studio philosophy of using old or unwanted items as raw material for realizing new and fun ideas. The current buzz words for this idea are "repurposing" or "up-cycling". I just think it's smart.

Whirlygig workshops are being held at the studio and they have been fun, fun, fun! Participants bring boxes of special stuff and use it to make their own personal gigs. We have had some pretty great creations in the last 2 workshops. One student took apart an old laptop computer for his whirlygig. Pretty cool! Feel free to give us a call if you are interested in future workshops or stop in to sign up.

A little while ago our very best and special customer suggested to me that I make some whirlygigs that were small and for interior decor. As a ceramicist that leans toward miniature in my own work, I couldn't resist. The result is the "Mini Spinny". They are porcelain polychromed reproductions of the larger found object whirlygigs that live out on our fence...and did I mention, they move?


Chris, director