My name is April Clay and I approve this message.

President Barack Obama visited our restaurant! He asked everyone name and shook our hand. He was just so cool and lovely.. and I'll say it... he's hot! Defiantly, a lifetime highlight for me.

(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)..This photograph is provided by THE WHITE HOUSE as a courtesy and may be printed by the subject(s) in the photograph for personal use only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not otherwise be reproduced, disseminated or broadcast, without the written permission of the White House Photo Office. This photograph may not be used in any commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House. .

Ashmont Grill Reception

Ashmont Grill

Mother's Day

Don't forget Mother's Day this weekend! I just finished a piece for my friend Jared for his wife, Kerri. They have twins who keep them very busy. Jared is one of my biggest fans and I am honored to do a piece for his wife about family. Family is very important to her, and I hope I was able to capture this in their piece.

My family has always been a huge source of love and inspiration for me.. I am going to Pennsylvania on Monday to go see my Mom. it's her birthday on Monday. She is such a beautiful, smart, funny and loving lady and I'm so lucky to call her my Mom. Happy Mother's Day, Momma!

Mom and Jordan dancing at Fawn and Dan's wedding

A Cabin in the Woods

The High Speed Trolley!

It's been a interesting experience living in Lower Mills. There is so much I love about the area.. there are cute antique stores and restaurants as well as the Neponset River Trail that I love to take my bike on. That being said, it's also at the end of Boston and it sometimes feels a world away from my friends and family. Although it was a very mild winter, I still developed a vitamin D deficiency and slipped into the blues.. my painting slowed to a complete halt. Luckily with some heavy doses of vitamin D and some sunshine as well as some doses of inspiration, I'm slowly coming back to painting regularly. That being said, I've also find it challenging to live and work in the same space.. but I'm learning.

My latest pieces were inspired by 2 friends. Justine is one of my dearest friends from NY. She is working on her thesis for a Masters in Creative Art Therapy. She is exploring the dynamics of hearing (listening) and not hearing (not listening) from a clinician’s perspective and the experience of being heard (listened to) and not being heard (not listened to) from a client’s perspective. I came up with this piece called Ideas Come and Go it measures 12" x 12"x 2". I worked in encaustic collage as well as the resin insert.

Jasen Strickler is a wonderful photographer and friend whom I recently reconnected with. His photography captures forgotten spaces, quirky people, signage you think you remember seeing someplace, bike culture and everyday beauty/ugly. I made a piece for him called Jasen's House , it's a simple piece but one of my favorite parts is the sun that I made with a bike gear and a camera lens with an upside down  bicycle figure.


Next.. I found a bunch of old photos from a antique store in Gloucester containing pictures of people and their pets... not sure where these will take me but it could be fun.

Walter Baker Artist Lofts

Big changes.. Big, big changes this year!

My last post was about my new digs at the Joy Street Studios... and this post is about my even newer and cooler digs at the Walter Baker Lofts. I just moved

into this fabulous space that was the administration building originally built in 1919 as the headquarters of the Walter Baker Co. The building has been restored and converted into 13 loft apartments, which are designated for artists as live/work space. I'm really digging the area too! Lower Mills is such a beautiful area. There is an event this Thursday called the fourth annual Lower Mills Holiday Stroll will take place on Thursday, November 17th from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. in Lower Mills in Dorchester and Milton Village. Over 40 businesses will be open late offering refreshments, discounts, and work from local artists!

The Walter Baker Artists’ Lofts (1231 Adams Street) will feature resident

artists exhibiting their work in their studios, as well as other local artists. I won't really be participating in this (I really just moved in) but it sounds like an awesome event and you can walk down my grand staircase!

So, if you're reading this and saying, " Wait... What!!!?" then you may not be aware that Glen and I have parted ways. Quite amicably I will add but still sad nonetheless.

I still have my work at Joy Street for Joy Street Open Studios going on this weekend Nov. 19 +20 , so hopefully it will be a beautiful weekend !

My New Studio!!

I've been looking for a new studio for quite some time now. I had been working in the basement of my house on one table with no window. It was a bit cramped and while I loved working from home, I was not producing as much work as I had hoped.

So welcome to my new place! I am one of approx. 52 artists at Joy Street Studios.. wheee!

This is the blank slate... me building tables. Dusty fun :)

Still needs more work but I'm happy with the direction it's going... come and visit me soon!

Milton Livingston Clay - My Dad

I've had a very tough time this past year and have thought about writing for a while but I guess it was harder than I thought. My poppa died. He was a wonderful man and I really wasn't ready for him to go. He had not been well for a while and I suppose people would say he lived a long life but I was still not prepared.

My dad was a Yankees fan. He told me one day when I was 5 or 6 years old that he was going to take me to a baseball game. "OK, April.", he said, "New york has 2 baseball teams, the Yankees and the Mets. You get to decide what game we are going to go to." I was very excited to be making such an important decision. "Keep in mind, once to decide on a team, you have to be their fan for life." Now I was nervous. He put down 2 baseball cards, one from each team. I studied the cards with the stiff looking men in pressed uniforms holding their bats upright and looking off in the distance. It didn't take me long, "This one!" I said confidently. "Really?" my dad looked concerned. "Why them?" I picked up the card of Tom Seaver and happily said, "I like orange and blue, they defiantly have better uniforms." My dad smiled and said ok. We went to a lot of games and I don't remember anything about them except for the snacks. Although he knew I am no real fan of baseball, he never passed a chance to give a dig now and then, "Looks like your team blew it again this year." I would say something about the Yankees playing with gold bats and I'd sit and watch the game on t.v. for a few minutes with him.

I miss my father an awful lot. He had huge hands that were super soft and gentle. He was my #1 fan and I'm glad he knew I was his.