Welcoming the “Two” in Parsley & Rue: Allison Tungseth
Hello our Parsley & Rue crew. How are you? We hope you’re having a week filled with Lily (beautiful) moments, and Hollyhock (abundance.) We’re feeling a bit of both this week as the “I” of Parsley & Rue officially became a “we” with the addition of my new business partner, Allison Tungseth. Having Allison at the helm with me means ever more creative opportunities for you, our Parsley & Rue crew. I knew for Parsley & Rue I needed another soul who looks at the world through creative eyes: seeing beauty, form, color and possibilities at every turn. Allison is it.
Getting to Know Her: Allison graduated in 2009 with her masters in art from San Francisco State University. First focusing on photography and painting for quite some time, Allison ultimately found herself drawn increasingly toward ceramics. She now combines all the art mediums she loves into her ceramic work here in Seattle.
Allison is a seeker: she enjoys learning about a wide range of topics; finding beauty in the everyday that surrounds us all, and using it to create a wide assortment of ceramic types. As she says, “Using my hands to make art is a joy I want to share. For example, learning about herbs and flowers and how to make the best ceramic vessel for floral display is a challenge that I have been excited to take on, and now share with others in Parsley & Rue’s workshops. Ceramics is an art that takes so much trial and error: there is always something new to learn. Knowing that what I make—or teach others to make—goes into someone’s home, bringing them joy, is a thrill that’s hard to describe. When someone takes art into their home, they are embracing the joy that the artist is giving.”
How We Met: Sometimes life is simply serendipitous. Allison & I met when our boys both started attending the same school for neurodivergent learners in Seattle. It was our sons’ wonderful uniqueness that brought them—and us—to the school, and to each other! When they became classmates and then good friends, Allison and I—as mothers are—were thrown into each other’s worlds. What a wonderful thing, as from the first moment I could tell I’d met another creative spirit, with the same love and respect for nature, and the earth. We started talking herbs, flowers and ceramics and essentially never stopped. Now we can keep the conversation going together as partners in Parsley & Rue.