Керамические ловушки от художника Deborah Bryant эстетично решают проблему фруктовых мух

Fresh peaches, tomatoes and other summer produce may be one of the joys of the season, but fruit flies seem to enjoy them just as much. At Inland Bays Garden Center’s Little Garden Gallery, visitors can discover a clever and attractive solution: handcrafted ceramic fruit-fly catchers created by Bishopville, Md., artist Deborah Bryant. Designed to look more like a charming piece of pottery than a pest trap, Bryant’s fruit-fly catchers are individually handcrafted and glazed, making each one unique. Users simply add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to the catcher. The fruity scent attracts the flies into the vessel, where they have difficulty finding their way back out. The result is an easy, reusable alternative to disposable traps — and one attractive enough to leave right on the kitchen counter. For Bryant, combining beauty and function comes naturally. As a ceramic artist, Bryant creates primarily functional pottery, using both wheel-thrown and slab-building techniques. Her pieces frequently feature one-of-a-kind designs, textures and glaze combinations. Bryant said she especially enjoys experimenting with glazes and watching how they break, pool and change as they move across the textures of a finished piece. Growing up along the coast of Georgia helped shape her artistic sensibilities, and the Eastern Shore has been home since 1986. Bryant originally pursued painting and drawing before discovering pottery — and a new artistic passion. “A pottery class ignited my fascination with clay’s creative potential, and its practical, functional use,” Bryant says. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia and continued her ceramic studies with accomplished potters in both Georgia and Delaware. Through life’s many twists and turns, Bryant said, her love of clay has remained a constant, continually drawing her back to the art form. “Her fruit-fly catchers are a perfect example of that philosophy: beautiful, functional and just a little bit whimsical,” organizers said. Visitors can find Deborah Bryant’s pottery, including her handcrafted fruit-fly catchers, in the Little Garden Gallery at Inland Bays Garden Center, 38320 Muddy Neck Road, Frankford. The Inland Bays Garden Center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Sandy Daniels at (302) 539-1839 or [email protected].