FALL.....RUSH......YIKES!!!!

Not sure about you, but my busy time is NOW! The bulk of my shows are happening now; galleries that I am working with would like "as many pieces as you can spare" now; kids are back into their worlds and I need to be available to escort them to their commitments....yes now. And the list continues.

I know, I know, all of this is self imposed. Or is it?????? :)

Including the "just have to plant for the spring" frenzy that takes place...yes now!

In addition, I have added some governmental hoops and dashes which eventually will benefit my child....but yes, all those dashes and jumps happen...now.

Oh well, I guess there are worse things in life than being a little too busy. I guess there are worse things than having to pick and choose what you do and who you do things with.

But I would really enjoy some rain, that way things will get cancelled and I can just veg-out.

How does this little rant relate to pottery. Well, last weekend I did a show for a local winery. The event was lovely, and they were very patient with me as I muttered to myself trying to set up on a SLIGHT hill. To some, non-potters out there, this is not a big deal, sort of a "what is all the fuss about" judgement from a distance. But to the potters out there who take their pieces on the road, they know exactly what 2-6 inches of slant MEANS!! Yikes!!

Still getting over that set up. And yes, I return again Saturday for more punishment.

In the meantime, I am focusing on LEAVES. I love this time of year. Love to use nature's gifts that float into my yard as decorations. Working on finding good background combinations to accentuate the leaves. So far I am really happy with the results. More are ready to glaze from a bisque run last night.

Now, if I could only get that black bear to find something else on HIS calendar than to slink around my studio. 200 pounds of black fluff, in this case is not soothing.

SPRING

WOW!!! It is a wonderful feeling to finally emerge from the winter of 2010. The weather here in rural Virginia is lovely. Mid to upper 70's, clear blue skies, and flowers blooming. This year is a peak year for the Cherry Blossoms in Washington, D.C. We are thinking about trying to see them Easter Sunday, early, and maybe miss some crowds? Probably not.

Well, I have been seriously delayed in my pottery efforts. Unfortunately, I had some serious heath problems the past few weeks and have not be able to do much of anything, least of all pottery. But I find that as I am healing and feel more and more like myself, I visualize myself glazing!

Before my troubles began I had just run a full bisque kiln. So, I have a lot of work to do. Normally, I slug through glazing in one VERY long sitting, normally around 8-10 hours. I brush glaze all my pieces, so it takes much longer than dipping. I also have a lot of small intricate pieces that have to be done with TINY brushes in numerous colors of glaze or underglaze, so, it all takes time.

I think overall, it is best to be doing one part of the process at a time. With a small studio, it is easier to create, then bisque, then glaze. Instead of doing various things at the same time. When I glaze I like to finish each piece and immediately load it in the kiln to await firing. I find that if I let glazed pieces settle on a drying shelf invariably something happens and the finished product is a disappointment. So, I am a load and go type of potter. I know everyone has their own way of doing things, and I am always open to learning and hearing about how other potters create their art.

Well, before I can get back into the studio, I have a daughter who has been asking to go ride bikes at the park...so finally, I am going back out into the world.

Enjoy Spring in your neck of the woods!

2010 Off to a Great Start

This Saturday was my first show of 2010. It was nice to get back out there. I was running low, because I was cleared out at Christmas, but I still managed to triple what I made last year. I was very pleased to see the traffic going up. Perhaps that is a sign of a returning economy?

Now, I am back to the studio to generate more pieces. I was pretty well wiped out Saturday. I went with 4 crates, normally I have 5 plus an extra filled, just in case. I came home with 1.5 crates. So things were definitely moving.

Spring has finally come. My bulbs are up and blooming. I always forget from year to year where I have planted bulbs over the past 20 years on this property. It is fun to see things popping up all over.

Well, I had a lot of fun yesterday playing around with two completely different techniques. I was doing some coil work, which I never really do, and really got into it. It was a fun little project and I made a tall oval vase. We will see if it survives firing, and glazing, if it does I will post a picture.

Next I revisited using raw trim pieces. I did this when I first began doing pottery. My first pieces had raw claw embelishments, so it will be interesting to see if I have improved at all. I will post those as well, if they survive.

Well, my next show is April 24th, then my big 2 day show over Memorial Day weekend. So, time is going by, and I need to stock up!

Back to the mud.