Patriotic

The holidays we celebrate as a Nation during our summer months are all patriotic. Memorial Day, July 4th, and then Labor Day. It is a fun theme to work with in pottery. I have found a wonderful screaming bloody red that I love to use in combination with a wonderful eggshell white and royal blue. The three together give me consistent "WOW" results which I love. I am busily getting ready for my first show at an Expo Center. Those of you who have done this before, let me know your thoughts, suggestions.

Over the weekend, I was approached to sell my pieces in yet another new venue. It looks to be a very lovely way to sell some of my pieces, and I will let you know more, when I know more. For now, enjoy the Big Dog shown here. The picture was taken on the 4th, the dog was part of a float in a 4th of July parade.

Overall, I would have to give him a grade of A+ for patriotism!

Notes to Self...

Well, I have some time on my hands as storm #2 begins to pound away outside. Unfortunately, due to a LOT of snow I haven't been able to get much pottery done. My first show of 2010 is March 20th, and I am realizing, that that is just not that far away.

Things in general have started "OK". Some wheel work went surprisingly well, but seriously, it is so hard to work without hot water and have to rely on a hose in 30 degree weather.

Oh, well, potters are notorious for being independent problem solvers, so I guess I glided through that issue and have the bowls to prove it!

On the down side, I had been in LOVE with a very flowing glaze combination that when done looked like a river! I thought I would give it a go on a verticle piece. Note to self, when a glaze looks "flowing" it is probably because it DOES. Luckily, I have found a great use for the pot as a brush holder. I get to enjoy it, and have learned from it at the same time.

My dog Billy is getting old. what can I say, he was a rescue, we love him, we are keeping him company but there will be no heroics, just a sweet, loving goodbye when the time comes. I have had 7 dogs, some for more than 15 years each. I think it is very interesting that the ones that I have had since birth are the ones which have really bonded with me and my husband. Just an observation.

Billy is a funny guy. He doesn't bark. He was abused before we got him and trained to go outside right after he eats, but when he needs to go outside, he will just stand by the door, not saying a thing! Note to self, don't go to the studio to work after feeding the dog...remember to let him out! And yet, he survives us!

Here is that pot I glazed vertically and the evidence of my mistake. Live and learn! Hopefully, when this snow finally ends, I will be able to get back to the mud big time. I am beginning once again to feel the pressure!

Kiln Run...Happy :)

In the brief 2 years that I have been privileged enough to be there when the kiln opens, I have to say, this morning was the BEST so far. There were only one or two pieces that were "yuck", the rest came out as well as I thought, and the ones I was experimenting with actually came out WELL.

It is always a risk to experiment with glaze, but this time, I was fortunate to have a wonderful set of results. I am reviewing what my notes said I did and updating my "tried and true" glaze lists. I am trying to increase the number of glaze combinations that I can use and KNOW how things will turn out. Surprisingly, this is taking longer than I thought. 2 Years for a blue combination (using 4 glazes); and 1 1/2 years for a green combination (using 2 glazes). Now, on to yellow and orange.

I love color in pottery. I know a lot of potters LOVE the natural colors found on our beautiful planet and so a number of potters have a neutral palate that they work with. I think those colors are lovely, and I own a NUMBER of pieces that are glazed that way. I just really enjoy COLOR. Not always bright, but just varied and with the appearance of depth, and yes in other shades other than neutrals.

So, my quest goes on for more "wonderful" combinations. Any suggestions for combinations that you have tried, or have accidentally "found" would be wonderful. Pass them along.

My show schedule is busy for the next 4 weeks, and then the LONG break until March 2010. I was very pleased because I was admitted into a juried show in a very upscale area near my home. I had applied last year and denied, so I must say, I am so pleased to be given a chance this year. I have heard from other artisans that this is "the show" in this region to attend.

Not that I have anything against home businesses, but I am really hoping that this show will just have artisans, selling only what they have made. The traffic is supposed to be quite high, between 3,000-8,000. My proceeds from this show will be going to a local animal humane foundation, so wish me luck!

LEAVES

Don't know about you, but September means everything and everyone is back where they belong. My two kids are snuggled into another year at school, my husband is at work, and I have my space to breathe again. I really did not have much time over the summer to work on pottery, which bothered me. But, I did keep a notebook of ideas I wanted to try and also glaze combinations I wanted to test.

I brought back some HUGE leaves from a trip to the ocean, and made a number of free form trays out of them. I already have found a glaze combination that I love to use to highlight leaves, and now, I perfected a multi-layered blue glaze combination. I was so excited to see tray after tray emerge from the kiln all looking like they were supposed to!

Now that I have "mastered" blues, I am moving on to greens! It took me about a year to come up with the "perfect" blues, now I begin on the search for the perfect greens.

Wish me luck.

My first show of the fall is this Saturday. The weather doesn't look like it will cooperate, and I have a firm rule of NOT doing outdoor shows in the rain. The foot traffic just isn't worth all the effort of set up. So we will see if this Saturday is a go or not.

I am enjoying seeing patches of bright red in the woods around me. Although the days are still warm, the red reminds me of the cool and cold that is just around the corner.