Haymarket Day Festival Pictures :)

Haymarket Day Festival

Well, lost of lessons learned yesterday at the Haymarket Day Festival. Thanks to everyone who helped to make the day a success. Haymarket put on a wonderful parade including fantastic police motorcyclists and fun unicyclists! Very fun to watch from our prime vantage point.

We got there VERY early and set up in the gray morning sky's. All the vendors were hoping that the clouds would burn off and the sun would come out as the weather had predicted. But it was not to be.

We were quite chilly for all but the last hour of the day when the sun finally came out.

Haymarket citizens never let the weather dampen their attendance. Even during the brief rain on and off, there were a steady flow of people coming by to check out our tent and see all the new things for the 2011 season.

Very new this year was a visit by the UBER puppies! Max and Daisy made their grand entrance around 2pm and stayed until the last box was packed away. It was so wonderful to have them there. After they made their rounds of all the vendors and got some much needed snacks, they stayed in a portable pen right next to my tent. I have to say, they were a bigger draw than I was! EVERYONE wanted to know if they were "for sale". "Absolutely NOT" was my standard answer :). They also wanted to know what kind of dogs they were (schnorkies); their names; and if they could be petted.

We were so proud of their them. They were wonderful. Calm, affectionate, wonderful letting LOTS of kids pet them, and just all around PERFECT!

We enjoyed the show. The lessons learned were BRING MORE LAYERS! We were frozen most of the day. Otherwise, it was a great day and we hope to be back.

Thank you Haymarket!

Much Needed Maintenance

Well, as I prepare for the fall rush, it was time for some much needed maintenance in the studio. Besides regularly vacuuming and cleaning the floor, it is also very important to keep your kiln running well. A part of the kiln's day to day operation is applying a coating of kiln wash to the shelves and floor of the kiln. Kiln wash provides a separator between the pottery pieces and the shelf board. Kiln wash is also used in kilns which are fired for glass fusing. It works in much the same way, providing a barrier between the fused glass piece and the kiln shelf, a separator.

The best part about maintenance at Big Dog Pots is that it is rarely done all alone. One animal or another is always walking by or through to see what I am up to. It was a great day today, perfect for applying kiln wash to my kiln shelves.

Off to the Big City Today...

While school for my older child has still not started we are taking advantage of some free time and meeting family for a little luncheon in the Big City. We don't often go into the fray preferring our quiet little corner of the world. But sometimes you have to branch out.

It is interesting that I can pick up ideas for pieces in the strangest places. Looking at a texture, a fabric design, even the wave of someones hair style. Sounds strange but when I am out and about I get lots of ideas.

Like so many artists, I carry around a little idea notepad and jot things down constantly. My notepad is almost full as it was a Hello Kitty pad that I stole from my daughter. It has served me well, and I think after today it will retire to the studio to be picked up again and again for ideas.

Mornings with the Ladies Of the Mud

Wednesdays are my "mornings with the ladies of the mud".

During 2007, I started my odyssey in the realm of pottery by walking into a local community studio and buying a bag of clay. Miss Amber was in charge of the studio at that point. She is a lovely person, a wonderfully patient teacher, and was a tremendous source of information as I began my adventure into clay.

Along with Miss Amber there were Mary, Mary, Mary, Barbara and Trixie, as well as many other interesting and talented hobby artists who came in and out of the studio.

The studio was a wonderful refuge for me and I continually looked forward to going and being with the "Ladies of the Mud".

Well times have moved on and several of the ladies have also gone on to other adventures including new babies, new travels, and new hobbies.

True to form, I was probably the most rambunctious of the crew and always pushed that envelop! But everyone was so patient with my eccentricities and my need for perfection.

The studio closed for renovations and due to budget problems remained closed for much longer than we thought. It finally reopened and I decided to give being "in charge" a try. So, I was hired and trained by the local jurisdiction and put on the payroll as a part time teacher/employee.

So, as I like to say "the monkey is now running this zoo!"

When the registration level for the independent study group fell and there weren't enough to go forward and pay my "salary", I jumped at the chance to do it for free. So here I am each Wednesday (family obligations permitting) in the basement of the old school gym chit chatting with the Ladies and enjoying sharing our journey in the mud.

Local community studios are a wonderful resource for the public to give the medium a try, and who knows you might even make a few new friends along the way!

Thanks to my Ladies for their patience with me, I really enjoy our Wednesdays. See you all next week!

A New School Year Begins!

The house is silent. #2 child is at her first day of Middle School, complete with Hello Kitty lunchbox and sandals (open toed shoes were never allowed in elementary school) but really it is all about the LOCKER. #1 child is sound asleep after completing his first run in a local community theater production. Incredibly supportive husband is tucked away in a conference room at work.

What's a potter to do?

I was contacted by our local kennel club and asked to join in a show that will take place on Main Street next Friday night. It was lovely to be thought of by the kennel club and I am looking forward to my inaugural show of the fall 2011 season. My summer "work" schedule has certainly lacked due to play practices, day camps, trips to the vet for our 2 new puppies, and trips to visit family. Unfortunately not too much was accomplished. But I am hoping to have a major growth spurt of my own and get back to it.

So, enough of this posting "stuff"...back to the mud!

Before and After...

As promised, I am sharing the before and after photos of a recent paisley textured vase. I must say I was a little disappointed with the final piece. It is very nice, and there is nothing wrong with it, at all, in fact technically, it is one of my best. But, all along the process, I thought the clay was lighter! I glazed it and expected one outcome, and low and behold the finished product was much darker than I had envisioned. The glazes that I chose were subtle, and therefore are not as dramatic as I had thought they would have been on a lighter clay.

It is all a part of the process. I just forgot that I had used this particular clay on this piece. All a part of the ongoing learning curve.

I think with pottery, the curve goes on....and on....and on.....