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!

Green

Well, I had some time to experiment with various green glaze combinations. I think I have hit on a nice combination. It was sort of by accident, but I am quite happy with my result. Let me know what you all think about it.

Life here at Big Dog Pots has been pretty shut down this week. My son and I came down with Swine Flu. Or the Piggy Plague as one of my nephew called it. Luckily we caught it very early and got right on medications within the first 12 hours of symptoms. Everyone in the family showed various symptoms, but my son's were the worse. He is coming along and getting slowly back into his regular routines.

So, I guess this is good news. Now I don't have to worry about going to all these shows and catching Swine Flu!

I have 3 shows in the next 2 weeks and am looking forward to a brisk show season. Hopefully, shoppers will be purchasing this year. Last year my traffic was pretty low, but this fall so far the pace has picked up.

I have decided to support a new organization that I have become aware of recently. It is the Reesie's Project. It is a wonderful group that supports families who need to give up their animals due to financial or health reasons. They also do outreach into the community with coat collections and distributions. Their website is www.reesies.org. Check in and see what they are all about.

Well, my car is packed and my pieces are ready for the show tomorrow at the Warrenton Boys and Girls club. Off we go!

Tick Tock Tick Tock...

Well, I must say, I did this to myself. I make pottery as a hobby. OK, it is really my only "job" other than mom and animal wrangler, but I am lucky, I don't have to make a living from my hobby. I go to various craft fairs and sell my pieces, mainly so I can make more :). My proceeds are donated to local charities that I like to support.

ANYWAY, last October I attended a local 2 day fair at the request of a friend. It was really an awful venue for me. So this year when they asked me to come back I asked if they had done anything to improve the traffic to the vendor area. They said they had come up with a lot of new ways to draw people in, and they did.

Basically, this is a lesson learned! Craft fairs that are tagged onto another event are not going to be a great venue for me. There are about 3-4,000 people who attend the event, but they are really there for the food, kids games, music and other activities. The way the facility is set up it is just not conducive for a good flow to the vendor area.

SO, I spent another 2 days in crafter wasteland and only made one sale at 7 pm on the second day.

Well, it wasn't a total loss. There were 2 other vendors there that gave me a lot of great advice and I have hooked into a couple other shows for next year that are very promising.

So, all in all, although I really didn't like the idea of being inside for such a beautiful weekend, it served its purpose. I learned to choose my venues wisely and to make the most of even the worst of shows!

Thanks to the hosts for this show. You all did all you could, and I know you did. I really appreciated all your efforts and all your hard work to try to get the traffic back to us. I guess you can lead the horse to water but......

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.

Welcome Back!

No Mr. Kotter is not coming by to say hi. It has been too busy of a year. But summer is winding down, kids will be back in school, and I will be hitting the mud HARD.

I just updated my events schedule for the rest of the year, you can check out where I will be at www.bigdogpots.net.

I also decided I would give Etsy a try. Many people ask if I have a local shop, when I say "no", then they usually follow with "you need to be on Etsy".

SO, I took their advise and have expanded my "computering" and have just created an Etsy shop. You can check that out at www.bigdogpots.etsy.com.

Well, now on to "pot news".

Not sure if I mentioned that I started taking a class in the wheel in Feburary. More of a stop in a chat type thing. But I got to play with mud while it went AROUND in a circle. COOL!!

My teacher was patient, but didn't "get" what I was trying to do. Fortunately, people at my shows "get" it and the wheel items have been flying off the table.

SO, my wonderfully supportive husband of 24 year (and counting) decided I "needed" to get my own. So, I am now the proud owner of a Pacifica GT400. LOVE,LOVE,LOVE this wheel.

I have also expanded my handbuilding to include some new and interesting pieces, including unique communion plates and goblets.

I will post more pictures soon.

Time to Get MOVING...

Well, I worked out the doubled booking. Let's face it, I need to be at the show I instigated. I am looking forward to being there and sharing my hobby with that part of my "world". I will know most of the people who come by and that will be an interesting experience.

Now, I need to get to it. I have a little under 2 weeks and about half of what I want to take. I have all the darker glazing done, now I need to create items for some of the lighter combinations I have wanted to try. It has been interesting to work with various combinations and layering ideas, and the results have been mixed, but I have discovered some new loves. I have uploaded some of the ones I like, so far.

Crash! Slash! Burn! Do it all over again....

WOW, that kiln can get HOT! I went out to check on a run last week and "peeked" under the lid to see how my prized tray was doing. You know, the one I had to redo because the last time I did it, it was next to another piece that exploded, and so my then prized tray also exploded. Well, I was sure this second time would be a total winner.

Well, let me just tell you, that when your kiln manufacturer says "spring loaded" top, they mean it! Yes, I know I broke the cardinal rule of potters, I peeked...sorry to all I am offending by retelling this story...you all already know what happened.

Yes, I peeked. My wrist was burned by the hot air, I LET GO of the lid for a second and CRASH up it went. SLASH went the two top corners of my prized tray. Terrible.

I have now completed prized tray number 3. It has made it through bisque stage and I will glaze it, fire it and WILL NOT peek. I promise. I will post a picture when it is safely DONE.

I was busy today and tried a few new things using braids. I also recreated a few items I have not made in about a year. They are drying and I will be pleased to see how they turn out.

Interestingly, I have noticed that because I had been sick for 4 months and was not able to work in the studio, my "skills" deteriorated. I think I am now back to where I was before I got sick...I think...or just about. But it was interesting that when I stopped for a while I did loose some of the skills and little "tricks" that I had figured out that you think you will always remember, but I just could not recall.

It was kind of like having a long conversation interrupted and forgetting where you were in the discussion. It was interesting, but mostly, I am relieved that I am back to where I was last fall. Now, I am just trying to keep moving forward.