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.....

Spring

Well, it seems to be official around here. Spring has arrived. The daffodils are blooming, the crocuses have come and gone, the tulips are popping up, the forsythia are in full glory, and you can hear the chirping of birds in the woods.

Some of my trusty perennials have popped back up and I am already using their leaves for some Spring pieces.

This was my first "chip and dip" piece, and it flew off the shelf at my last show. Happily it landed in the possession of a new and great friend. Happy dipping! You know who you are :).

Spring is a calmer time around here. The real mad dash comes in the fall. So for now, I am enjoying the relative calm.

Some self imposed stress, I have agreed to begin teaching! FUN! I am starting in June with 2 classes. One for 5-8 year olds who will be doing some hand building; and one with 13-15 year olds as we explore just how muddy we can get on the wheel! I am gathering ideas and supplies for both these classes and am trying to find some great summer ideas for us to work on.

PLEASE, send in some suggestions for projects for these age groups. I have several, but I hope to have a handy "idea book" and am always interested in adding new projects.

If all goes well, teaching will become a new addition to the Big Dog Pots studio as I hope to continue to teach a few different classes in the fall.

Check out the class listings, and if the schedule works for you please sign up. Watch for upcoming classes here: http://www.fauquiercounty.gov/government/departments/parksrec/

Enjoy the arrival of Spring. Soak in all that GREEN.

In the Kiln Today....

I got back into the studio in earnest over the past few weeks, and I am at the point where I will fill my kiln over the weekend and officially begin the 2011 year. I have also started a pottery workshop with a local artist on wheel work. While I don't want my work to look "overly perfect", I am interested in learning more about the wheel so that I have more options to offer that aren't "overly perfect"!

The picture shows a slew of pieces, some hand built and some wheel thrown that are in the starting gate and await the beginning of the firing cycle.

I will post more pictures of these pieces once they have completed the process.