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.....

FACE

PHEW!! It is wicked HOT here. All these triple digits are squashing my creative spirit. I have taken a short recess from the studio while some pieces are drying and while I am waiting...I have started to go back through some old videos and books about pottery. These are things that I bought a little while back.

When I first looked at them, I didn't quite understand what they were saying to me. Now with a few years under my belt the "tips and tricks" are making more sense. I will be giving some of them a try in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, here is a sweet face to keep my place until I get back to blogging again!

In Process

We have been given a little break from the intense heat this summer. So, I took the opportunity to get back into the studio. This is a nice piece that is in process. It is structurally quite sturdy, and I am loving the paisley and daisy impressions. I will post a finished photo in a few weeks.

Storing Up for the Long Winter Ahead

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the studio. I am busy with overseeing a wonderful group of ladies at a local pottery studio one morning a week. I refer to myself as the "monkey who is now running the zoo". We enjoy each other and have been potting together for about 4 years now. So, it is a nice time to be with friends.

I have also been looking to the fall and winter schedule, signing up for shows, and making new and different pieces. My last kiln run was one of my best with only one piece needing to be re-done. It was a re-do to begin with, so seeing as it already had a bad glaze day to begin with, what I added to it didn't really count.

Here is a picture of a new leaf combination that I am quite pleased with how the finished pieces turned out.

Coming soon a special vase that I have been working on. It is at the leather hard stage now, so it is still a ways off from sharing here, but it may turn out to be something quite spectacular.

I will keep you posted!