I have been a busy girl...

I have been working hard in the studio on various projects. One is a commission for a friend from high school. It is a large vase with family names, words and significant numbers. He wants to surprise his wife with it for an anniversary gift so I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that all goes well. I found it quite a challenge not only getting all the words on there but also forming the vase without it cracking.

Above is a shot of it drying. Kind of hard to see all the lettering but once it is bisque fired I will stain it to really pop the words. Today it is firing very slowly in the bisque kiln.

I am also trying to get some new work for my galleries finished plus I have started marketing a small item that so far has been a great money maker and am producing a good number of those to fulfill orders.

New vase...

Here is a recent vase I made. It is approx. 8" tall by 7 " wide.

Good tip...

I am starting to clean the studio up for the next round of creating and scraping shelves is something I do not enjoy. I read this tip in a magazine a while back so unfortunately I can't give kudos to the person who wrote it but before my last glaze firing I sprayed some water on my pristine new shelf (that I bought because some of my old ones are so crusty) dusted it with alumina hydrate and then misted with more water. Put it in the kiln loaded pieces glaze fired and it was awesome!!! Nothing stuck at all! In the past I have had the black underglaze that I sign my name with stick to kiln wash. Sometimes I also do little drawings and the bottoms and certain colors would stick but not this time! Then I laid out newspaper and just dusted the shelve off and am going to reuse the alumina. If you have never tried this I highly recommend it.

Supplies...

It has finally stopped raining and is a BEAUTIFUL day here- Yay! I always feel so much better when the sun is out. I am offiicially down to my last few pounds of clay so it's off to Charlotte for supplies! Unfortunately this errand usually ends up taking up a good portion of the day.

I live at the other end of the world from the clay store but I also stop at a million other stores along the way (well, since I 'm in that area of town I feel obligated to do my part for the economy)!

I am trying to work on building up inventory and will post some images as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend!
b.

Show update...

I had a great show on Saturday and it is always good seeing old friends. The temperature and humidity were pretty brutal but we all lucked out that the forecast storms stayed away! I think there was a great turnout and this is one show that I truly enjoy because it is only one day and local.

I would like to say a BIG “Thank you” to everyone that stopped by my booth and for the great feedback! I really enjoy meeting all the different people who purchase my work and hearing where my little creations are going to end up living. Thanks again to everyone who purchased work and hope to see you at the fall Barn Sale!

Carolina Claymatters Barn Sale!

This Saturday
May 9, from 10 am-4 pm

"The Barn" at McAlpine Business Park

8300 Monroe Rd. • Charlotte, NC 28211

For additional information visit www.carolinaclaymatters.org

Stop by and say "hello" if you are in the area. There will be over 50 clay artists showing and selling.

Sigh...

I found this abandoned nest. It was in an old bird house taken down over the winter. I have always loved incorporating birds, eggs, etc. on my work so this beautiful piece of nature will live in my studio as inspiration and as a reminder of unrealized potential.

Preview of new work for Lark & Key show!

In progress...

Here are some of the pieces I am currently working on for the show at Lark & Key. They are in the greenware stage awaiting some color.


It has been pretty miserable working in 30 degree temps.
So in my head I am dreaming of warmer days and all the beauty that comes with spring and decided to use that for my inspiration.

I forgot to post some pictures of the finished "Fun Run" awards...
Top photo is of one of my cats, (Rembrandt) helping me take photos!


Today I am feverishly working on pieces for the Lark & Key show opening at the beginning of April. I am also trying to get some inventory made for the spring Clay Guild show in Charlotte.

I had a great weekend. Saturday I went to the winter farmers market and got some organic eggs, homemade pita and hummus plus some other goodies.


Then I went to my favorite bakery Amelie's which is on the other side of the world from the house (but oh so worth the drive)! It is this funky place with the BEST baguettes in the world. Sunday I spent the morning at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden checking out out the orchid house. Of course I had to come home with 3 new orchids for our house!

Working...

These are some of the Houston Heights "Fun Run" awards in progress. I still have a lot more detail painting to do plus I will be adding some text to the backs. I plan on finishing these today and re-firing them to bisque temperature to set the underglazes. Then a quick dip in clear glaze and fire them up to cone 6.

I am anxious to get these done so I can fully concentrate on the show at Lark & Key which will be opening at the beginning of April.

Brrrrrrrrr!

Working in an unheated garage is NOT pleasant this morning! I have on 2 pairs of socks, long johns, sweat pants, a long sleeve tee shirt with an old wooly sweater over that and I’m still freeeeezing! I look somewhat like the Michelin man and I can barely move.

The space heater is sitting about 6 inches from my legs but it just isn’t helping much. I guess I am not quite as resilient as I used to be.

Oh well, soon it will be summer and you can hear me whine about the heat!

And on a happy note… for my b-day present my hubby & I are going to the Eagles concert tonight in Charlotte- Yay!

Happy hump day!
b.

it's always something...

Well, this past weekend was spent redoing our kitchen pantry. Got rid of the wire shelves and put in proper wood ones. It looks soooo nice!

While at Lowe’s shopping for pantry stuff I also purchased another big wire rack for the studio- Yay! More shelf space. I will be putting that together this week and hopefully filling it up soon with new work.

Today the electrician is here hard wiring my kiln. I had a little incident the last time I fired and the outlet melted :( Yikes! Not a good thing. So anyway, as my post title says “it’s always something”.

Hope you have a great Monday!

Happy 2009!

Time to clean up the studio (again!) and get back to work.

I will be the featured clay artist in April at a sweet gallery in Charlotte named
Lark & Key http://www.larkandkey.com/ So... I am really excited to get creative and make some new pieces.

I have also been commissioned to create awards for the Houston Heights Association "Fun Run". The Heights is a diverse neighborhood with beautiful historic homes and funky new ones mixed together in the heart of downtown. The race is an annual event and they always have an artist create the awards. I have made awards for this a couple of times in the past and am happy that they have asked me again! For those of you who don’t know me I lived in Houston for almost 20 years prior to escaping to North Carolina hence the Texas-NC connection.

During my extended break from clay I have been plotting some new work and hope it will translate from my brain to my hands. I might even do a little throwing! Keep y'all posted (that's a TX thang ;-P )

I am still here!

I am currently trying to get ready for the Charlotte Clay Guild "Barn Sale". It happens twice a year and is a great local sale.

I have had many distractions in the past few months so I am not going to have as much work as I normally do and I am a little disappointed with myself. But it is what it is and I am trying not to beat myself up over it too much.

Another “creative distraction” is that right now I am working in chaos- my studio (half of our garage) is a total wreck! I just don't want to take the time to clean it up! After this sale I would love to paint the walls, hang some images, rearrange and really make it "my space". I think it is important to create in a space that is inspiring and efficient. So that is going to be my goal for the end of the year...



Anywhoo, here are shots of the disaster zone... my little kiln and work in progress.

I am pretty eclectic when it comes to creating. I usually go out to the studio without a concrete plan and begin creating. Sometimes I don’t have that luxury (like when I am working on something custom which I find very stressful but that is a whole different post) so for the most part I work very intuitively- the actual pieces are my sketches.

That is not to say I don’t have copious sketchbooks full of thoughts & ideas- but those are mainly to help my overloaded brain remember an idea (as I age, I realize my brain is kind of like a sieve and I need a little prompt now and then to recall something I want to try).

About my work...

I create porcelain objects often incorporating highly embellished surfaces.
My pieces are hand built using slab construction techniques. I use a variety of texture making tools, ceramics pigments and translucent glazes. I fire in an oxidation atmosphere to cone 6.
I am inspired by nature, fabric/textiles, graphic design and architecture. Each piece is a representation of my interest in exploring the elements of line, color, pattern and detail. I often work on an intimate scale meant to entice the viewer both physically and visually. Most of my pieces are one-of-a-kind.
My genuine enjoyment of the medium is evident by the playful nature of my work but I also strive to convey refinement and meticulous craftsmanship in each piece.