Take a breath...

Pots waiting for new homes.

Now that Art-A-Whirl is over, I can take a minute to catch my breath before I jump right back into high production mode to get ready for June art fairs. I can't believe how many people came through the studio over the course of the weekend. I sold some pieces and had lots of interest in my work and process. People seem to love seeing where we work. It was fun to see friends and family. Overall there seemed to be a lot of excitement about what is happening in the NE Arts District and over the high quality of art exhibited this year.

Last minute rush...

Today was crazy trying to get everything ready for our big studio event this weekend. Somehow everything always takes longer than I expect. I could hardly wait to get in so I could see how my last kiln load of work turned out. You just never know until you actually open the kiln. I was thrilled with the results and have lots of new work to put out! The kiln gods must have been happy because my glazes looked great and it seems like I've resolved some of the problems I've been having my firings. Here is a vase that came out today. I'm hoping to get photos of a bunch of the other pieces before they leave to find new homes.

Art-A-Whirl this weekend!

I've been working like a dog trying to get ready for Art-A-Whirl this upcoming weekend. This is a huge studio tour throughout NE Minneapolis. Something like 500+ artists participate and crowds of people come through over the course of three days. We've been redecorating our gallery area to freshen it up and really make our new work pop! We painted (we somehow managed to find the wonder color that seems to look good with anything), bought and put together new shelves, are working on new signage and will be busy this week cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I pulled a load of work out of the kiln last week, have a bisque in now and will hopefully get one more load of glazed work fired before we open on Friday night. I'm really excited about some of my new pieces and can't wait to see them finished. I'll be debuting new designs and new glaze colors. My studiomates will have new work out too. If you're in the Minneapolis area, be sure to stop by the Northrup King Building during the event this weekend. Tons of great art, great food and a LOT of fun.

Mother's Day

As show deadlines loom over me, it has felt really hard lately to try to be a mother and an artist and hold it all together. No matter where I am...studio, home, playground...I feel guilty about what I'm not getting done somewhere else. Some days I'm not sure it's worth it! I watch other ceramic artists moving forward more quickly, getting more pots made, doing bigger shows and find myself feeling jealous. The days are gone when I can just live in the studio to meet deadlines. I feel in many ways like my career has been put on hold. What I can get done in my studio time is what I can do. My kid obviously is my number one priority. On the other hand, having a child is a truly amazing experience. It is so much fun watching his personality emerge. He is learning more and more words every day, and getting more independent. I never thought I would be getting teary on Mother's Day over my 16 month old eating a bowl of cheerios by himself with a spoon for the first time. Finding a balance is hard, but I know I wouldn't give up being either a mother or an artist. So, I'll keep trying to make it work.