April 21, 2011

And Now They are Fired...




A couple of blog posts ago, I shared some sketches that I discovered in my ongoing studio cleanout. The finished plates just came out of the kiln and I'm really happy with them. I think they successfully reference the folk art quilt themes that inspire me but with a fresh, more contemporary twist and in my own illustrative "language." I read somewhere once, that you should never trace anything when creating illustrations but always redraw it free hand while referencing the source. This way it will always be translated through your own eye and hand, making it unique and special. This stuck with me and I always use this technique when creating my designs. The first batch of plates is available for sale here

April 09, 2011

A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Studio Mate...

She's here! We just moved our newest studio addition in today and she's big, blue and beautiful! We've been limping along for the last few years with a very old northstar slab roller that was demanding repairs and replacement parts fairly often. Another clay artist moving out of my studio building was selling this pristine, hardly used 6 foot Northstar slab roller and I decided to splurge and buy it. It has a larger roller, larger work surface and is much heavier duty than our old friend. I can't wait to start rolling slabs for more trays and tilework, but first I have to finish a round of glazing and fire a kiln full of orders this week before I get to play.