Foot Fetish

It's not what you're thinking. I've gotten obsessed with footed vessels in the studio this week. It started with a new mold for a hand built serving platter that I decided to put a low thrown foot on, and now it has grown into cake stands, tall footed candy dishes, and I'm even attempting a giant "flower" shaped bowl form that will sit on a tall thrown foot. I'm having a lot of fun with them and will be interested to see where it goes. I'm really enjoying combining hand built forms with thrown forms—surprisingly a new direction for me. My work has always been mainly wheelthrown with a secondary line of hand built slab trays, but rarely have the two met in the same piece. I better stop making and start decorating or I'm going to overwhelm myself with pots waiting to be finished.

Yummy!

I've finally gotten around to making a new set of test tiles for the studio. I've been meaning to do this forever and it's going to be so nice to have a set that I can hang on the wall instead of digging through boxes looking for mismatched bits and pieces. These are the underglazes that I use for painting the colors on my illustrations. I've tried a lot of different products, but these are my favorites. They are Amaco Velvet underglazes fired to Cone 5. Some of the colors aren't as vibrant at this temperature, but I've found a nice color palette that fires bright and consistent. I apply them to bone dry greenware (I use Laguna Bmix5 clay), then bisque fire and cover with a clear glaze before firing to cone 5. The nice thing about the velvets is that they can be fired without a cover glaze, so I sometimes use them that way for detail on the bottom of pieces. I usually use them at the consistency they come out of the container, but occasionally thin them with water to get a little more of a watercolor look (they are translucent when thin, opaque when thick.) These just came out of the last firing and when I laid them all out they look so tempting, like an amazing box of candy. Next task is to make tiles for all of my glazes.

Inspiration to Play!

I just finished watching Kristen Kieffer's new DVD: Surface Decoration: Suede to Leatherhard and loved it! Trying to balance being a mom with being a working artist means that every second I have in the studio is crucial and I don't often get the chance to attend workshops or classes. This dvd is like sitting in on a demo session with Kristen and seeing lots of great tips and techniques. Most of the techniques are things that I am familiar with, but it's always great to be reminded of them and to see how another artist uses them in their work. There were also a few great tricks that I hadn't seen before. Just the section on how she makes and uses stamps in her work was worth the price of the dvd! I have always loved Kristen's work and it was great to get a glimpse into how she works. The way her forms and surfaces work so seamlessly together is very inspiring to me. And, I love the richness of her decorative patterning, so elegant and fluid. I often get stuck spinning so fast on my "hamster wheel" (my husband's description of my work pace) trying to get enough work made that I don't allow myself time to play and have fun with my work, and this video is a good reminder to do that!

Remembering why I do this...

Sometimes the universe gives us what we need. After my last post I was really feeling sorry for myself and was seriously questioning what I'm doing. Then I unloaded my last kiln which along with a bunch of regular orders and the first of the holiday ornaments held a couple of very special pieces. When I took these out it was a huge reminder of why I do this and what's really important in life. One was a set of "lovebird" mugs one of my good friends commissioned for her nine-year anniversary. We designed them so the birds are facing each other when the mugs are displayed and we picked a flower design and colors that she loves. The other is an urn that will hold the ashes of an infant. I was honored to make such an important piece for her family. This jar came out exactly how I wanted it to--sweet and quiet but with a sense of happiness and joy, celebrating that little soul.  These two examples embody why I make the work I do. To make special, unique handmade items that connect with the people who use them.  To honor personal connections and celebrate our daily lives and relationships. 

A piece of the process

I was in the studio today getting work ready for a glaze firing and realized how much I love to see everything spread out all over the table. It also makes me realize how time intensive my glazing process has become. I thought I'd share a few steps. These pieces have already been decorated and bisque fired. Most of these dishes are for my cousin's wedding registry (lucky kids...wish I could register for myself and actually get a nice set of my own dishes at home).

Pots with stain painted applied.

Stain washed off, ready for glazing.

Can't wait to get back in and glaze these babies on Sunday, then into the kiln again. It's magic!

Summer 2009 Art Fair Schedule

I just sent my summer show card off to get it printed. Here's the list.

Happy Spring - Fired Up Coupon!

Happy Spring! Fired Up Studios is having a special coupon promotion from now through May 31, 2009. $5 off any purchase in their pottery gallery (print it out and take it with you for the discount). I have a special place in my heart for Fired Up after renting studio space there for a number of years. I started out renting a shelf and using studio wheels, then moved up to a shared private space, then into a full space and finally outgrew that to move into my own studio in my current building. I never would have had the opportunity to grow my clay business without such a supportive environment to set up shop in. Their gallery is a hidden treasure of the Twin Cities. You'll find work by many (30+?) clay artists in diverse styles and price ranges. I always have some work there (but you can buy anyone's with the coupon). They are hoping to let new customers know about their gallery. It's also a great place to rent space and take classes. Support independent local artists and a great business! 

Think Spring

Yes. I guess I am really tired of the long Minnesota Winter. No one prepared me for how much longer the winter would feel with a toddler, either. So I'm living in denial of the mountains of grey, dirty snow by making unapologetically springlike work in the studio. I've been playing with some new imagery including new flowers, strawberries and butterflies. Here is a series of canisters that are in process. Picture one is leatherhard work drying with stitching designs impressed. Picture two shows the canisters after they've been underglazed and bisque fired. They still have to be glazed and fired again. I'll post the finished product sometime next week.  I have been making lots of new work and it's really nice to be able to do some new stuff without the pressure of immediate show deadlines. 

If you're looking for a fun evening out, tonight is First Thursday in the Northrup King Building. Studios throughout the building will be open from 5-9pm. I have a ton of new work on display, including some valentine inspired work that would make the perfect gift for your sweetheart. 

Hope you'll stop by--I'm in studio #394!

Nonpareil blog article

Thanks to Nonpareil for blogging about my work on their site highlighting indie style. They feature different artists making amazingly cool work and it's an honor to be included. Be sure to check out the article and also take a look at the work of the other artists in their blog archive. 

Open Studio December 13 -- NKB Holiday Art Market

My studio (#394) will be open this Saturday, Dec. 13, from noon-5pm for Northrup King Building's Holiday Art Market. Stop by for snacks, cookies and hot tea. This is a wonderful, relaxed shopping atmosphere a far cry from the mall. Our studio features my pottery, tiles and ornaments, Lucy's whistles and Claudia's terra cotta sculpture and jewelry. Find lots of other unique locally made gift items throughout the building.

As a special treat, my father-in-law will be stopping by to add to the festivities by playing accordian music for your enjoyment. He'll start playing at around 1:30 and play 'til he's tired!

Also, put your name in a drawing to win one of my handmade ceramic globe ornaments. I'll be drawing the winner after the shopping hours on Sat., Dec. 20. Hope to see you!

Minnesota Monthly Pick!

I was thrilled to find out that one of my bowls is included in the December issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine as one of Elizabeth's Picks, a gift guide featuring Minnesota-made gifts. They found my work at Gallery 360 in Minneapolis, where I have a five-foot show up (this is like a featured artist) through mid-January. I have a really nice selection of work there for this show, including pots, ornaments and some brand new tile designs. By the way, this is one of my favorite gallery/gift shops in the twin cities! My husband has learned that when he needs to find me a gift, he can't go wrong buying me jewelry or art from this cute shop.

MARQ Magazine

I was really excited to see one of my platters featured in an article in the October 2008 issue of MARQ Magazine (a local Twin Cities style publication) about "Playful Pottery." The piece in the photo is currently at FiveTwoSix gallery in St. Paul. Fun!

New ideas...

I've been spending some time in the studio this past week trying new techniques and working on new designs for fall shows. I'm ready to try pouring molds for my round ornaments and make my first attempt at slipcasting. It feels really intimidating, but I'm hoping it will make them something that is actually reasonable to make and sell. I had been throwing and trimming each tiny little ball and it was impossible to make them in any quantity. I've also been playing around with some new slab forms and I'm really excited about where they're going. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to decorate and glaze them but I'll post pictures as they develop! I'm also hoping my new technique will eliminate the warping that has plagued my slab work.

Cut, decorate, repeat...

I'm ushering in fall with an ornament making frenzy! This year I swear I won't be frantically making hundreds of ornaments a few days before I need them for an event. They seem to take on a life of their own. I sat down the other day to tally up how many I might need for all my fall/winter events and I started to feel a bit panicked. 12 to this store, 24 to that gallery--all of a sudden it becomes a LOT of ornaments. I was surprised how many I even sold at my summer shows. I've started with the cut outs first because I'm trying to come up with a better way to produce my wheelthrown ball ornaments. They are adorable, but a huge pain to make. I lose so many at every stage of the process. I'm working on prototypes and am planning to make an attempt at making molds and slipcasting them. I have a few new shapes for the cut outs...I'm excited about the new birds and butterflies! I've also been working on filling orders and getting pieces out to galleries. I just dropped a load of pots off at The Good Life in Wayzata which seems like a cute little gift shop and gallery.