Holiday Shopping Saturdays at the NKB

My studio will be open the next three Saturdays! Stop by December 3, 10 and 17 from Noon-4pm. Other studios in the building will be open as well. Shop handmade • Shop local! Help keep NE Mpls a vibrant arts district—we really appreciate your business!!!!
I have a great selection of pottery, art tiles and ornaments available.
Click here for a list of studios open Dec. 3 in the building.

Seeking Studiomate!

We're looking for a studio mate in my ceramics studio. Please contact me if interested or pass on if you know someone that may be looking in the Minneapolis area.

Getting Organized!

Besides from getting a great glaze load with lots of tests out of the kiln this week, I'm also really proud of getting all my design patterns FINALLY organized into binders. At first glance, this might not seem monumental, but it is going to save me so much time finding things and I've had the binders, sleeves and dividers sitting on my workbench for at least 6 months. Every time I decorate, I'm digging through a messy pile of transparent patterns trying to find the one I'm looking for. Now I can spend more energy on new designs and getting work made instead of searching for lost patterns. Yay!

From Inspiration to Decoration

I get a lot of questions about how I get my ideas and develop my ceramic designs. While I get a lot of my source material for the illustrations from vintage quilts and textiles, I am always looking for bits and pieces of inspiration everywhere. I like to take little visual treasures that strike me and reinterpret to be fresh and new while still speaking to the original material. I thought I'd share my creative process on a new plate design from inspiration to final fired art piece. A while back I picked up an old coffee table book on trees at the thrift store and loved some of the illustrations showing the tree bare and with full leaves.

I spend some time sketching to come up with a design that I'm happy with and then draw a final sketch at the scale I need for the piece I'm planning to put it on.

Then I make a pattern using a piece of clear vinyl shower curtain liner. This way I can see through the pattern to place it on the piece and can reuse it over and over without it wearing out.

Once I've transferred the design, I "stitch" it onto the plate while the clay is still leatherhard and add slip dots for texture. Each stitch and dot is applied individually, by hand. I don't use any kind of roller or transfer or stamp like many people assume.

After drying, I then paint on underglazes, bisque fire, stain and wash, glaze and fire again. My process is time intensive and has MANY steps to achieve the result I want.

The final plate after firing in my electric kiln. I'm calling this design "Winter into Spring". I think I may apply it to some tile designs and it's also making me feel inspired to create a four seasons series in the future.

Hope this helps show the work that goes into making a piece of my handmade pottery. It is a lot of work, but it is a labor of love and it's worth it when the first fired pot comes out of the kiln.

You can find them for sale here in my etsy shop!

Or, visit my studio for First Thursday in the Northrup King Building, studio 394 this upcoming Thursday, June 2 from 5-9 pm. Check out the new sculpure garden outside the building and enjoy a Root Beer Float courtesy of the building. Then come in and enjoy looking at some great art.

May Giveaway - Win a Berry Bowl Set!

I am doing my first ever giveaway this month! How do you use my pottery/tiles in your home and daily life? Customers are always telling me about that favorite mug that they fight over, or how that vase looks just perfect in their living room, but I rarely get a chance to see it. I'm hoping to put together an album that I can pull out when I get that perpetual art fair question, "Well, I just love it, but what would I do with it?" Send me a digital picture showing my work in your home, on your table, or otherwise in use, and get entered in my May giveaway. You will be entered once for each image submitted. Submit as many as you like. By sending me your photos, you are agreeing that I may use them on my blog, facebook page, website or in-studio (of course, anonymously, without your name or other personal information listed.) Include your name and contact information in the email so I know where to find you if you are the winner, and also any other story or note about how you use my work. I will be taking submissions through the end of May and will be drawing the winner on Friday, June 1, 2011. Email submissions to: emily@emilydyer.com. Or, you can also drop off prints or a cd at my studio or mail them to me at: Emily Dyer; Northrup King Building; 1500 Jackson St. NE, Studio 394; Minneapolis, MN 55413. I can't wait to see them!!!

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. 

What once was lost...

I have been pretty good about sticking with my 15 minutes of organizing each day I'm in the studio. I'm starting to get past the surface clutter and move deeper into the abyss. It's amazing what I unlodged from hiding places in only about 20 minutes of studio purging and organizing this afternoon. The highlights:
• A whole batch of berry bowls thrown, wrapped in plastic, and then lost in the back of my wet rack. These must have been abandoned last summer in the third trimester of my pregnancy. Totally dried out...so sad!
• My little metal decorating turntable which I have been looking for since I got back in the studio this year!
• A plastic tub filled with cut out hearts carefully wrapped in between layers of fabric and plastic. These were an abandoned valentine's day project from TWO years ago. Also totally dried out.
• A stash of sketches, including these super cute oval plate designs that I never made. These were a treat to discover. I don't even remember when I drew these, but I think now that I've found them again they will soon find their way onto the next batch of plates! I love the one on the far right with the ruffly leaf and crisscross flower/pod design.

Spring Studio Clean Out Super SALE!

I am cleaning house, or rather, studio! It's time for all those imperfect but-still-lovely seconds, older pieces and mismatched pots to find new homes. I need to clean off my shelves to make room for new work and new ideas. I usually only do this once a year, if that, so make sure to visit my etsy shop and get them at sweet prices while they last. Whatever is left will be available in my studio on the First Thursday in April (April 7 from 5-9 pm, Northrup King Building, studio #394). My studio mates will be clearing work out too! Part of the impetus for this purging is a renewed commitment to getting things in order. I'm taking Alyson Stanfield's online Get Organized class this month and hope to make some headway taming my habit of piles of paper everywhere and email overwhelm. With the chaos my two little guys create in my life I need to do anything I can to keep things simplified and organized. I've already listed some sale items in the shop, and will keep posting throughout the month.

Web Design Department? Oh yeah, that's me!

Minnesota Monthly • December 2008

Since I'm stuck at home with a sick baby (poor Winnie) I've been trying to get some website updates done! I scanned and uploaded my press clippings which have been sitting on my desk forever. I can't believe how long it took. Every time I do something like this I wish I could afford a web guru to do this stuff for me. If you haven't checked out my website recently, I've moved it over to a new host, big black bag, and completely redesigned it. It will give me the capacity to easily add some new services (like custom online gift registries for weddings, etc.).

Minnesota Monthly • December 2009

And they're out of the kiln!

Here are the first round of fired and glazes dishes from the molds I made in the workshop I took last month with Hiroe Hanazono. They have some imperfections and a few glaze problems because I was rushing them through to see how they would work out, but I am pretty happy with them. They're adorable and I am learning so much from trying the process out. The ideas are simmering of where I could take this and I'm already seeing some larger flower shaped serving dishes in my future! Now, just to find the time. These are not in the etsy shop yet, as they're only prototypes, but I did just list some cute new lunch plates here. As my 4 year old pointed out, they're just the right size for your peanut butter sandwich. He's now requesting some with "boy" designs: trains, dinosaurs, robots...It would be a different subject matter for me, but they sure would be darn cute. What would you like to see on your lunch plate?

First Casts!

I finally got a chance to try out the slip casting molds I made in the Hiroe Hanazono workshop I took earlier in the month. I haven't done a lot of slip casting, so the whole process always feels a little intimidating to me. Here are the molds full of slip, waiting to set up so I can pour it out.

Here are the first casts out of the molds! I definitely have some work to do on fine tuning my molds and forms, but I'm excited about the potential. It seems like it could be a great way to add some new more complex forms to my body of work. Now just to find the time...

P.S. Happy Birthday to me!!!!

Where, oh where, have I been?

I can't believe how time has slipped by with a new baby around. I feel like I blinked and five months have gone by in a second. It's hard to get back to posting once you're out of the habit, plus a moment to myself to think feels rare these days. Baby Win (Edwin) was born on September 9, 2010. He's been a great baby, pretty mellow and generally happy. Eli turned 4 at the end of December and he's a really attentive big brother. Win thinks he's about the best thing around! Trying to manage everything both at home and the studio is definitely a LOT harder with two kids, but I'm trying to figure out the right balance.

I'm just really getting back to the studio in earnest. The boys will have childcare for a few afternoons a week and I'm really excited to get back to work. First thing is to start restocking after being out of the studio for the past 5 months (plus the last months of my pregnancy when I couldn't throw). Plus, I have a bunch of new ideas simmering.

While I haven't been back in the studio too much yet, I treated myself to a workshop in Chicago at Lillstreet Art Center earlier this month. It was two full days (my first weekend away from the baby) with Hiroe Hanazono, From Template to Mold. Her slip cast forms are amazing! I am currently coveting one of her multiple compartment serving trays. We learned her techniques for constructing forms for slipcasting and how to make multiple part molds. This is something I've always felt intimidated by so it was really great to see Hiroe's tips. I can't wait to make some test pieces in my class molds and to design some more pieces to try this technique on. I can't believe I carried two heavy plaster molds halfway across Chicago on foot, bus and train, and then home on the plane...and they both made it home safely.

I also drove down to Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN on Tuesday to give a demo and lecture to the beginning ceramics class. I graduated from Gustavus as a studio art major (I won't tell you what year!) and it was where I took my first ceramics class and fell in love with clay. It was fun to go back, see what had changed and share some of my techniques with the students.

Now, to get my hands back in the clay!

A New Addition, Coming Soon!

I'm trying to wrap up all the loose ends both at home and in the studio in preparation for the arrival of my second child in early September. I can't believe the summer flew by without any new blog posts. I guess I found out it was much harder to make pots, do art fairs and basically hold everything together while pregnant and with a 3 year old at home. Somehow I did it, but a lot of stuff fell through the cracks. I'll be out of the studio for the next few months on maternity leave. In the interim, my studio in the Northrup King Building will be open for building events (First Thursdays and Art Attack) thanks to my great studiomates and you can find my work there! I will try to stop by as I can, hopefully showing off my new little man. I will also have new tile work at the Minnesota Tile Festival in Minneapolis on September 18 (thanks to my amazing studio assistant)! My etsy shop will be closed temporarily, but I plan to start posting again in a few months in time for holiday shopping, and I hope to be back in the studio making new work by the end of the year. I will not be taking any new custom orders until January 2011. Feel free to contact me, but know that I may be slow getting back to you as we adjust to our new addition.

Art-A-Whirl • May 14-16, 2010

Join us in our studio for Art-A-Whirl 2010, the country's largest open studio tour sponsored by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association. Here at the Northrup King Building, Art-A-Whirl is a chance to gain free admission into the working studios of over 200 artists working in nearly every art medium. You could spend a whole day in our building and still not see everything. Free parking. Plus, studios and galleries will be open throughout Northeast. Come get to know this rich arts district.

Friday, May 14th – 5:00-10:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 15th – Noon-8:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 16th -Noon-5:00 p.m.

I have lots of work on the shelves as I've been stocking up to get ready for summer shows. Stop by to see what I've been up to! Also in my studio, #394, terra cotta sculpture and encaustic works by Claudia Poser, whimsical ocarinas by Lucy Grantz and mosaic work by Linda Mix Yates. Also, see a series of new collaborative mosaic works that Linda and I have been working on using my handmade tiles.

Most studios serve refreshments, and the Magic Bus will be outside the main entrance of the building for more serious food! Or, try some of Northeast's amazing eateries.

Northrup King Building
1500 Jackson St. NE • Studio #394
Minneapolis, MN 55413

www.northrupkingbuilding.com for directions and building info.
www.nemaa.org for event details.

Hope to see you there!

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.

Top Ten Pitfalls of the Pregnant Potter - Part 1

I've come across other articles and blog entries about parenting and pottery, how to balance family and work, the challenges of finding studio time with young kids, etc. But, I don't know if I've actually seen anyone address the reality of pregnancy while making pottery. It seems like maybe it's time. So, here is a partial list of the unexpected challenges pregnancy brings to the studio.

1. Not being able to reach the bottom level of the kiln anymore because your stomach is in the way and having to go begging artists down the hall for help.

2. Sticking your stomach into the side of a large bowl or platter while throwing it. I guess this could be a benefit if you go for the "mark of the artist" in your work. In my case, it just ruins the peice.

3. Crushing the rim of a freshly thrown pot with your newly burgeoning bosom. Again, could be a new decorative technique.

4. Can't get your elbow to your hipbone to brace yourself when trying to center a large lump of clay. I know it's back there somewhere!

5. Can't lift a box of clay. My doctor recommended not lifting more than 25#. You've got to be kidding me! Again, the embarrassing need to go soliciting help.

And, I'm just in my fourth month...it only gets better! I'll post the rest of the list later on in my pregnancy. Of course, by then maybe I'll be in that "serene" segment of my pregnancy with a "peaceful sense of wellbeing" and "radiant glow" (never happened with my first kid!) and won't feel like complaining anymore. Or, maybe I'll come up with the other 5 points in the middle of July when I'm standing outside in the heat and humidity doing art fairs in my 7th month. If you have personal experience, please feel free to add your comments if you feel I've missed anything important!

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!

First Thursday and Art Attack this weekend!

My studio in the Northrup King Building will be open all weekend for Art Attack, Northrup King Building's huge yearly event - over 200 artists, one location, four floors. Start your holiday shopping early with unique handmade gifts from local artists. Or, find something amazing for yourself!

First Thursday open studios • 5-9pm tonight

Art Attack Hours:

Friday, November 6th • 5-10pm

Saturday, November 7th • 12-8pm

Sunday, November 8th • noon-5pm

I hope you'll stop by! I have lots of new ornaments and some fun new seasonal plates and vases.

1500 Jackson St NE; Studio 394

Minneapolis, MN 55413

www.northrupkingbuilding.com for directions and event details

612.598.2248

First Thursday & Ornament Super Sale-October 1!

Since I'm currently up to my neck in new 2009 ornaments in various states of production, I decided it's time to do a one-night-only super sale on some of my discontinued styles of globe ornaments before I start putting the new ornaments out in November. I generally don't mark these down since they're really time-consuming to make and decorate. The clearance globes will be priced at $18-$20 depending on style (normally $36-$38). This is a great reason to stop by my studio this Thursday night (October 1) from 5-9pm for First Thursday in the Northrup King Building. Enjoy a night out with great art throughout the building (also free parking and refreshments...what more could you ask for?)

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.