Jam-Jar

I'm still working away today. As always, I don't think I have enough new stuff to suit me. But that is just me, all of it will be new to someone so I have to remember that. Here is a photo of the jam-jar I spoke of in a post back. PLEASE feel free to tell me what you think of them. I kind rushed the feet today because I was in a hurry to get stuff done and onto the next phase of my process. I did get the piece out with the luster on it. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It could be a nice accent on non-functional work. Julia Galloway's work has lots of luster on it but I can tell she has some other "gold" that she uses, not like this one I have. There are always secrets that every potter keeps to themselves. If your don't know her pots goggle her name and her web-site will pop up. I love her work!

Beach snap-shots

This is Aydan dancing at the beach. Now that I have a digital camera I can not help but post ( of course) more than just photo's of pots and stuff like that. I'm a proud mama just like every other one.

Back in the thick of it

I'm back and back working tonight as well. My quick comments on the beach :
The kids had a blast playing in the water.
1.For once no-one was scared to venture into the waves.
2.Joey and I enjoyed playing with all the kids in the tidal pools...it was like swimming in the bath tub.
3.Family vacation, we have decided, are not really good for the both of us to "rest up". It was utter chaos with all the kids, food and organization of living with 13 people......and not everyone was there this trip!
4. And its good to be home.

I"m testing a luster tonight. I kind of feel like if I go this direction with some of my surfaces I might be marketing the "LasVegas" type of shopper. I"ve always wanted to just try it so what the heck. I threw some saucers for cups I did last week and worked on putting my "jam jars" together. I made these back in grad school and thought I'd take a crack at them again. I'm not sure I might the right decision with the handle so I may scrape them for the show but we'll see tomorrow once I get the feet put on. Once again I'm bisqueing stuff when its still kind of wet so I'll be nervous all day Thursday before I open up that kiln load. No matter what I do, I'm always a day late on stuff. Sunday we put up the show.

Finishing up for some R&R

I got almost everything finished up tonight since we will be at the beach for a few days. I did have a good long night in the studio last night and got my motivation back. I started around 6 and didn't finish up until about 11:30. I ended up doing some nice work I thought! I'm still working on the Flower-block form. I really am liking this piece a lot because there is so much I can do on the surface. I am kind of excited to start experimenting with some low-fire lusters and colors. ( It could also be a real visual disaster).

I decided to treat myself to a movie tonight while I put sprigs on a lot of things. I rented "Trans-America". Felicity Hoffman( I think that is her name) is one of my new favorite actresses. I love her in desperate housewives-she plays my favorite house wife Lynnette.( I can relate to her since she has twins and says some wacky things to people at times). She was awesome in this movie. I did after about the first 15 minute start forgetting that she was a women. Rent it if you get a chance! I'll be back in a few days!

Getting motivated

I've been having a hard week trying to stay focused and motivated on getting good things done for this show. Some of it I think is just been the week. Face it, some weeks your just kind of in a funk. I'm having that kind of week sort of. We are off to the beach on Saturday so maybe a little vacation will do me good and I'll be back to a fresh start. I am getting things made for the show but the excitement to make stuff is not there this week. I think I really need to learn to turn the TV off in the evening when I work. I just so addicted to turning it on and then I end of watching really bad shows that take my focus away from what's at hand. On weekends when I can be out in my studio with the radio and no one else around is when I really love being there and feel like I do my best. Night are hard with kids opening the door all the time with interruptions and all the background noise of what's going on inside the house. Ok......Well that is my "potters world" for today. I'm going to do some lowfire glaze test the end of this week so hopefully I'll get some photo's on here and talk more about my thinking behind that. Have a good one!

My show with my Dad

I'm doing a show with my Dad next month. Its a pretty fun "project" for the both of us. When I was really little I remember my Dad painting at the kitchen table and we had several of his painting hanging on the walls. Sadly I think pretty much when I entered school his job got more demanding and he stopped painting. About the time I decided to go back to school and get another degree in pottery, he started getting interested in painting again which I thought was great. Last year he set up this show for us at the Greenwood Arts Council ( my "sudo" hometown) and we will be showing there together in July. It will quit a contrast in process because Dad likes to do very geometric painting and of course I'm all about the organic. I know all my love for the creative came from him and its fun to do this show together.
Here are some new big vases I've been working on for the show. Lets hope they get through the first firing!

Strictly functional

I got "lost" again on the web last night. As I said before I get on here usually about 11pm after I finish my studio work and I check my email, write stuff on the blog and then some nights I go web searching. This at times is a bad thing for me to do because I either spend to much time looking at stuff , which cuts into my sleep time or it kind of makes me depressed at all the fantastic work out there that I'm competing with. I guess both of these issues where true last night. I decided to check out this years entries in the Strictly Functional show ( a juried pottery show that I have entered for the last 5 years and got rejected every time!). Some years I've gone on there and thought after seeing some pots and the slide quality -" how did they get in and I didn't"? But this year I was in awe of the work that was selected. Mostly all of it was awesome and I was very envious of the creativity and skill these potter had. You would think this would make me rush right out to my studio and work on the most creative thing I could come up with but really the opposite is true. It just makes me want to get back to basics and refine what I think I may have missed. I could go on and on about this but instead let me just encourage you to go look at this show on the web if you love pots!

My studio

Well, my studio is repaired. I have now gained about a sidewalks width of room( before a gaping hole stood there). Feels good to fix something around our house and not have to worry about wild animals walking around my studio for awhile. Last year I had a raccoon family that would wonder in every night and eat the cat food. One night at 3 in the morning I found one of them scaling the screen behind my shelf full of finished work. I of course freaked out, made some noise and the thing crawled down very gracefully without knocking a single pot off the shelf. Amazing......

I'm working kind of slowly this week. I've managed to make some nice teabowls, large bowls and pretty large vases. Actually I got the idea for my up coming class to work on bigger pots so I thought I might as well practice putting two pieces together myself since I haven't done this in a long time. Well, the results where not that good so a few nights ago I thought, what the heck I'm just going to throw a huge amount of clay and see if I can do it. Low and behold I've gotten some pretty substantial pots made out of porcelain( to bad they will shrinks down so much). I'll let you know how they turn out.

pottery buddies

I forgot to mention that I had a great time Friday night getting together with a group of my pottery friends. I love all the friends in my life but being about to talk pots without the other person getting bored by the conversation is just a addiction that I have to have. I think most potters would agree with me. I almost wish someone could tell me if its like this with all professions or is it just the crafts people that find themselves absurdly in this. I guess I can say the same is true when I get with me mom friends. Its all the need for information and gathering that. Maybe I just need to be a fly on the wall when a bunch of doctors or actors get together. I know my parents( who are both educators) use to talk about that non-stop at the dinner table when I was little so I guess it is true. ( Of course pots still seem like a more exciting conversation to me.)

photo's....

I can't seem to get the photo's I need published on here the last few nights. After I write a bit I'll try again. ( I hate computers....well I love them and hate them all at the same time). On to pots...............I just got back throwing last night. Boy it was nice. Whenever I know I have something big coming up I just start small with cups or bowls. Last night I threw some pretty substancial teabowls for my show in July with my Dad. I've put alot of good pots away for the show but relised after logging the prices for all that I had already, I need some nice smaller items to balance it all out. I also had to re-arrange my studio a bit because Mr. Green( go on Joey's Smackapple blog and you can read more about our contractor issues) anyways, he's starting on fixing my studio hole in the morning. I need to take a photo of that so you can see just what kind of "decay" I've been working in for a year. Give a kind thought to the pottery gods that while Mr.Green is working none of my stuff gets broken while I'm trying to work as well.

My other job

Joey told the story of the birthday part best, so I had to just copy this from his blog. I enjoy doing parties for the kids because I just want to see there happy little faces when all the treats come out!
Birthday Party
We had a little birthday party this weekend for the twins - who turn three. It really does not seem like it's been three years since they were born - well, I guess sometimes it does.Anyway, it was my kind of event - short and to the point, without tons of people. It was a Hello Kitty party, and all little girls, except for Quaid. This may be the last time he isn't too excited to be surrounded by all girls.We filled up a couple of little swimming pools with glycerin and some other ingredients to make giant bubbles. There was minimal whining over stuff, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.These are the three obligatory kid's pictures.
posted by Joey Lawler at 8:15 PM 0 comments links to this post
6.06.2006

Summer

Tonight I tried to get out into my studio and do some cleaning but all I could concentrate on is the kids and bed time ect. I'm enjoying summer so far with the kids I'm happy to report. I guess without all the stress of driving people here and there has proved to be pretty great. I still have lots I need to do but something is differant now that the kids are out of school. Just staying at home and spending time laying out in the grass with the girls or reading a bunch of books on the bed with the the breeze going through the windows is very relaxing to me. I tend not to be a very relaxed person( as most people who know me well can see) so this has been great for me. So, its 10:30, there are tons of boxes to unload, clay to recycle, floors to mop and just basic junk/trash and smells everywhere out there but for another day or so I think I'm going to let it sit there and enjoy the kids.

Larkspur show

I had a fantastic weekend! As I said before, I love to do this show. I wish I had gotten some more photo's but being the technical reject that I am, I only managed to get these few photo's of the show. The first one shows one of the gardeners selling plants, the next one is of my booth and the third one is of my painter friend Georges booth. Of course there were many more exciting things to see there as always. France's gardens are just so wonderful, people come out there just to get seeds from all her plants ( and she lets them!) I don't know what it is about the Raleigh area but I just tend to gel with the type of folks that live there a bit better than here in Charlotte. I know my pots sell better there! Lots more down to earth folks there I think.
My big sellers seemed to be teapots and pretty much the norm from other shows( vases, cups, bowl and casserole's). I have yet to sell one of my clam boxes! I had an idea today to make some very small lidded casseroles. Kind of a "tupperware container" out of clay. I had the idea because I was chopping up onions to have for the week in my morning eggs and couldn't find a lid for any of the plastic ware( what's new). So I reached for a pottery bowl and put plastic over it. I'll let you know when I get to those. Tomorrow is clean up day in the studio and than on to elaborate, one of a kind things for the show I'm doing with my Dad in July. I"ll keep you updated on what I've come up with new for that!