Delivered

I got all my pots to Lark and Key today. I'm always so nervous about the work and the opening whenever one goes up. Now it is out of my hands and I'll walk in tentatively Friday night to see how it all looks and how people respond to it. I got alot of good information for myself from this last set of pots. I have a photo to put up in the next day or so of a piece with the terra sig on it along side my amber glaze. I have a new vision, still working, still thinking, always trying to get one baby step ahead of another.
I'll be back soon!
jen

Sneak-Peek

It occurred to me today that now that I have this fancy camera, I really need to find or build a good spot to take some photo's. I guess most everyone takes shots of their pieces when they come out the kiln in their studio on a table or some place like that, but I just could not find anywhere today to set these few things I wanted to photograph. Hummmm...Perhaps it is time for a studio re-arrangement and a new project for the summer.

I will have to say that still with my high gloss glazes, I think it going to be a real challenge trying to take a good professional looking shot of my work. Isn't it funny how craftspeople really do have to be skilled at so many different things!

At any rate, here is a sneak peek of what came out of the kiln for my show this weekend. You got to love the towel I have underneath these two pieces!You can see that I did get some of those yummy drips on the ends!

Here is the cookie basket!

Time to Sing "Raw Hide"

.....are you ready?

Glazing, Glazing, Glazing...Keep those pots a Glazing, got to keep on Glazing Oh No! Gotta Grade, Gotta Clean, Gotta Glaze, Gotta Feed can't stop now, whoa is me.............

Ok, so that is why I haven't been on here bloggin'. I also played single parent this week and took a day to sit down with my pottery buddies for some much needed pottery chatter. Before you know it, the weekend is here, Joey's home and soon Monday will be right up on me and I'm back to trying to work , keep all little people entertained and the house clean. I think I"m in need of a helper this summer? Hummmmmm

Speaking of helpers when the girls where 6 months, I hired a college student who would come in and help me with the kids 3 days a week. She of course graduated and went off to get her masters in Architecture. Very smart, sweet girl. We lost touch with each other and she happen to find me on Facebook and the kids and I met her last week for some fun. If your a young mom in need of help, college kids are a great way to help a "craft-mom" keep things a float. I found that having a student who had a background in art so she could sort of relate to what I was trying to achieve at home was a nice fit.

I'm off for some studio time. Just another plug below for my opening next weekend at Lark and Key.

What a nice postcard!

Terra Sigillata Test

I was so excited to get this tile out yesterday. I have been talking about putting terra sig on my pieces for quit sometime but for one reason or another, I haven't gotten the right recipe or colorant for it.

Well, here is what came out of the kiln yesterday. The inner, round parts to the flowers are the terra sig's. Its more of a butter yellow where I brushed it on thick and on the edges it a nice terra cotta orange, which was what I am looking for. I think that I would be the most successful with this surface if I could spray it on, but I don't have a compressor at my finger tips, or spray booth for that matter so I need to think about this a little bit more. Perhaps another test or maybe I'll just wing it on a few of my new pieces. At any rate...small step for me but happy that I finally took the first step.

Checking in...

I just finished some checking in the my art history folks, Quaid is off to golf camp and the girls are waiting to be picked up by a dear friend of mine who is doing an "Taste of Italy" camp at their school. Once I finish here, I'm going to feverishly clean up a bit and await a visit from Ron and Amy to talk Penland, Pots and Progress. ( I just thought I throw in progress because it sounded good.)
In the studio I'm about to put together some candy dishes and start staining some things for the bisque kiln. I had a slight set-back with my kiln yesterday. Seems the new element I put in had a bit more current than normally and shut everything down in my shed. At least this is what I was told by my electrician and I don't know enough about that stuff to question anything. So....today it is back on. I'm so anxious to see my Terra Sig!!!!!!
More later...

As promised...

Wow..I can not get over how crisp my images finally are! What a treat....
speaking of treats, I'm working on all sorts of dishes for the my up coming show at Lark and Key Gallery which will have sort of a theme. I'm working on dishes with the idea of "confection". Its all in honor of my grandmother who at 98 still had a Hersey's bar at her bedside for what she would say was for "energy".
These glasses below are" root beer float cups". Here are some "cookie baskets". If you've ever visited Little Italy in New York, you should know the smells and sites of Italian Cookies. I have a recipe book full of these tasty treats from Gram and my fathers Aunts.

And finally below, here are the "Sunday boats". Ron had guessed it right on my blog a few posts ago but he sort of cheated because he called one morning when I told him I was still working on these. So...no prize there!

I still have some final touches on these to complete.

I have kiln going as I write. I'm testing some Terra Sig that is tinted a bit of orange. I'm really excited to see how it turns out.

I'll be posting more in the days to come.

Chow!

Happy Fathers Day

I have to say Happy Fathers Day to someone who I think is one of the best Dad I know. Here he is a few Christmas's ago with 3 other little people who would agree with me I'm sure.

I'm sure Joey had no clue when he signed on board for father-hood 9 years ago what he had gotten himself into. Who really can prepare you for that! On top of it, he also got a crafts person with the deal and we all know that since it is a round the clock job, I needed my husband to be just more than a provider and partner to go along with that. His help with the kids has really allowed me to do as much as I have since motherhood began for me.

From day 1 when Quiad arrived in this world Joey would bath him, do midnight feedings, doctors appointments and would take him all sorts of places while I worked. Of course once the girls came along, he had double duty. We use to have a system where he'd come home from work, we'd eat and I would go out to work so he'd have to bath everyone, read to them and put them to bed. Once the kids got older I realised he needed my help so we've pushed that system back a bit. I also have to admit he is a much better "play-mate" than I am with the kids. He will sit at night and play playmobil/lego's guys with Quaid and Barbies with the girls. It is pretty funny to hear the dialogue that goes on between he and the kids. I even have photo's of him in drag when he really lets his guard down and the girls will dress him up in hats and bows. My mother and "non-craft people" friends are endlessly amazed at how much he does for the kids. I think really Dad's of our generation do much more than they did when I was growing up. I love my Dad, but I"m sure he never changed diapers!

Happy father day to all the Dad's out there today. Hope you get a good meal, some rest and lots of hugs.

Today I'm off to try and change some elements in my kiln!

Oh Joy of Bliss!~

Look what I got yesterday! Everyone can breath a sigh of relief. I finally got a good digital camera. ( Now I've just got to learn how to use it!)

Upcoming Shows

Quick post! I have two upcoming shows that I'll be writing more about soon. In the mean time, here are the postcards!
I'm busy running little people to various camps, library outings, working with the help of a neighbor kid( who is watching the kids while I get stuff done) and trying to get started on my summer "house cleaning". Seems in all honesty with the cleaning, I really get to this by the time school starts back up!
I'll get some photo's up of some work soon. I'm getting ready to "slack" off some of the water on the terra sigg I made last week. I'm anxious to test that!
Happy Friday everyone!

Visit to the Mint

So last night I taught my last class at Clayworks. Here is a photo of a few of my day students. (Pat Warren was kind of be on the other end of this camera! And Susan Benoit shared her house with us for some wine and chips!) I've grown fond of these gals because I've had several of them in many of my classes and its so nice to get to know everyone over time. There are many students I've had at Clayworks that I've enjoyed seeing pop in and out of my classes. I love to see what they are up to when they move on to someone else also. Perhaps in a few years I'll go back to teaching clay and some night course. Right now, it is such a wonderful feeling to know I can just be home with my kids and concentrate on them, my studio, our house and take care of myself a bit as well by taking one less responsibility off my plate for a little bit. Big sigh...for many reason last night while I drove home.

Our last class yesterday ended with a trip to the Mint Museum here in Charlotte. We started off with the intention of just visit the Face jug exhibit but we found the time to go see some other neat stuff.

One show was all about Platform shoes and I really enjoyed it. Such funky stuff people will design and even more strangely....put on their feet!

The best part of the visit was seeing paintings and some sculpture from the New Orleans Museum of art. They had a really nice representation of all the famous people we all read about in our art books. I love museums!

So....for the "Quiz of the day", I think I'll just say that one person did guess correctly, but you will just have to wait and see what the final result is! Stay tuned!

Can you guess?

I'm working on a new form this week. I'm curious to see if anyone can guess what this odd shape is going to turn out to be?

My thoughts as I go out to work....

Yesterday I was determined to get out and make some Terra Sig that I've been wanting to try and test on my pots for I think ...over a year.
I thought I give you a play by play on my thoughts yesterday as I wondered out the door to have a little pottery time in the midst of birthday parties, taking my niece to see the band "The Fray" for her sixteenth birthday and a whole list of other things.
I did manage to sneak away for a few hours of silence while Joey took everyone to the local pool. Here's my running thought pattern while I talk to myself on my way to make glazes and terra sig!
Wow, lots of pots under plastic, wonder if anything has a cracked? I need to get those in the kiln and start my bisque load. Oh yah..I need to check the elements. Wow..what a pain in the butt to change elements...if only I had my own live-in handy man around! Oh yah..guess I do. I meant one that fixed things and didn't need any help from an assistant. Wow..that would be great, I could just throw while he fixed my kiln without any help from me! Fantasy.......


Didn't realize how many finished pots I really do have. Hummm is there anything here besides my cookie jars that I want to put in my next show. Boy I'm stacked on tiles!
Does anyone else out there have to share their space with kids toys, a million nuts in buckets, plant growing stuff and lawn chairs? Com'on folks..why can't this stuff go right out to the back barn? Oh yah, its got all my show displays hoggin' all the room....

Boy..this really takes the cake. Good thing I love my cats because sharing a space with a kitty-litter box just is not cool! Thank goodness I don't have that many customers that want to come out to my studio.

( Paws cut her foot last week and had to have some stitches...my studio is a make-shift porta-john for her until her foot heals!)

Out the door I go!

Look at that Variegated Hydrangea! It must of bloomed while we were away. I've got to find some time in the day next week to get out and work in my flower beds.
The elephant ear garlic finally bloomed while we where gone. Boy, if only I had learned how to braid garlic like my grandmother. My uncle use to have a shed full of this stuff when I was little! Those blooms are so cool!

Ah ha! My wild flowers here are sprouting. Guess I didn't kill the ground totally with all my left over glaze water I've tossed out this door every now and than. Not anymore! I kind of like the flower bed here. Makes me keep things neat out here.
Time to work with only glaze stuff in my shed to deal with..........what are the golf clubs doing here? LORD!

Time to make the terra sig!

Back to the Norm

So we flew in last night with a two 1/2 hour lay-over in JFK..exciting!

The weather was really nice. Typical central NY breeze, 70 degrees and it just reminded me of childhood. I know my grandmother enjoyed being home as well after living in the south for the last 10 years.

We got to explore a little bit around the Syracuse area and take in a few parks between family stuff.

Here is a photo taken at Skaneateles Lake, we will be here this summer for a real vacation. I can't wait!

Today is the twins birthday so its there day for some fun stuff. Motherhood calls until this evening.

My studio needs tending to. My last firing before I left did not get to temp. on the top so I think its time for some new elements. YUK! Tonight I'll get myself back organized and cleaned up. My next event is a show at Lark and Key Gallery. I'm really excited about showing my new cake trays and some other ideas I have spinning around in my head.

Good to be back!

Tiles and Flight

Here are some tiles that just came out of the kiln today. I was a bit miffed to see that my top elements are going. My backers looked really flat on the top "bunk". I did like some of these tiles a lot. I experimented with some yellow just to see if I liked it or not. I had a little bit left of an order that needed to go out so I finished up a kiln load.
We are heading out in the morning to go "home", or at least the place I call home...Syracuse NY for my grandmother funeral. It will be the first time the kids have ever flown on a plane so they are pretty excited. This also will be a new adventure for the two of us taking the kids!! Both of us hate to fly so we have to really put on our adult faces and act like we are having a blast and there is nothing to worry about. (Which..there isn't, we are just a bit narotic and one of us gets motion sickness pretty bad.) Good news is that we scored a lap-top for the trip so I can check in on all my fellow bloggers. Can't wait to see what Ron is up to up in Penland this week.

I relies sometimes I am camera happy with the girls but a mother can't help it. Both the girls lost their first teeth and I think its so quirky how Aydan looses one on one side and Mckenna on the other. This was the last day of school so everyone was very excited. (I guess I owe Quaid a few photo's on here soon.)

Inspiration

I said goodbye to a great, spunky, strong women today who was a big influence in my life. I was so lucky to be so close to my grandmother through out my childhood and adulthood. I wish everyone could be so lucky. For my thesis in graduate school I spoke of how while growing up food was such a big part of my childhood. Many weekends where spent at my grandparents and the discussion at breakfast was always about what we were going to have for dinner.

My grandmother had two kitchens in her house. One was up stairs and her "pasta" kitchen downstairs. On many Sundays my memories always recall my grandmother down in that kitchen cooking all day.

By the time dinner was about to be served, she would set an elaborate table with many different serving pieces. Dinner time would go on for hours. There was always tons of food, many heated discussions and as a child I would just sit, eat and listen.

I made this the focus of my thesis in school. I designed all my own place-settings, menu and serving dishes for each item. The gallery was set-up like a dinner date. I borrowed antique tables and chairs and my written thesis was dedicated to my family.

I love to eat. I love to sit at the table and have great conversation with others while enjoying a good meal. I love to set a table. I married someone who loves to cook and is fabulous at it as I have mentioned many times.
I know the main reason this is all so important to me is because of all the wonderful hours I spent with my grandmother.

She was a character and I will miss her but know I will continue to be inspired by all I've learned from her.

Glaze kiln

The kiln is loaded and on. I was thinking this morning how I ugly glazed pots look when they are glazed. I just like to get them done and shut the door and hope for treasures at the end.

These are the tests a did I few weeks ago. I'm retesting the two I liked. Kind of hard to see from this photo which ones kind of worked. I'm testing a bigger span of a few of these to see if there is crazing or not. I'll continue with these after I get more results out.
Off to see my kids graduate from there little school today. They are very excited for summer to begin.

Waiting to be Glazed

This is what is waiting for me this afternoon. A few more dips and I'm set to load the kiln this evening. I made a hard decision to cancel my show in Raleigh this weekend due to state of my grandmother. I couldn't focus on getting much done these last few weeks so all you great folks going to Larkspur this year. I'll miss you but will be there hopefully to regain my post next summer!

Yesterday was spent at Clayworks and today I'm catching up on my Art History folks, running kids to some well check-ups, end of the year parties and doctoring a poor cat who injured her paw. And yes...it is my cat Paws! I'm going to run back and pick her up at the cat doctor after picking up my other "kiddies".

I took my camera to class yesterday but I was so engrossed in my demo's that I only got two students at the end of class to for some photo's. Only one more class to go and then I will be saying goodbye to teaching clay for awhile along with all the fine folks I've met at Clayworks.

Here is John very proud of his Cake-plate. He's showing off the top with this great Shino combo he did.

Below is Pat Warren. She has taken several classes with me and I just love her. She's working on a chocolate pot this session which I think is pretty cool. Next week I'm going to try and make a really good effort to get more photo's of my last class.