The discombobulation of it all.....

I'm sure everyone is so proud of me for looking up that enormous word and getting it right!!

The word DISCOMBOBULATED is used so much in my house. It just fits so many scenario's that we deal with on a daily basis. Its fits so many of my studio situations that I think I may need to commission a sign to hang outside my new studio building with colorful letters to spell out the word! Maybe it should say.........

" Warning....Discombobulated Potter on board"

In my studio I'm still living out of boxes and bins. I was impressed that my studio was built so quickly that in the Fall I thought for sure I'd be moved in over Christmas break. This thought and optimism made me work with the bare-bones all Fall. I really don't use that many tools in my studio and now I've even scaled back more since I can't find everything anyways. This pen that is in the photo above was a real find a few weeks ago because I only like to use a certain sort of tip for cleaning up my lines and edges around the springs on my pots. I think my family even heard the giggly laughter from the garage when I found this.

These last few weeks I've been plugging along on various things. At the moment I'm getting ready to glaze another kiln load for my show at Gallery UP next week. My newest "Discombobulated" issue is my light box. I really need some photo's taken of work for various shows and galleries but my paper background is no where to be found! Each day I go out to my garage in search of it, with no luck. If only Kinko's or Office Max offered craftpeople a little pop-up light box area to run over and snap a few quick images! Yet again, only in my pretend world........

So, I'll continue to look today in my discombobulated garage and maybe fate will shine down on me and turn up the lost gradated photo paper. Until than, as they say I'm just plain out of luck!

Flora - Gallery UP

FLORA

I got a nice email from the folks at Gallery Up the other day. They did a nice write about the show I'll be participating in with Jenni Brant. They even have an interactive blog where they asked up questions about our work and you can go in and read our responses. This gallery is right in the heart of downtown Rock Hill and although I travel there two days a week to teach at Winthrop, I sadly have to admit I don't get to any of their openings. I do however go on their site and "stalk" to see what shows they have coming up!

If you get a chance, click here click on the name above and take a tour around their site and check out a Gallery blog!

Hanging out ...just thinking.

Guess I should not really admit it but I'm just sitting here near the fire with a cup of coffee this morning trying to get up and going. There is a space in the corner of my mind that keep telling me over and over again that if I do something 17 times in a row, it will become a new habit.

On Tuesday and Thursday this Fall my usual routine was getting up at 6:30, taking the kids to school and coming home and falling back into bed until 9 or so. If you use to read my blog you'd know that I work very late into the evening and last Fall, this was true again. I also teach every Tuesday and Thursdays and leave the house at 11am so .....as you see, I didn't have a whole lot of time to work during the day because I was sleeping.

So, my new routine this Spring is go to bed at 10 and not work in my studio in the evening. If I get a good cup of coffee these mornings, wake up and do some studio work before heading off to spend the afternoon with my pottery students, I'll feel pretty good about myself! Evening these days with a child in middle school has proved to be a bit nuts. My son has homework from the time he gets home until about 9pm and with the twins in toe, we are pretty busy in the evenings keeping everyone organized, on task and just getting things done . By the time I get out to work in my studio...my mind is pretty much shot.

Life is such a new journey ever year in the world of parenthood. Its always constantly changing and I've learned to be like Stretch Armstrong in the flexibility department. I also enjoy living in my own little reality of what I can and can't do the older I get. Push, push, push...but I've learned since our stresses of last year to slow it down a bit. Our move was such a good one and every day when I hop into our car and it only takes 4 minute to successfully get our kids school, I relies how incredibly lucky we were to sell our home. I can't believe I use to commute 1/2 each way every day with our children. I'm sure once my new studio is complete I'll be back to a few evenings and flopping back into bed for a 1/2 snooze. But for right now..I'll wake up with a nice cup on Joe in a variety of great pottery mugs and get myself out to work. ( This morning I have a Matt Jones cup in my hand!)

As always Calvin, one of my alter ego's, says it the best!

I have a couple of neat shows on the horizon!

I enjoy booking shows years advance because it gives me something to kick my "you know what" in gear!

Honestly gallery shows make me want to come up with new items and ideas and hopefully in the next few weeks that is what I'll be doing.

Here are some folks I'll be showing with in the next few months.

Jenni Brant of Lincoln Nebraska will be showing with me at Gallery UP in Rock Hill, SC. Look at all that slip trailing she does!

I was not familiar with Jenni's work but I understand she was in Ceramics Month in 2008 for an Emerging Artist write up. Its always fun to see and learn of new potters - isn't it?!

This show is right around the corner in February so just today I finally got going on throwing again. GULP!

In April I'll have some new pieces at Lark and Key with a painter by the name of Honora Jacob. She is from Austin Texas and I just love her work.

Look at all those great oranges she does along with my signature colors of aqua and green and touch of red! I've just started adding some orange lines to my pieces so this is the perfect venue to do more with that new stain.

When you get a chance look over my show list for 2012. I'll slowly keep adding things as they come in for the year.

Happy first week of January to everyone!

ITS WORKING...First post of 2012 and its working!!

Guess all my blog needed was a new calendar year!!

Imagine the shock today when I attempted to re-do my entire blog today!

Around September after our big move I attempted to get on my blog a number of times and could not post a thing. You'll see by my last entry ( which I just uploaded) that September was my last post. For some reason Blogger locked me out and no matter who I asked, how many emails I sent I could not post a thing. Low and behold today I sat down to work on my website and just logged into my blogger account and finally posted the September "news"! I'm so blown over I really don't know what to say or where to start with my blog since I've been gone for so long!

So much to say and not enough time to write so I'll just highlight the Fall thus far......

We love our new house and so happy we moved!

Clayton and I are here enjoying our new kitchen and all the great sunlight we get now. Old houses have alot of character but lets face it, a new house is easier to clean and not so dark. ( Of course Clayton misses all the mice we had at the old house!)

For Christmas I got insulation for my studio.

Work on my studio is slow but I know we'll keep plugging along on moving me in there. The electric is done and the kiln is hooked up but the floor coating, walls and added "stuff" will still take awhile to get done. Time and money is always an issue.

I've been in a few shows...

Since we moved to be closer to school for the kids, I took on another part-time teaching job. I am currently teaching at Winthrop to afternoons a week and still teaching my online art history courses as well. I also agreed to help out at the kids school teaching pre-school art two morning a week. It has been a nice challenge for me and the kids are so good! My children love having me at school and coming up with projects for "little minds" has been good for me. Of course with no studio and new adventures, my production has been cut down a bit and I didn't apply to as many shows. But...I did curate a show with Amy Sanders at Lark and Key gallery in Charlotte. It was a dinnerware show geared to pottery Mom's. Here is my set below!

Here is my booth at the Carolina Designer Craftsmen Guild show. Fellow blogger Tracey Broom got into the guild this year. I was on the jury and I'd like to think I helped out with that!

Helping Mom...

The older the kids get, the more they help out with with my pottery business. Here are the girls helping stamp what seems like a million postcards for the 4th Annual Hen House Show. I'm so thankful that we made the move to North Carolina and put the girls back into such a good school. They both repeated 2nd grade this year and Mckenna is getting extra help for her dyslexia and other issues. Big Brother started middle school this year and continues to work super hard to keep his grades up and stuff his brain full of facts and figures. What a change from last years adventures in schooling!

Still the multi-tasking Mom...

So while my new studio is still being built, I stay in flux working from our garage and toting pots down slippery steps, through the back yard to my kiln. The garage door stays open on warm days so I can watch the kids ride bikes and play with various children in our new neighborhood. Some days when the garage door is shut, the kitchen door remains cracked so I know whats going on in the house.

I have to admit, I do wonder what life with be like with my entire studio in one location and not attached to the house anymore. I have a few great windows for looking out into our wooded yard but in the back of mind I wonder if I might need an intercom system so I can be like "Big Brother" keeping in every now and then to see whats going on in the house. Seems like I'm creating a new chapter in my "Mud Mama" book!

Happy New Year Folks!

We are all looking forward to new year. Here's to all the hardworking craftsmen, parents and fellow friends out in Cyber Land. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the blogging world in 2012!