Amy Sanders...................there there pottery

Exciting news!

2011-11-29T20:59:00.002-05:00

No, I'm not pregnant again (although based on the past few years of my life, that would be a fair guess)! I have an instructional DVD coming out! The wonderful Potter's Council invited me up to their headquarters in Columbus, OH this past summer to record some of my techniques. Over the course of a few days we prepped, filmed and laughed a lot. The gang up there is great!

The DVD is organized to cover 5 different surface techniques and then 5 corresponding projects, along with multiple variations of each.
The Ceramic Arts Daily site recently featured a sample clip from the dvd. Check it out here.

Sneak Peak

2011-04-01T15:53:00.002-04:00

Here are a few of the pieces featured in the show Inhabitants and Happenstance at Lark and Key Gallery in South End (Charlotte, NC). It runs through the end of May, but the opening is tonight from 6-9:00. Come on out if you're in the area!

For additional pictures, check this out....

March shows

2011-03-02T21:14:00.006-05:00

March will be quite a month for there there pottery. I've been working on new work in the studio for some shows coming up:

There are some new low-fire bowls of mine being featured in a multi-media group show at Gallery Up in Rock Hill, SC called ARPA:Raw. 8 other artists will have work in clay, painting, printmaking, and installation. The show opens tomorrow (Thursday, March 10) at 7:00.

A sugar/creamer set much like the one below is being featured in the Mad Hatter's Exhibition at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach Florida. Sales from the exhibition help fund their residency program, so if you're in the area, stop by and purchase some pots for a good cause!

Meanwhile, at Craftsman House Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL, I will be participating in an exciting show, The Art of Function, with many talented potters that is taking place during NCECA. So, if you're down for the conference, visiting or live in the area- check out the show (I think it's even on one of the bus tours for NCECA)!
Here are some of the pieces in the show...

I will also be delivering work at the end of the month to Lark and Key Gallery for a dual show with the glorious/magical painter Duy Huynh. The show opens April 1 and runs through the end of May. More details of this to follow...

*This entry is featured on my friend Jessa's blog, Happily Home Sewn, as a Peek of the Week. Check out her blog- it features all her beautifully sewn goodies (mostly for kiddos), two sweet sweet boys and crafty goodness. Thanks Jessa!

Happenings on Dade St.

2011-02-10T12:35:00.005-05:00

Yes, yes. I've been away for some time. There's been plenty going on in the studio, but not much computer action. Blogging time has been a bit (happily) distracted by this guy:

....and this rotten (but totally sweet) little guy:

My goal is to jump back in the blogging saddle and update more often...we'll see how that goes! Onto the studio action:
In January, I spent a good bit of time "freshening" up my stamp collection. I have over 200-300 stamps in my "vocabulary" of imagery, but typically only end up using about 20 or so with any regularity. This new round has been one of the best and the results have been very inspiring. Here's a quick preview of a new way that the stamps have been appearing on the pots in a form of "stamp applique."
I'm really excited about the potential of this new surface and am anxious to see these pieces fired through glaze. They may need a whole new clay body and glaze surface (GASP!). We'll see...

6th Annual Potters Market Invitational

2010-09-08T15:00:00.000-04:00

This Saturday from 10-4:00, the Delhom Society of the Mint Museum of Art will be hosting their Potters Market of over 40 potters from all over North Carolina. I am honored and excited to be part of this amazing event as one of the presenting potters!

For the past few months I have been working like crazy (once my two little boys are in bed) to produce work- I'll have many everyday functional items from cups, mugs, bowls and serving pieces, as well as some specialty pieces for presentation and serving such as sculptural bowls, teapots, jars, etc.

Bisqueware backup from a couple of weeks ago (thanks to mom, Carrie, Erin and especially Brian for all the help!):

My teapots got a fresh look with some new handles that seem to "fit" the form much more nicely than my old ones.

Closeup of a large rectangular serving bowl form:
New jars with a snazzy knob:
New sugar and creamers waiting for the remainder of their glaze:

One of the days I had a very special helper in the studio. Guthrie was quite focused during his "glazing" session. Check out that lip!
"All done!"
Please stop by and see me this Saturday at the Mint!

Surprise and inspiration

2010-05-20T14:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday a fun surprise came in the mail: an envelope containing a book from the American Ceramic Society. At first I thought, "Uh oh. Did I unknowingly order something while sleep-surfing on the internet after some late night feeding?" (heck-I have been known to be a mess at times- case in point: the other day I got Guthrie out of bed after a nap only to discover that I had left his shoes on. Oops.) Anyway, it turns out that I received this complimentary copy because they had used the article of mine from a prior "Pottery Making Illustrated" in the book. My lesson on creating a quilted wall piece is one of the chapters amongst some other great projects. You can check out the book here.

I am a bit of a thrift store junkie and often come across some real gems on the cheap. Value Village is one of my local favorites (although I think it's a chain, you may have this treasure chest somewhere near you too!) and never fails to provide some of the best finds; yesterday's trip there with the boys was no exception. I always have my eye out for handmade items and found this beautiful crocheted blanket for $1.50!!! It fit perfectly on our mission-style chair, that was originally my grandparents, and created an easy instant "reupholstering" job. This blanket is also a perfect example of what inspires me to create what I do with clay. The repetition of the flowers, the actual and implied texture, and the colors mirror what I often like to accomplish in my work. I only wish I could let the maker of this lovely blanket know that it now has a much appreciated home!

Upcoming shows and events

2010-05-19T12:03:00.006-04:00

I'm excited to have some work in a couple of shows that are opening this Friday. At Pottery 101 in Salisbury, NC, you'll find an exhibition featuring the work of Ron Philbeck, Jen Mecca, Julie Wiggins, and me. We'll be heading up there for the opening (sans the kiddos); it should be a good time. Come by and visit if you can!

In Durham, at Claymakers Studio and Gallery, you'll discover "Folded, Fitted, Printed and Pinched"- a show of handbuilt pots by Laura Avery, Liz Zlot Summerfield, Susan Feagan, Shawn Ireland, Barbara McKenzie and yours truly. It will run from May 21-July 10. Stop by and check it out- they also have a great studio there at Claymakers, with a wide variety of classes and workshops.

While I've been back to teaching at Clayworks, I've been excited to start "filling" my calendar this summer and fall with some workshop (more details to follow once they get completely confirmed). The soonest one is a two part project-based workshop, "Not your granny's fine china," at the Women Centered Art Co-op here in Charlotte. We'll be making a serving tray over the course of two separate classes: June 6th and June 27th from 1-3. You can read more about it and register here. (please forgive the bad picture of only bisqued pots)

Back in the saddle?

2010-04-28T21:57:00.008-04:00

Since giving birth to sweet Sammy, I've been catching little bits of time in the studio (when the stars align and both boys are napping at the same time) making work for several exhibitions. Currently, there are 6 pieces of mine in the "Constructed" show at MudFire Clayworks and Gallery in Decatur, GA. You can check out the entire show on video here.

The following are the pieces that are in the show (thanks, Ron, for being my photographer!). I am so honored to have pieces amongst others created by such great potters!

I'll have updates soon of upcoming events. I have been enjoying my time lately hanging out with my two boys while on "maternity leave."

Introducing.....

2010-01-23T17:43:00.003-05:00

Samuel Douglas Sanders!!! Little Sammy said hello to the world and joined our family on Sunday, January 10th at 7:49. We are so thrilled to have another sweet little guy in our lives!

Guthrie has proven to be a really great big brother already and has taken all the changes and newness in stride (we're really proud of him).

Obviously this puts a slight cramp into being productive in the studio, but I'm happy to be blessed with time at home loving on my two boys. I'll return on a limited basis in the spring, and have some exciting events coming up to prepare for.

I hope everyone's having a great year so far- I certainly am!

Updated Events

2009-09-22T08:36:00.001-04:00

My events calendar has been recently updated. Check it out for what's coming up next for there there pottery.

More images from Lark and Key show

2009-09-21T23:39:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple more pictures from the show at Lark and Key. While most of the show was inspired by how much I enjoy my role as a mom (which is why in my mind it's called the "mommyitus" show), there was also a small thread of a conflicting feeling of desiring solitude and time in the studio. It's that same old story that so many women have (and men too!) who are both artists and parents: cherishing time with family, while also feeling a pull to create. In this vein, I had one piece that was called, "Tea for One."

Back to a piece directly inspired by my little guy, Guthrie, and images that invade my vision every day: below is a collection of wall pieces that together create an alphabet quilt. I enjoyed working on this piece for several reasons, but most of all because my husband, Brian, helped me design it. Once I described my idea for this piece to him, Bri became very excited about the possibility of creating a "font" for the project. So, one night we busted out some graphing paper (which, in the end, was a bit too tight) and designed each of the letters together. While he is so supportive of my life as an artist- and often expresses good judgments and opinions about my work- we hadn't really ever directly worked on a piece together. It was fun and added a lot to this piece for me personally.

A long view of the ABC quilt:
Another thing that excited me about this piece was that each individual wall piece, on it's own, doesn't necessarily read as a letter of the alphabet. It appears more as just an abstract collection of cut out shapes, but with them shown together, the intention becomes more clear. Detail of the piece:
Hanging out with my main man G at the opening. Gosh, he's getting so big!
Thanks to all who came out to see the show!

I'm back!

2009-09-20T16:09:00.004-04:00

After a long (very long...) absence, I'm back to the blogging population. My studio has been working in overdrive the past few months: workshops, an artist residency in a local school, a public art project completed, a couple group shows, and one feature show to boot. I'm excited to share all of these happenings with you, my faithful readers (I thank those who check this site often, and apologize for the lack of entries recently).

Below are some images from a new show at Lark and Key Gallery, in Charlotte, featuring my work and beautiful paintings by Angie Renfro. They are a reflection of my life as a mom, as well as my changing body during my second pregnancy (yes, Guthrie is going to be a big brother soon!). Even though the opening has already passed, the show remains up through September. If you're in Charlotte, in the NODA area, be sure to stop by and take a look!

The "marquee" piece of the show (at least in my opinion) is this train that was inspired by a painting that hangs above his bed in Guthrie's room, created by one of my favorite artists, Duy Huynh. I haven't measured my train, but I think it's around 3.5 to 4 feet wide in 3 sections that can be shown separately or together. It was a labor of love- a great piece to indulge myself in painstaking detail. Yum!
Preggy vases- bulging bellies and hips. Hummm, an uncanny resemblance to my body right now!

Train detail- the wheels do turn, but not too well. Definitely not a toy!
I'm happy to be back and will post soon about some other recent projects! Thanks for reading.

Making a living with clay: part 1

2009-03-17T22:42:00.004-04:00

I've had a big change in my life with the recent-ish (becoming less and less so all too quickly) birth of my little guy Guthrie. This has had welcomed and obvious implications on my artistic career and daily choices of how to spend my time. While I tried to predict a slow down in the studio and plan accordingly, it was difficult to know exactly how much time for creating would present itself. Between trading one day of babysitting a week with a friend, some evenings, and catching an hour or two during Guthrie's nap, I've been able to carve out some time in the studio.

Through some careful decisions, recent time in the studio has been spent on some very different projects for me. Over the past few years, I have made the bulk of my clay income by selling pots at retail shows and to galleries, teaching adult classes at Clayworks and taking on the occasional commission (personal and corporate). Since my time has now become less consistent, I have made the choice to pursue some larger projects that have longer deadlines and a bit more flexibility, more teaching opportunities, and only participate in a few retail shows. These projects include a public art commission that started last May (I'll post more on this in the future), an artist residency at a local elementary school (another post), and have pursued and accepted some opportunities to travel to teach workshops (which excites me to no end!).

All this being said, I'm going to do a short series of posts about different ways to make a living with clay. During this process, I'm curious to hear how others are doing it too.

Well, one source of income that I hadn't imagined would happen for me is getting an article published in a periodical. I'm thrilled to say that one of my pots is the cover story of Pottery Making Illustrated! I was shocked (and pleased, of course) to find out that my image was chosen. You can check out the article here.

Many magazines take submissions and have their guidelines posted online. Often they will pay by the word and for images included. PMI likes "how-to" articles that are written from a teaching perspective, which seemed to be a good fit for me.

Pros:
-wider exposure of your work and techniques
-articulated self-reflection of what you do while creating and why

Cons:
-time spent writing is time out from creating in the studio
-you have to buy a copy of the magazine for each member of your family

Potter's Conference: Focus on Function

2009-02-28T11:15:00.004-05:00

Last week Guthrie, Brian and I travelled to our home town of Cincinnati for a visit with family, my little sister's bachelorette party and, most importantly, the Potter's Council regional conference where I was a presenter. While I've taught classes for over 9 years, this was my first big-time demonstration of my own work in front of a live (captive, sorry folks) audience. I was really excited and honored to present at this conference, as it has been a long-term goal of mine to teach workshops. There were 6 presenters total: 3 demonstrated at a time, one group in the morning, one in the afternoon. The attendees were great- they asked good, thoughtful questions, seemed very engaged, and laughed appropriately at my dorky jokes. My lovely assistant Leslie was extremely helpful and encouraging and took some pictures during the demo. I didn't realize I looked so funny while teaching- there were several shots of me pointing with my knife which was a bit disconcerting! Here's a sample:

Stamping is fun!

Bending the frame of a wallpiece:
Stretching a slab:
Look mom! I made a bowl:
The conference was held at Funke Fired Arts, an amazing clay studio in Cincinnati. The facilities seemed to be endless. This studio was a mecca for all kinds of ceramic artists: fully equipped with a materials shop, an exhibit and retail gallery, and seemingly boundless areas to work. The staff and volunteers there were super helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. The Clay Alliance also provided a lot of help which was very appreciated.
The work of Laura Ross, another presenter:
Steve Howell's work:
Kelly King discussing her sculptural/functional wall shelves during her demonstration:
Kelly King demonstrating:
Laura Ross's throwing demonstration:

Ceramic Arts Daily

2009-01-22T09:30:00.003-05:00

I'm excited to say that I have a project posted on the Ceramic Arts Daily site, which is run by the Potter's Council. It's an instructional article describing how to make a "quilted" wall piece (very similar to this posting). It was fun to think very specifically about how to construct these pieces, and then put it into words. There will be an article in Pottery Making Illustrated coming up in their next issue with an extended version of this project including glazing.

Happy new year (a bit late!)

2009-01-11T22:33:00.004-05:00

Apologies for the late greetings, I hope this finds everyone refreshed and energetic for a new year. 2008 was a particularly momentous one for the Sanders' clan and there there pottery. I will reflect on this soon in a future posting.

For now, I wanted to share about a recent trip that Guthrie and I took to the Mint Museum here in Charlotte. What better way to start the new year than visiting an amazing collection of ceramics at museum right in the back yard (or, 12 minutes away, but who's counting?)? One of their recent exhibits features women in ceramics from 1875-1945. There were some sweet pieces, but I wish they had shown more. Here are a couple of my favorites from the exhibit: a sculpture of acrobats, a sweet little carved lidded piece, and a delicately painted porcelain vase (and a nice wedgewood platter from their permanent collection). Sorry the images are a bit fuzzy, I had to fight little hands grabbing at the camera the entire time.

Another exhibit displayed haute couture fashions from 1947-2007. There were some incredible (and ridiculous!) pieces. The wall of shoes caught my eye. I think I may invest in a pair of those high top sneaker stilettos. Kristin Kieffer's work came to mind while observing this exhibit. I love the scallops on the black dress and can clearly see this influence in her work.

The big draw exhibit currently on display was Andy Warhol. Guthrie responded to these pieces the most; I'm guessing the bright colors caught his eye. The piece on the left interested me the most: one of a series of prints of "details of the renaissance."

Finished Urn

2008-12-21T13:33:00.002-05:00

I was able to complete the urn before heading to Ohio to visit with family for Christmas and am pleased with the results. Hopefully the family who commissioned it will like it. Attached to the surface of the piece was a coin that has special significance to the family. It seemed to integrate well into the piece.

Special orders

2008-12-15T14:16:00.005-05:00

The past couple of weeks I've been working on a few special orders- some for gifts, one through a gallery and one bigger project.
Just before I gave birth to Guthrie I was approached about making an urn and I reluctantly turned down the opporutnity because it didn't seem possible to make it in a timely fashion. This family really wanted it so they decided to wait (I felt/feel really honored by this). I finally got around to working on it over the past couple weeks and am pleased with the result (I hope the family receiving it will be too!). The knob on the top is attached to a lid that sits flush on the top and can be waxed shut once the ashes are inserted.
I've also begun working on two sinks for my friend Jeanene. Her house has undergone a huge renovation so she commissioned me to make her a couple of sinks that will sit on a large countertop in the master bath. Here's one in process. Obviously the hole for the drain hasn't been cut and I still need to add support to the little side wall. The actual bowl is 5" deep, so hopefully that'll be enough for it not to splash (cross your fingers!).

Pots in use- thanksgiving style

2008-12-02T09:15:00.004-05:00

Brian, Guthrie and I had the pleasure of hosting Thanksgiving at our home this year. Both of our families were able to come in from Ohio (and Charlotte), so we had a great time visiting, eating and sharing.

One moment I took a step back to survey the scene: our kitchen full of loved ones, enjoying food and each other's company. The tables were covered with handmade items- mostly pottery. Somehow this added even more warmth to the scene- almost as if the people who created these pieces were there with us too. It made me very thankful to be one who creates and I couldn't help wondering with whom else I was "sharing" these moments with through my pottery.
Guthrie joined in the festivities as well by trying sweet potatoes for the first time. He couldn't quite figure out which tasted better: the sweet potatoes or Suze's pot?

Thoughts on teaching

2008-11-19T22:52:00.007-05:00

While I haven't had an abundance of time in the studio lately (this is why), one constant in my life as a potter has been teaching. I really love to teach and have done so in many capacities from after-school kids art classes, to adult clay classes, to elementary school art teacher, to teaching residencies, to teaching people how to build a house (scary, but true). Teaching always provides me with many beneficial challenges as well as introduces me to people I wouldn't have met or known under any other circumstances.

Some of my best ideas for my own work have come about as a result of teaching. Case in point: I teach a handbuilding class at Clayworks in Charlotte and have several students who have taken the class with me many many times. In order to keep up the interest for them (and me), I spend a lot of time thinking, experimenting and planning new forms and methods. Here's one such example: we made these lobed boxes in this past session. Soon I'm going to work on reforming this process a bit and start to make something of the sort for my own body of work. I liked this little owl knob too.
I have some exciting teaching opportunities coming up in the next few months. The Arts and Science Council here in Charlotte is hosting an "Artist as an Entrepreneur Institute" that will be held over 3 Saturdays and is geared toward artists thinking of themselves as small business owners. Many different "modules" (classes) are held covering topics such as how to market your work, incorporation, creating a brand, etc. I'm honored to have a chance to teach the module on selecting your distribution outlets- ie: where can you sell your work? It's been really beneficial for me to sit down and think of all the different places where people can purchase my work and which of these have the greatest rate of return. I think it's pretty easy to just think, "oh, it's just galleries and craft fairs," but, in reality, there are so many additional opportunities. Just thinking about some other options that are less traditional that others have tried have piqued my own interest. When I'm on the ball enough I'll try to do a longer posting of my research and presentation. What are some places you market and sell your work that are a little more creative?

Coming up in February (20-22), I'll be a presenter at the Potter's Council Focus on Function workshop held at Funke Fired Arts in Cincinnati, OH. I'm so honored to present here and am looking forward to meeting all the other presenting artists and participants. I'll be doing two 3 hour demos of my own work and there will be a hands on portion for the participants to make some texturing tools and stamps. This event will also be fun for my because I grew up in Cinci and my family all still live there, so it'll serve as a visit too (although, they all just want to see my little Guthrie!).

In March (27/28) I'll be doing a demo workshop at Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem. I'm really looking forward to this because I'll have lots of time to demo many of my pieces and will have the opportunity to do a slide show of my work and influences. There have been so many artists that have generously shared knowledge and techniques and I'm so excited to be part of that cycle of sharing to possibly help enhance an old idea or spark a new direction of work for someone else.

It has been a long-time goal of mine to do more workshop style teaching at art centers. I feel that I have some original methods to share and have plenty of embarrassingly funny, self-deprecating stories to tell.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...(that's a pleasant sigh, not a scream)

2008-10-28T16:38:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I've had some uninterrupted time in the studio, and I was blessed just that yesterday. Brian has Mondays off now due to his new position at Habitat, so he agreed to hang out with Guthrie to give me some time to work. It felt so good to get my hands on some clay. I'm working on filling a gallery order of mostly handbuilt pieces and thus decided to tackle making some wall pieces. Here are a few in process. Below are nine tiles, halfway finished. I start with thinly-stretched slabs, cut and stamp them, and then pinch together the seams.Here's one receiving its border, which is pinched on as well.The clay is then rolled/folded to create a frame (this is the backside, by the way).A slab with 2 holes, in which to later thread wire, is attached.Here are the finished tiles. They are about 7"x 7" wet, and end up around 5 1/2" square once they're fired.

100th post/studio renovation

2008-10-13T21:29:00.007-04:00

Hooray for post #100! I don't know what that means, but yea.

Aside from demo pots from my handbuilding classes at Clayworks, I haven't been making anything for the past couple of weeks. Brian and I (well, mostly Brian) have been renovating the studio: we tore out a closet and moved my wheel and wareboard shelves over into that area, and then Brian built a big section of permanent shelves in the corner where the wheel used to be. This will make the space way more efficient and give me more storage for works in progress. I'm really excited about getting back in there to create: the forced "vacation" has been wearing on me and I've felt a little down recently as a result. It goes to show that we who are made to create, must.

The man himself: Brian stands in his renovation glory:

The new shelves are so nice that I think I'll just sleep out here tonight....clay makes a great pillow.

Guthrie has something to say!

2008-10-09T13:38:00.003-04:00

Guthrie is very concerned about the state of the US these days, so he recently joined the National Baby Union (not to be confused with the Union of Babies in America) which is endorsing the Obama/Biden ticket this fall. So, if you're for babies, you need to check out a great fundraiser that some potter friends and colleagues are promoting: Obamaware!

Circle show at Lark and Key

2008-10-03T21:51:00.008-04:00

Tonight was the opening of our Circle of Eight show at Lark and Key. It was a beautiful evening on a gallery crawl Friday, so many people were out and about. Julie and Sandy (the co-owner of Lark and Key) did a great job setting up the show- our pots were displayed very nicely.

We were honored to have Diana Fayt as our guest artist for this show. I have admired her pots for some time and it was really exciting to see a small collection of them at the show. The surfaces she creates are very rich; it's easy to spend quite some time exploring each pot.

Here are some of my pots...plus Julie's little tumblers in front Ron and Jen's work....
Ron's platter and work by Adrienne... Pots by Julie, Jen and Greg...
Lark and Key carries my work typically, so here's some of the other work I have there on display...

A real treat for the night was having Guthrie at the opening. He stole the show, of course, and welcomed me to the gallery by spitting up all over me about 3 or 4 times. Thanks little man! He was super cute in his brown (which somehow we were all wearing, so he fit right in). Here's Sarah and Ron Philbeck getting their Guthrie fix! Such naturals!

New office?

2008-09-23T22:03:00.004-04:00

Since becoming a new mom, my life has begun to adapt to many changes. Example: last week I had an almost hour-long phone meeting about the public art piece I have on the horizon and I needed access to a computer while also having Guthrie entertained close-by.So, Guthrie and I created a makeshift office in my bedroom complete with computer, coffee (my little french press on the table next to the bed), and paper and pen. Guthrie was such a great little guy- he played quietly next to me the entire time, happily entertained by his little jungle toy thing. It was hilarious as there was some playful background noise to my conversation: when he would hit the little ball held by the tiger, kid music played.
Our little guy just turned three months old today and he continues to delight and amaze us.
What a sweet and precious little boy.

Great sale

2008-09-20T23:28:00.010-04:00

Yesterday was one of those ridiculously beautiful days that makes me so thankful to live in North Carolina. We had the perfect Carolina blue sky as a cover for our Circle of Eight sale, and just enough nip in the air to warrant jeans and a light long sleeve shirt. Oh, beautiful fall in Charlotte!

Our sale went really well- there was a good turnout of friends that have become customers and customers who have become friends. We tried a new setup this time, inspired by the displays used at Bob Briscoe's for their big St. Croix pottery tour in Minnesota. Ron got a hold of a bunch of hollow core doors which we propped up on saw horses and with bricks. Then each of us picked our own drapery and added small shelves to display our pots. There was a good response to this new display as many customers said that they felt that it looked more open and inviting, and more pots could be viewed.

Guthrie was a real trooper and his usual charming self. Of course he was a bit of a star at times and smiled on cue (when he wasn't sleeping, but he was really cute then too!).

I thought I had gotten pictures of everyone's display, but while viewing my pictures last night, I realized that I obviously had been distracted because there are only images of Ron, Jen's, and my booth on the camera. Space brain.

Here's one of the new vase forms I've been working on recently.
I feel as though I turned over a new leaf on this sale: typically I work up to the last minute producing work for a show and often am slightly anxious about having "enough work." Being a new mom has obviously reduced the time I have available to work in the studio, so I was able to make an actual realistic list of pots to make, complete them (early!) and just plain feel ok with what I had available. I always make way too many pots anyway!

Pots to be glazed

2008-09-13T09:24:00.002-04:00

Since the Circle sale coming up quickly (next Saturday), I've been trying to capture every moment that Guthrie's napping by glazing in the studio. It's felt more and more ok to be out there with the monitor, and I can get inside quickly if I need to. Things are chugging along slowly, but I have already fired one full kiln load, and think I'll have another ready by this evening or tomorrow. That leaves only one more bisque and one more glaze. Hmmmm, that's 4 days worth of firings and 7 days until the sale so it should work...(hopefully I didn't just jinx myself!)

Tagging business

2008-09-10T14:01:00.003-04:00

I was "tagged" by Ron about a week ago, and felt that it was about time for me to play along. I'm supposed to list the rules and then my random facts about me. Here goes:

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post rules

3. Write 6 random things about yourself

4. Tag 6 others and link to them.

5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

My 6 random facts:

1. My childhood nickname in my family (mostly to my mom) was Bubblicious. My mom even wrote and sung a song about it.

2. I played french horn for 10 years.

3. I married my high school sweetheart who also happened to be homecoming king. I was not the queen.

4. Even though very few things scare me, ceramic garden gnomes and face jugs really freak me out.

5. I played basketball and ran cross country in college.

6. My all-time favorite movie is "A Christmas Story." (you'll shoot your eye out, you'll shoot your eye out!)

Many people have already been tagged. I'll figure out who that's going to be for me soon.

Bringing up a potter?

2008-09-08T18:09:00.002-04:00

I just caught Brian reading Studio Potter to Guthrie while I was doing dishes. Do we have a future potter in our midst? You pay attention mister!

New booty

2008-09-08T15:47:00.004-04:00

...that is, new treasure for us from the Mint Museum pottery sale this past Saturday in Charlotte. No hurricane in sight- Saturday was a beautiful day to browse and buy some amazing work. It was also fun to visit with potter friends- although I was very disappointed with myself. I get goofily shy sometimes and had wanted to introduce myself to Michael Kline and didn't, which is downright silly because everyone says he's super friendly. So Michael, if you actually read this- I'll be sure not to be shy the next time I'm around!

Anyway, I brought home some new sweeties that Brian and I both have already enjoyed using. Here are a cup and bowl made by Ronan Peterson. The surfaces are very textural and rich and the cup fits my hand perfectly. We had the pleasure of Ronan's company this weekend before the show- he stayed with us on Friday and we had a great time going to dinner and an opening, and topping the evening off with some good conversation about pots, kids and life in general. Ronan got his "baby" fix by hanging with Guthrie some since he was missing his little son Nolan. I also purchased these yummy pots from Shoko Teruyama who is a resident artist at Penland. I've wanted some of her work for some time now, and am so pleased to now have a plate and teabowl. Her drawings are so intimate and striking.

Dedication

2008-09-03T23:03:00.003-04:00

A couple of Saturdays ago Guthrie and I attended the dedication of this sculpture on the bridge along Central Ave. over Briar Creek in Charlotte. It's a beautiful metal structure that is inspired by the greenery and water of the creek and was designed with the help of the neighborhood's residents. This work marks the beginning of an area on which the Arts and Science Council here in Charlotte is going to focus new public art in an effort to elevate the area's image.

Artist Jim Gallucci addressing the crowd about his sculpture:

Appreciative residents listen to Jim and others speak about the artwork.
Very soon Ron and I will begin work on the trash receptacle tile project that will be completed this spring. I'm really excited to be a part of a project that will bring color and beauty to an area that is in need of such. Here's a reminder of the final prototype:

Tidbits

2008-08-24T14:42:00.007-04:00

I've been able to get in the studio in small bits of time in the past couple of weeks- ususally in short stints of 1 to 2 hours at a time. The Circle of Eight has our fall sale here in four weeks, so I'm really trying to get enough work done to have decent representation at that show. It's funny, though, rather than making many of the forms of which I'm very familiar, I'm finding myself wanting to try to make new pieces (and doing just that). It's not that this is a completely bad idea, but I'm definitely not at my most efficient self while experimenting, and not sure if this is the best time.
Here are a few new smaller pitchers I was working on. Looking at this photo, the 2nd and fourth seem the most successful. That handle on the 3rd pitcher- ugh, gotta go (it's probably too late to add a new one, I think they're dry by now).

Here are a few new simple vase forms and some wide bowls. Once again, I'm still working on resolving these and have several more of the bowls under plastic, ready to decorate.

These are some funky vase forms half done. I need to do some sketching to figure out what I'm going to do with the top. It may end up completely closed with small holes or have an additional top. Who knows? I'll try to remember to post a picture of these when finished.

Slowly getting back

2008-08-05T10:01:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday I had a little chunk of time in the studio (about and hour and a half) to try to get into the swing of things. It felt good to get back in there, but I didn't spend a whole lot of time creating yet. Mostly, the studio got tidied up and I killed (ok, admittedly I trapped and Brian killed) the biggest cockroach I've ever seen. I did get a couple of serving bowls started and hope to finish them today. The hardest part for me right now is not getting ahead of myself- meaning, I don't want to get over-motivated and start all sorts of pieces, only to have them dry too quickly because I can't get in there as often and as long as before.

We're having our 3rd annual Circle of Eight fall sale here in September, so that'll give me a deadline toward which to work. Yesterday Ron and I worked on the postcard and press release for the sale. It was good to work together to come up with what hopefully turned out to be a good design. The group is really trying to step up our exposure this time around, which is why we decided to do a press release. Maybe we'll get a little mention in a couple of publications around town.

Refire blues

2008-07-28T13:25:00.004-04:00

These were a set of bowls that I had made just before taking a break from the studio to take care of Guthrie. They had a little bit of crawling in the glaze, so I thought I'd just stick them back in the kiln this week when I fired the little birdhouses we had made. Well, evidently the bowl didn't feel like being that hot again and protested by cracking, bloating and pinholing! Sheesh. If I had known that beforehand, I would've just left the little crawl spots and used it in my own kitchen.

I certainly need to figure out what's going on with this- I've refired some of these pieces in the past without problem, but on a few occasions this has happened. A normal firing schedule and temperature was used and the crack was on a side that was not near the elements.

Aesthetic experience

2008-07-25T09:54:00.003-04:00

I can't remember where I heard this (whether it was at a workshop or I read it somewhere, whatever), but someone described a sketchbook/journaling exercise their teacher had them try to churn up some creativity. He had asked his students to try to recall their very first "aesthetic experience." One person remembered his first experience to be white sheets blowing slowly on a laundry line in the wind. When I heard this, it sparked memories of a very similar vision from my childhood.

Ron recently had a posting about seeing and having visual experiences all day long. I feel like their are definitely times when I do have my blinders on, and then others when I seem to have really strong glasses. A couple days ago Brian, Guthrie and I made the drive from our hometown of New Richmond, OH to Charlotte. Every time we make this drive I marvel at the views: corn, tobacco, and soybean fields in OH; the rolling hills, fences and green meadows of KY; and the green mountainscapes of WV and VA. While much of the ceramic work I make is influenced by textiles, patterns, sewing and quilting, I can't help but recognize that these landscapes greatly impact my finished products.

Well, my most recent aesthetic experience occurred this morning as I was hanging out some laundry (such a domestic diva I am!). While a row of diapers hanging limply on a windless morning doesn't quite seem as, let's say- romantic, as white sheets blowing gently in an afternoon breeze, I still can appreciate the vision: the repetition of the white blocks of cloth, the patterns in the little wrinkles. Not to mention the cute little behind they were recently covering!

Return to the studio with a few friends...

2008-07-24T18:00:00.003-04:00

After a week-long trip home to Cincinnati last week, we have family in town visiting- two of my sisters April and Leslie, my grandma Martha, and niece Addie.

We decided to have a clay day in the studio and invited over our little friend Aidyn. What a great way to spend a couple of hours in the studio for the first time since Guthrie has come along. We made some bird houses and our little ladies had a great time. They were very focused- I think there may be some budding potters in our midst!

Guthrie has a new home

2008-07-15T22:14:00.004-04:00

No, we haven't kicked him out for waking us up or anything....I just decided that Guthrie needed his very own place to himself. So, for those of you who want to indulge a smitten mama, you can check out www.sweetguthrie.blogspot.com

Otherwise, this site is gonna be back devoted mostly to pottery news- when it picks back up again.

Handmade for Guthrie's room #3

2008-07-12T17:22:00.006-04:00

Things have been going well in the Sanders' household, and we've been so blessed with the generosity of our friends and family during this time of newness with our little Guthrie. We've had lots of visitors; gifts of food, time, goodies for Guthrie, and more beautiful artwork to adorn his room. I'll tell ya what, this guy has some of the best artwork in the house in his room.

I've posted before about some of the great gifts and purchases of handmade works in Guthrie's room. If you would like to see prior postings with more handmade goodies for Guthrie's room, you can find them here or here.

Here are a couple more great gifts we've received:
A hand-woven basket by artist (and ceramic student of mine) Bev Nagy. She's currently an affiliate artist at McColl Center of Visual Art and is currently working on some sculptural woven pieces.

This is a beautiful drawing of an eastern screech owl (aptly identified by my bird-loving brother-in-law Tom) by another ceramic student of mine, Betsy Birkner. As if one couldn't tell by her amazing detail, she used to be a scientific illustrator.
And, finally, an absolutely incredible painting by my good friend and favorite painter, Duy Huynh. He so thoughtfully painted this specifically for Guthrie and told me that the colors and patterns were inspired by my pottery, which makes this piece so special to us.

And it looks totally stunning on the orange wall!

Oh, it's so hard to be Guthrie

2008-07-10T11:10:00.008-04:00

After a hard day's work of eating, pooping, sleeping and entertaining all, Mr. Guthrie often zonks out hardcore.

Fully limp body, especially arms, is a requirement.

Ha!

2008-07-06T19:23:00.002-04:00

So, before little Guthrie came, I had a foolish idea in my head that even though I wasn't going to be spending time in the studio for a while, there would be sketches or at least something to share on my blog that was pottery related. This was Guthrie's response to that thought: Ha! We've been enjoying short visits from friends and extended visits from family over the past couple of weeks and can't believe that Guthrie is almost 2 weeks old already! He's really incredible and is so much fun to be around. So, so what if there's nothing remotely "productive" happening around here as far as clay goes, we're hanging out with our little guy!

Guthrie's first pottery excursion

2008-06-29T19:20:00.002-04:00

Today we headed out to lovely Shelby, NC to check out Ron's summer pottery sale. It was Guthrie's first mini road trip and he handled it like a champ.

Ron had lots of great pots- new grandma Debbie especially liked his earthenware line. It looks like Ron has a new fan.

Guthrie picked out a nice mug for himself with some scary fish- although he told me later that he would've preferred a ceramic boobie.

And now, INTRODUCING........

2008-06-26T10:32:00.005-04:00

Mr. Guthrie David Sanders!!!!! Our sweet little guy was born at 12:27 pm on Monday afternoon-weighing in at 9lbs, 1 oz. and a whopping 22 inches long! He's quite the cuddly mellow fellow so far and we can't believe how much we love him (and his super long feet!). Thanks to all for the prayers, well wishes and visits.

Brand new Guthrie!

Happy new family:
My sleepy guys:
About to go home...
Total cutie pie:

Studio on stand by.....

2008-06-22T12:59:00.003-04:00

Friday was my last day in the studio for a while- being a week overdue, I'm now mostly resting up and anticipating the baby's arrival. Friday was spent glazing and finishing up some loose ends of pieces on which I've been experimenting. Below is a set of matching serving bowls with a design based on a kimono pattern I had sketched from a book a while back. The glaze crawled just a bit, so when I get back I'll touch them up and refire. Thanks too all for the encouragement and support during my pregnancy. I'll be sure to post pictures of the little one once he/she is here!

Should be a good one

2008-06-22T12:53:00.002-04:00

Our first outing with the baby just may be this opening- we'll see when the time comes!

More handmade for the baby's room

2008-06-18T08:17:00.010-04:00

People have asked us, "what's the theme of your baby's room going to be?" And my only response could be, "good artwork." Brian and I really like the idea of surrounding our little one with beautiful handmade items- hopefully instilling the value of creativity and working with one's hands in our little one from the start. Heck- we've gotta get him/her trained early so we can put them to work in the studio asap!
A little about each piece: the tree print is by a designer friend of ours, David Stanfield -it was originally from a series of prints that he had in a show at the gallery in our church. The bird and dimensional tiles are by Melissa Cadell. Sandy Snead made the little felted flower collage.

My grandpa made the wooden shelf and dresser. Although he's no longer with us, I'm often comforted when I see these items he carefully crafted. I'd have to say that he and my grandma were some of my first influences (along with my mom and dad) to enjoy working with my hands. They always had something crafty going on when we came over to their house.

The little owl drawing and poem was made by our friend Erin Dennison, and the cool mirror was made by our friend Kathi Graves.

Sketches

2008-06-17T15:20:00.003-04:00

A goal of mine recently has been to spend a little more time sketching- thinking about form, surface and pattern. Today I spent a bit of time in a coffee shop (drinking decaf of course!) looking through my world ceramics book and a textile pattern book for inspiration. I really tried to let go of the insecurities I have with drawing and just get something down on paper. The random pattern designs excite me the most right now, mostly because I need to refresh my selection of stamps, which is long overdo.

Studio piddling

2008-06-15T17:55:00.006-04:00

Since I don't feel like I can commit to any large scale projects or production right now, I've just been taking a little time every day to piddle in the studio. I've recently really enjoyed experimenting with some large terra sig tiles, so I thought I'd work on some more.

Here's a couple of giraffe tiles that will find a home in some friends baby's room. Early in the process, I cut out a silhouette of the main image, paint terra sig around it, and then apply a pattern of acrylic medium resist:
The tile after wiping with water (the bird pattern was what resisted): Color, drawn detail and spots added to the tiles- ready to fire:
Here's a look at some sketches of birdcages I made before working on my first tile. I looked at a lot of vintage cages and found some good vintage fabric swatches online as samples.Arranged paper cut-outs to help determine the composition.

D-Day and the sign of summertime

2008-06-15T17:43:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all you dad's out there! Today was to be the first of Brian's (hence the D-Day- which stands for due date, not dooms day!), but it seems its just not meant to be. This little rascal wants to hang out with just me a little longer.

For a little treat, today I made some zucchini bread muffins. Growing up in Ohio, this used to be the true sign of summer for our family. My mom and dad would always grow an amazing vegetable garden that included corn, tomatoes, green beans, peas, and zucchini (and probably other stuff I don't remember). Like most children, I assume, I remember whining about snapping beans and peas and having to help out with canning tomatoes. Of course now I wish that I had paid more attention! But the one part about having a great garden was all the bread we would make with the zucchini. My mom had this giant silver mixing bowl that could fit triple batches from which we'd make 4 loaves, sometimes to share with my grandparents or we'd just eat it all! So even though I didn't grow the zucchini for the bread, it still feels good to carry on a summer tradition from the good old OH.

And so goes the life of a very pregnant potter....

2008-06-11T13:55:00.003-04:00

What I did yesterday (in case you can't tell, that's a thoroughly cleaned studio and newly organized bisquemold shelf):

What I did today:
(Black Mamba is my alter ego...)

One last belly photo:

New in the studio

2008-06-09T20:32:00.002-04:00

I've found myself in unfamiliar territory in the studio this week: I have no commitments or deadlines and have complete freedom to experiment. It's a great feeling, but, crazily, also a little intimidating as I have so many ideas I want to explore and don't know what to choose!

Recently, I completed a piece for an upcoming show at Lark and Key Gallery in NODA in Charlotte. It'll be opening in early July- my potter friends Ron, Jen and Julie will also be participating. Here's a shot of my piece (it's a large wall tile) before firing: Here it is after the final firing- it's made of earthenware with terra sigillata, copper patina and a borax wash.
I think I'll be spending time this week working on some additional pieces in this same manner, taking time to do some sketching and planning new compositions.

Greatest friends ever!

2008-06-09T11:31:00.005-04:00

This weekend was a bit of an eventful one outside of the studio for the Sanders family. Brian and I spent some time organizing and getting things in line in anticipation of our little one (I cleaned out our bedroom closet floor that probably hadn't been touched in 6 years- oh the shame!). I found some interesting "treasures" and funny pictures from back when we were dating in high school (think junior homecoming):

On Saturday morning Brian and I got out early to play a round of disc golf, and I had the shot of a lifetime: I totally hit a squirrel. It was stunned for a short period of time and then ran off. Maybe it was a sign- for what? I don't know.

Now, the reason for the title of this entry, on Sunday six of the greatest friends anyone could ask for came over and cleaned our house from top to bottom- we're talking ceiling fans, windows, floors, the refrigerator! Thank you so much Erin, Ryan, Jess, Timmy, Carrie and Mike. You guys rock! Thanks also to Doug and Barbara for the meal that wrapped up this cleaning frenzy.

On a final note, here's our little buddy Gavin trying out the chair that Brian's cousin made for us- he's so smooth.

Pottery zoo

2008-06-04T08:56:00.003-04:00

While I was doing some dishes this morning, I realized that many of our recent pottery purchases have featured a variety of animal characters. Here are a few of my favorites:

A squirrel tumbler by Bernadette Curran:
A mug with a cute little cat (?) in a carriage, by Kirk Lyttle:
A toad teabowl by Ron Meyers:
A fish bowl by Greg Scott:
Little owl family (by me)- I guess this doesn't technically count as a purchase...:
A bug bottle by Laura Zindel:A fishy teabowl by Ron Philbeck:And, finally, the monkey plate by Ayumi Horie:
How could one not smile while using any of these?

Glazing and reflecting

2008-06-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

Recently my days have become less and less routine. Time in the studio is broken up with doctor's appointments, teaching, nesting, meeting friends for lunch and just plain napping! As glamorous as I realize that this may seem to some (believe me, I love having a job that allows me so much freedom), I'm having a hard time reconciling my "potter brain" with my upcoming "mom brain." Several months ago my new mom persona planned accordingly to greatly reduce my commitments this summer due to the coming of our new little one, but the potter in me wants to be fulfilling orders, building my inventory, experimenting on new forms, and just plain playing in the studio. As I read my last blog entry's title: finishing up....for now, I felt a little melancholy, as though an "era" in my life is passing. Life as I know it (just plain life and studio life) will never be the same. It goes without saying that I am completely ecstatic about meeting this little one who's been with me constantly for the last nine months and being a mom, but a small part of me is admittedly mourning my past potter's life in the face of some of the upcoming changes. I am encouraged by the fact that I have some great examples of potter mom's to look up to and an incredibly encouraging and supportive husband, who's behind me 100% to continue working as a potter.

That being said, I'm off to work- first to fold and put away the diapers I just washed and then to the studio to finish up the glazing I started yesterday.

Finishing up....for now

2008-05-31T15:38:00.005-04:00

Things are winding down a little in the studio here in Charlotte before the baby comes (just two weeks from the due date!). Last weekend I dropped off my final 2 gallery orders up in the mountains of NC and this past week I've been working on finishing those last few personal orders that have been on my plate for some time. Above are beer steins for my uncle and family friends in Ohio, and a canister set for my mom. These are currently in the kiln drying to be fired (things have been drying very slowly). I'll glaze on Monday. It'll be fun to send these home with my mom for her new kitchen when she comes to visit in June.

I'm also working on a special project for a show at Lark and Key that they are presenting in July called the "Songcatcher" show. They've invited artists of all media to create a work that is directly inspired by a song. I've been throwing around several songs- all by Radiohead, of course. I'll be spending a good bit of next week working on that, but, overall, it should be a relatively relaxed time in the studio from now on. I've gotta take advantage of what little time is left pre-baby to kick my feet up!!!

Artist residency comes to an end

2008-05-28T08:55:00.003-04:00

Last Thursday my residency at Garinger High School came to a close. We celebrated with an ice cream party hosted by the members of KCCI- the group that funded the residency. Overall, it was a very good experience. We completed several projects on the way to creating a prototype for the trash receptacles that will begin creation in the fall. Each student completed a personal tile of their own design:
Some of the completed (or almost complete) paper mosaic prototypes:
Our finished tile prototype. We'll be using this design, plus a couple of variations, on the fronts of the receptacles and the sides and back will have a more simplified surface of probably a solid color with a cut tile pattern.

Yes, she's that cute and that little

2008-05-27T21:54:00.003-04:00

Here's my sister-in-law Tammy trying out the new kiddie chair this weekend. It was pretty funny to see her sqeeze her little tush into it (let's just say mine didn't even remotely stand a chance)!

Oh yes!

2008-05-27T21:48:00.004-04:00

After pining for a piece of hers for what seems like forever, I finally broke down and bought a plate from Ayumi Horie. She makes amazing earthenware pots and has a really smart retail system set up on her own website. I've decided that she's a total genius because not only does she make completely charming and really well-crafted work, but she also creates a not-so-small frenzy when she posts new pots in her shop. Yet another clay hero of mine......
The only downside to this pot is that I think I'm going to have to fight Brian for it at every meal!

Handmade for our little one!

2008-05-25T10:33:00.003-04:00

While in the baby's room (which is a total mess as of now!) this weekend I noticed that we've received a good number of amazing handmade gifts for our little one. I love the idea of having things around him/her that have been made with care from family members and friends.

First off: a wall piece (sorry, it kept uploading vertically) made by our friend Terry. It's based on one of her favorite books that she used to read to her son when he was little and also includes our "family crest" in the middle- featuring pottery, music, a cross, and hammer and nails. We can't wait to hang it!
This is an amazing little jacket and hat that Brian's Aunt (and godmother) Maryanne made for us: We've gotten a lot of beautiful quilts and blankets- the one on the left was made by one of my handbuilding students, Donna, and the one on the right was a quilt made for me by my grandma Martha when I was little:This blanket on the top left was embroidered by Brian's Aunt Mary, the ABC quilt on the bottom is another one that my Grandma Martha just recently made for our little rascal and the blanket on the right was made by my sister Leslie.I don't want to be biased (but I'm pregnant and allowed to do that, aren't I?) but I think my favorite handmade gift for our baby was this little chair made by Brian's cousin Steve. It's pretty incredible. He said that a little fat kid, or a skinny one with teddy bears stuffed in the side, would fit perfectly. It's super cute!

Grouting

2008-05-20T15:15:00.002-04:00

We grouted the mosaic this afternoon- I'm working here with Tia and Sam: Ummmmm. Black gritty goodness in all the cracks:
Here's the mosaic wiped down, but not fully cleaned. I'll post a picture once it's fully finished. It's amazing how bright all the colors look with the dark lines breaking up the space.

Mosaic update

2008-05-20T09:47:00.003-04:00

This is my last week of residency at Garinger High School- while it's a little relieving to have one less commitment on my plate, I'll really miss the students and two teachers I've gotten to know over the past 6 weeks. We're moving right along with the prototype for the public art project I'll be working on in the fall. Here's the mosaic pieces glazed, but not yet fired: Yesterday I spent time attaching the fired tiles to a frame that Brian built for me. We had to bulk up the base a bit because it's pretty heavy. I learned a lot through this process that will help me once we start work on the actual trash receptacles. The biggest lesson was that it's a bit difficult to keep even spacing between the tiles when they're relatively big and have both rounded and straight areas on the same piece.
Today in class we'll be grouting the piece with black grout, and then I'll finish up the edge somehow (probably with some trim or I may just spray paint it black to match the rest of the frame).

Crazy difference

2008-05-20T09:39:00.003-04:00

I was looking over an old post from last spring from the Circle of 8 blog and ran across this picture of me at a show. It was really weird to see how different I looked not too long ago, compared to now- almost like a completely different person. This pregnancy has been overall an amazing experience for me- the due date is coming up quickly (on Father's Day)! I'm getting clumsier (and a good bit more and more forgetful) by the minute and often forget that I have a belly that can get in the way: yesterday I had to have Brian tie my shoes!!!

Weekend fun and tips for new moms.....

2008-05-19T21:48:00.004-04:00

This weekend was filled with all sorts of fun activities: a baby book shower, folk art show, movie fun, and a mud volleyball tournament (no worries, I was only a spectator- but that was really hard!).

The baby shower was great- all sorts of friends brought lots of fun books to jump start our little library. We got poetry, fables, lullabies, stories, etc- all with amazing illustrations. There were also a couple of books with helpful lessons and tips for me as a mom. My friend Jeanene generously provided me with the following information. I hope anyone who is around babies under any capacity will find these tips to be helpful:

Mosaic prototype at Garinger High

2008-05-14T09:05:00.003-04:00

Some of the students, teachers and I finished working on the prototype for the tile mosaic public art project. Here it in the drying process. We ended up combining several of the students' designs to come up with this one. There is a stylized sun in the middle of a circle, with radiant lines emerging from that. The border design is a stretched image of the "Charlotte crown" which appears all over the city- on street signs, etc- because Charlotte is the Queen City. I like how it first appears as just a border design, but then can be recognized as the crown.
Here are some of the pieces in the kiln. It looks so different when they're mixed and scattered. Don't worry, we labeled the backs of each piece by 4 quadrants- it would be a difficult puzzle to put back together otherwise!

Sale this weekend

2008-05-13T16:32:00.003-04:00

Saturday was the Barn Sale in Charlotte- I was lucky enough to be right next to Jen, so we had a fun time hanging out. It was a nice day, but I acted like an irresponsible teenager and spent the first half of the day sitting in the sun with a tank top on and totally fried my back! Of course it was already too late when customer after customer kept saying that my neck and back were really red. Doh!

I need to say thanks to my "show posse" of Brian and our friends Catherine and Clayton, who were in visiting from Houston, who helped me set up and tear down. I'm very lucky to be surrounded by people who are so helpful- it's sometimes been difficult to accept so much of the help that's needed to lift and haul things (among other stuff) while pregnant. I've been humbled by the generosity of many of my friends!

Baby mamas @ Radiohead

2008-05-11T13:36:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow's gonna be the best

2008-05-08T22:35:00.003-04:00

Oh yes it's true. Tomorrow's a day many of us here in Charlotte have been waiting for some time: RADIOHEAD!!! is coming to town- as well as our friends Catherine and Clayton from Houston, and Anna and co. from Athens, GA. A grand time will be had by all- this baby needs to get blasted with some awesome music!

Talk

2008-05-08T14:57:00.003-04:00

Tonight I'll be doing an artist talk and demonstration at the Cabarrus County Arts Council at 7:00. Should be fun- I have a short powerpoint presentation of my work and inspirations, and then demo making several pieces. If you live up that way, come on out!

Tile show

2008-05-08T14:34:00.004-04:00

My friend Jeanene, who's an awesome interior designer, recently had a job designing a show space for Orchid Ceramics. This was for a tile show taking place in Orlando, FL where tons and tons of tile manufacturers are represented. As part of the extremely large show space (it was 40' x 40') was a "gallery" of work. Jeanene was kind enough to choose one of my large sculptural installations to include in the gallery. While I wasn't able to see it in person, it's really fun to see the piece in a different context- it worked pretty well. Here are a couple of images:

New tool for the studio...

2008-05-05T09:45:00.003-04:00

Although the big round, green bump looks scary in this picture, it comes in quite handy in the studio. I've found that my belly conveniently turns the banding wheel while working. All you have to do to create this tool is...well, you know. Yet another perk to being pregnant (sorry guys, you can't have this tool). What am I going to do once it's gone?

This past weekend

2008-05-05T09:30:00.003-04:00

Brian was away this weekend at an Appalacian Service project (putting 6,000 sf of metal roofing on their volunteer housing in Chavies, KY), so I had the house to myself. Friday evening was perfect outside- one of those "Carolina blue" days, so I sat out on the deck and ate dinner. I felt like a little kid because I would take a bite of food, lean back in my chair and stare up at our beautiful pin oak while chewing. This picture hardly does justice to this tree. It's massive and creates a canopy over much of our front yard. I was able to get a good bit of work in the studio- preparing for the Barn Sale this coming Saturday. Here's a few items ready for stamping and handles.
A few dessert plates drying...
Hopefully I'll finish up most of this work today and tomorrow. I won't have much time after that in the studio due to teaching all day Wednesday and Thursday, a demo at Cabarras County Arts Council Thursday night and friends coming in town Friday for the RADIOHEAD!! concert. Not that I'm excited about that or anything. This baby needs to hear some good music before he/she meets the world.

More at Garinger High School

2008-05-02T17:25:00.002-04:00

Yesterday and today marked the start of one of the clay projects with the Garinger students. We're currently working on personal tiles that each student will complete for themselves. We're using several techniques: an acrylic gel medium resist, stamping, and constructing additive sculptural elements. The students seem to really be into working with the clay- can't blame them!- and two of the young ladies even already completed 2 tiles! Here's a student wiping with water over the gel resist. It leaves a subtle relief on the surface.
Next week we'll start working on the actual mosaic prototype while the students are finishing up their own projects. I'm a little nervous about coming up with a united idea among all the design ideas, but I'm sure we can pull it off.

I have a crazy Friday evening ahead of me: time in the studio! I'm gonna throw pots for the first time in a while (two weeks or so), so it'll be interesting to see how much my belly gets in the way. We'll see.....

Something a little different

2008-05-01T08:33:00.003-04:00

Recently, I haven't been spending as much time in the studio as usual because I've been working on a special project. The Arts and Science Council here in Charlotte commissioned me for a public art project (see Central Ave.) that will take place in 2 phases: phase one is a 6 week artist residency at Garinger High School going on right now and phase two is creating and completing the actual artwork.

More on the actual project: The ASC and another organization, the Knight Creative Community Initiative , have deemed the stretch of Central Ave. from Eastway to the Briar Creek Bridge as the "Eastside International Corridor." There are many different cultures that live, work, own businesses, etc. in this area, but it doesn't have a cohesive "identity or brand" that would represent the area as a whole. I've been hired to work with the students at the local high school in the area (which happens to almost be in my back yard, so it's really exciting to be working on a project in my immediate community) to help with coming up with design ideas for the identity of the area. The actual art making, for me, will happen this late summer/fall when I start working on completing tile mosaics for all the public trash receptacles along this corridor- 12 in all. There are also plans for a large mural and maybe some cut metal banners for the light posts in the works. Overall, this project will add much beauty to the area.

So, in the classroom, we've been working on several projects- a drawn design idea, a paper mosaic to emulate what the mosaic design may look like on the trash cans, and we're starting a clay project today. As a group we'll decide on a design and complete an actual ceramic mosaic prototype that will be installed at the school. Here's a picture of my paper mosaic example I used in class:
This is one of the student projects. I'll post more when they complete them.
While the ultimate design is up to me, I'm excited to have some input from all these students. They've been great to work with and have come up with some nice ideas, as it's a challenge to come up with one image that represents such diverse cultures. I'll be excited to be surrounded by images of their work in my studio to be inspired by.

This and that

2008-04-26T16:23:00.004-04:00

In the studio today I've been working on finishing up a teapot for another teapot show- the 2nd Annual Invitational at Craftsman House Gallery in St. Petersburg, FL. This guy will go in the bisque kiln tomorrow if it's dry enough. I've been told before that this form reminds people of a 50's toaster oven.(?) My Pop asked me to post images of the finished owl vases, so here are a couple. My favorite was the triple in the 2nd picture. It was the last one I completed- I like the raised base, so I think when I make more they'll be like that.

This year our roses have completely exploded. I cut a few and put them in my favorite vase by one of my favorite potters- Katheryn Finnerty, who makes amazing earthenware pots. I got this last year at the Minnesota Potters Annual Tour and sale that happens over the weekend of Mother's Day. My friend Julie and I have traveled up there the past 2 years to help wrapping and packing pots at host Bob Briscoe's house. It's a great sale and a very good time- worth a road trip for sure! But, because of my preggy status, I don't get to go this year. Ron's filling in, the lucky bum!!!

Current exhibitions

2008-04-22T08:28:00.005-04:00

I have a few pieces at a couple of exhibitions currently: a teapot show in St Louis at the Craft Alliance called Infusion 10 x 10. There's a great online catalog with many sweet teapots. I couldn't figure out how to put the images on my post, so check out the website slide show if you can.

There's also a show in Rock Hill, SC that I'm participating in with a group of artists that were also affiliates at the McColl Center for Visual Art. We've shown together in several other settings, and this came together to be a good show.

Inspiration

2008-04-17T10:02:00.005-04:00

I recently was awarded a very exciting commission through the Arts and Science Council here in Charlotte as an artist in residence at my neighborhood high school. I'll specifically share more about the actual project in the near future. Today I start my residency with a large presentation that includes talking about my work, which got me deliberately thinking about what inspires me. While I've definitely thought about this before (almost everyday), especially when writing an artist statement, I've never really compiled images. I also realized that there are a LOT of things that are inspirational to me. Here are a few:

Patterns in fabrics:Quilts (not my cat, neccessarily):Construction:Oribe pots:Repetition and pattern in nature:

Gathering of friends and family:

And, of course, obnoxiously decorated funfetti cake:

On a personal note....goodbye old friend

2008-04-13T15:05:00.002-04:00

No, we didn't lose one of our pets, and a close friend is not moving away. Brian and I made our first ever "real" furniture purchase today: ie- something from an actual furniture store, not used, borrowed or from a flea/antique market. Our old guest room was recently turned into the baby's room, so we needed something to continue our B & B, revolving door of friends and family and guests tradition. So we're now proud, adult-like owners of a new hide-a-bed! So, goodbye so ugly it's lovely couch with the rounded front and way too squishy cushions, sniff sniff: Hello new couch that will soon feel like home.

Upcoming sale and belly update

2008-04-08T22:20:00.005-04:00

This Saturday is our spring Circle of Eight Sale at our house. Hopefully the weather will cooperate- it's only supposed to rain overnight Friday night and a little in the morning. We've been blessed with beautiful weather every other sale, so hopefully that will continue. This time we have two great guest artists from the Seagrove area- Blaine and Laura Avery. They'll make a good addition to all the work that the Circle will have for sale. More detailed directions and info below:

Here's a little (actually big) belly update- complete with an almost a double-chin: very flattering. Brian thought it'd be funny to get a dramatic angle. Ha ha. Ha. I swear I'm laughing. Yikes, I just looked back at a prior belly posting and realized just how much bigger I am....

Back to work II

2008-04-07T21:38:00.002-04:00

Today was a good day in the studio- I finally had a good, long work day to catch up on making things for the Circle of Eight sale at my house this weekend. I had the flu all last week, which pretty much kept me on the couch (not fun, except for all the basketball I was able to watch!) and out of the studio.

I had to make a decision whether to make some of my regular stoneware (of which I am very low on stock) work for the sale, or to spend time with the earthenware. Well, the new earthenware work won over. I've had some ideas I really wanted to work on, such as continuing with those crazy owls. Here's a bunch of halves waiting to be put together:

These guys were turned into bud vases. I did them in groupings of 2 and 3- I think they turned out pretty good; they're a little cooky.

Back to work

2008-03-25T22:07:00.002-04:00

After a doctor's appointment this morning, I spent much of today in the studio catching up on pieces that I had left unfinished over the weekend. Brian and I had travelled home to Ohio for a long weekend, spending time with family and friends. It was a great visit- busy as usual when we go home. More on that later...

One of my main tasks today was finishing up several sets of canisters that are for a gallery order. These guys are thrown, stamped, and then get a handbuilt lid. I really enjoy making these pots because even though they have many steps to completion, I like making all the parts work well together. Below is a little snapshot of how to make the lid:

-dust the rim with corn starch so the lid doesn't stick
-cut out a small circular slab to fit inside the galley and pooch down with a sock filled with sand
-once the bottom slab has set up a bit, cut a larger circle out, with a pie-piece cut out
-score and overlap cutout and attach to bottom piece
-create some kind of knob, score and attach
Close up of a finished lid:
Finished canister sets:I also finished up some teapots and started some more small serving pieces with earthenware. It felt good to have a nice, productive day in the studio. I'm becoming more and more aware of my changing pregnant body- I have to take more breaks and stretch or I start to ache! I should probably be doing that anyway.

New little guys

2008-03-19T22:31:00.003-04:00

You may remember seeing some little brass owls that I had posted on an earlier entry. They were my grandmas- she had a giant collection of brass figurines that I used to enjoy looking at. Well, at the recent workshop I attended, I made some clay molds of the little guys and here's my first attempt at finishing them. I'm totally in love. I want to make 100's of them- for what? I don't know.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day...

2008-03-17T19:04:00.005-04:00

I thought I might share some pictures of a trip 5 friends and I took to Ireland this time in 2004 to visit a friend there who was a missionary. It just happened that the time we were able to go was over St. Patty's Day, so we got an extra little treat to be there for the celebration. I apologize that some of these images transferred funny, but you can get the point...

A couple of boys at one of the parades we saw while in Galway: Here's the whole gang at a random road sign. One of our friends that was with us has "ford" in his last name. So, of course, we made him get out of the car and take a picture at every appropriate sign. Needless to say, there were a lot- we all joined in the fun on this one (we're easily amused):
Our friend Ellen had distant relatives in Ireland that we sought out at the beginning of the trip. Here's their farm:
One of the days we took a small boat out to Innish Boffin- a small island off the western coast of Ireland. It was a great day of hiking (in bogs!) and hanging out. The waters were really really choppy on the way out there. We all were hanging onto anything we could to stay on our feet. We caught our friend Dave unknowingly hanging on to the ladies room door. Classy!

Different cups for different needs

2008-03-14T21:40:00.006-04:00

I made this great smoothie today and realized after I had poured it into one of my favorite cups that it looked pretty amazing in there. This is one by Ronan Peterson (the cup, not the beverage) who works up in the Chapel Hill area. It's got a great crackley surface and is perfect to hold.

This is my new Kari Radasch mug that I just bought in Atlanta last weekend. Why am I smiling? Well, the top opening is nice and wide and perfect for maximizing the amount of marshmallows floating on top of hot chocolate. And, although you can't see it in the picture, the bottom's nice and wide too, which allows it to sit easily on my quickly enlarging belly shelf.

Past weekend's workshop

2008-03-12T09:10:00.003-04:00

As posted earlier, I spent last weekend at a Kari Radasch workshop at Mudfire Studio in Atlanta. It was a great one- nice people (all women!) in the class and Kari was extremely generous with her clay knowledge and techniques. Much of the time was spent watching demos, with a little bit of time to work to get the techniques down. We made lots of molds from items that we had brought along, and a couple of somewhat finished pieces. I dried some of my molds too quickly and may have to remake, but the concepts learned are still there. Here's Kari on the first day showing us how to treat the rim of a shallow bowl once it's taken off the hump mold..
Kari had an interesting way of coil-building her mugs and other pieces. She would layer a couple of coils, stretch them upward and then "throw" them on the banding wheel using her serrated rib to shape and distribute the clay evenly. It left a nice subtle texture on the surface, and had the dual quality of the looseness of a handbuilt piece and the evenness of a thrown piece. These pieces were so sweet that I had to buy one (picture to come....).
Even with all the great techniques learned that will get good use in my studio as well as for my students in upcoming classes, I learned most from Kari's slide lecture. Warning! I may have a hard time articulating exactly was learned: Kari has simple, concrete ideas that she aims to express in her work, and she does so extremely effectively. I tend to overthink or underthink concepts and she does it just right. As a person, she seems very familiar even before you meet her because she expresses herself so well in her work. Does that make sense? I think I need to take some time to intentionally determine what I would like to convey in my work without it being shallow or contrived.

Workshop

2008-03-07T08:42:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was a fun day- it started with heading up to Concord, NC to deliver work to the Cabarrus Arts Council. I'll be the featured artist in their gift shop for the months of March/April. In May I'll give a demonstration/lecture to the council members.

After that, I headed to Davidson to have lunch with my good friend Alyssa and her sweet daughter Earle (who's probably the cleverist almost 4 year old I've ever met). It was fun to catch up and see what she's been up to in her studio. Alyssa's been focusing on some really cool collages/drawings at the time and in the fall she'll be heading up to Minnesota for the McKnight Fellowship at the Northern Clay Center. She's a rock star, basically.

This afternoon I'm excited to head down to Atlanta for a workshop with Kari Radasch. It's a short one, but I suspect I'll learn a lot. I've admired Kari's work for some time and have many questions for her. She recently had a major change in her body of work and I'm curious to see what kind of reactions she had during that process. I enjoy taking workshops for mainly 2 reasons: they inform my work and enhance my teaching.

As part of the workshop, Kari asked us students to look for things around the house that would be good to use to make molds. I don't really have many serving pieces that aren't handmade, so I headed to one of my favorite thrift stores- the Habitat Restore to look for some goodies. Here's what I came up with:
Aside from the little brass owls, I got all that great stuff for $8. What a deal.

These little guys actually came off my mantle. I've been wanting to make a mold or something out of these for some time because they have great sentimental value. My grandmother used to have a very large collection of brass critters that my sister and I would always rearrange whenever we went over to her house, just to tease her. These guys had their own shelf and we would turn them around to face the wall and she would act "mad" at us, and we thought it was so funny.

I'm a big dork and I don't care...

2008-03-06T08:41:00.003-05:00

A couple years ago, I remember having a conversation with Brian's cousin about how he will sometimes exercise while on the job. Steve's a construction worker, so he said that sometimes he would run to his truck from inside when he needed a tool or run to the woodpile, etc. Well, on Tuesday I missed my morning workout and it was too rainy to take a walk outside, so I figured, "why can't I do a workplace workout?" Obviously I wasn't going to run laps around my slabroller, and I was glazing. One of the first steps for me while glazing is to brush on black glaze in the textured areas of my pots (which is pretty much everywhere). Since it doesn't require a lot of precise marking, I felt like maybe I could fit in a little movement. So my brilliant solution was to march in place while brushing.

Needless to say, about 1 canister set and 8 mugs into it I looked down and happened to notice how ridiculous I must have looked. There I was, latex-gloved, belly sticking out of a too small shirt, marching and glazing in my studio. I started laughing so hard that I had to sit down- thank goodness no one was there to witness this in person, but I am considering making a video: "Low-impact studio aerobics." Look for it soon in a video store near you!

Here's what the pots look like once I wipe them down- the black glaze ends up really highlighting those textures. I then brush and pour more oxides and glazes on top.

Empty Bowls Event

2008-03-04T09:37:00.004-05:00

This past Friday was the Second Harvest Food Bank's empty bowls event. People can purchase a ticket in advance that gets them a yummy lunch, free bowl and afternoon entertainment. This event has been so successful over the past couple of years that it sells out long before the event is held, which is so exciting for the mission of Second Harvest!

This year Clayworks, the studio where I teach, provided 280 bowls! Students, studio artists and instructors pitched in. Julie, Adrienne and I were there for the event to promote Clayworks and do a little bit of demonstrating. Well, I did the demo, Julie was my posse (as she said). Adrienne took the pictures, that's why she's not in any of them. It was fun to be there and see the different bowls that people picked.

Current projects and a little bit of drama

2008-02-27T18:12:00.002-05:00

In conjuction with working on regular inventory and gallery orders in the studio, I've recently had some great special commissions. I'm just wrapping up one for the Arts and Science Council here in Charlotte. They're currenly in the throws of their fund drive, and commissioned me to make the gifts for the chairpeople of the drive. The first picture is the poster created specifically for this year's drive, and I was to design the gifts based on it. So, here are a few getting glazed, 2 finished pieces and small stacks of the finished product.

For me, no commission would be complete without a little bit of drama. While these are technically due next Wednesday, I gave myself a due date of this Friday, to make sure everything got done in time. I always make extra, just in case something happens that's out of my control (or I just plain mess up!). Well, they ended up ordering extra at the last minute which ate up my "just in case" pieces. Of course, as I opened the kiln yesterday, this was the face I made when I discovered that 3 pieces had major glaze snafoos:

Then I realized that I had enough time to remake the extras I needed...Here I am making more trays. Watch out for that belly! Yikes.

Yummy site....

2008-02-26T18:14:00.000-05:00

I was rummaging around on the internet this evening, waiting for dinner to finish cooking, and I came upon this great site that I know is going to be completely distracting to me: http://www.reprodepot.com/

It's a website that features all sorts of goodies, but my favorites were the selections of fabrics of all sorts. I'm kinda a fabric freak and use a lot of different designs as inspiration for much of my work.

This swatch especially caught my eye. I swear I had a jumper or something in this pattern when I was 3! Oh, the memories.

Oh, things kids say

2008-02-20T15:49:00.000-05:00

Wednesdays are usually a bit exhausting for me these days. I start off by meeting my friend Julie in the morning at the gym, doing the eliptical machine while reading smut magazines and chatting. Then off to teach class at Clayworks, tutoring at an afterschool program, back for a few hours of work in the studio and then back to Clayworks to teach an evening class.

I got a great little post-tutoring boost of energy today because one of my little students said something really funny. We haven't discussed the fact that I'm pregnant, so, I guess she was just trying to have my back on this one. As I got up to leave today, Tori gave me a hug from the side, looked up at me and said, "Miss Amy, I'm sorry. But your belly is gettin' kinda big." In other words, start focusing a little more during those workouts! Oh, the humility kids can create!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood....

2008-02-19T09:14:00.000-05:00

....would you be mine, could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor? Oh yes, today marks the 40th anniversary of the first national broadcast of Mr. Rogers on PBS. I don't know about you, but in a family that didn't grow up on tv, this was one of the few shows we were allowed to enjoy. There was a great clip on NPR this morning, featuring good old Fred speaking to us adults, saying that he likes us "just the way we are." I think that's a sentiment that's easy to forget. Here's a link to a tribute to Mr. Rogers, recorded a couple of years ago on NPR.

Another reason it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood is that I've begun to notice a lot of plants have started to bloom. It doesn't quite feel like time for spring yet, but the dogwood trees and daffodils around here don't seem to care. We have some beautiful winter rose bushes right outside our front door that are in full bloom:

In the studio, I've been working on a couple of specific commissions, which are just about finished. While I enjoy creating something a bit different, I'm anxious to get back to making some of my "regular" work for some upcoming shows. In March and April, I'll be the featured artist in the Cabarrus County Arts Council gift shop, so that'll be the next project I'm working towards finishing.

V-Day

2008-02-15T08:38:00.000-05:00

While I'm no culinary expert like my good friend Ron, I sure can work wonders with some box cake and sprinkles.

And, of course, we had to eat our dinner (I mean, pre-dinner snack) on some special plates! Awwwww. Look how sweet Brian is eating his cake.

I don't mean to get on a soapbox, but I will, being it's the day after cupid's rampage. While no marriage is perfect, many people say that it is hard work. I feel incredibly blessed that being married to Brian is quite easy. Not only do I love him, but I really like him too. So go have some cake if you love someone (this can include friends, family, a presidential candidate or animals over 5lbs)!

Oh yes, it's true!

2008-02-14T09:25:00.001-05:00

Many of you already know this, and I don't know why it's taken me so long to post: but, yes, Brian and I are going to have a baby. This is the first picture we've taken of the whole process, so I thought I'd put it up since my belly's finally poking out. I'm a little over 5 months along and due in June. We're very excited, and not finding out if it's a boy or girl. A little while ago I thought it'd be funny to have a blog contest on naming the baby, but was a little scared of what may turn up. My dad keeps saying things like "Clay" if it's a boy. Yeah right.

Anyway, things are going well in the studio. Last week many of our Circle of Eight participated in the "Treasures of the Earth" show in Shelby, NC. The opening was fun- lots of people and great food. Tomorrow is the grand opening of Lark and Key, a new gallery in NODA that Julie, Jen and I are in- it's beautiful. They promise to have lots of people and great food there too (is there a pattern forming here?)- and a DJ. Should be a good time!

A little bit of redemption

2008-01-31T13:15:00.000-05:00

After my goofy stamp debacle (see "Doh! & Duh!!!" post below), it felt good to finish up my plates for the Community Blood Center this morning. I was able to quickly remake some stamps, fire them and get them out this morning to use. They wanted me to work in my normal style, just basically sneaking in their logo as part of the design. I'm pretty happey with how they came out.

I guess plates have been on my brain lately, because as I looked around my studio, I had several other shelves with various plates on them. Maybe I've been craving sandwiches or cake!

Packing pots

2008-01-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

About this time a year ago I attended my first wholesale show in Baltimore. For those of you who don't know, a wholesale show is one where artists set up their display and many gallery owners from all over the US come and make orders for the upcoming year. I was very blessed with a successful show and have spent much of my studio time over the past year filling orders for new galleries. It was a goal of mine to have a wider range of exposure, and I was able to do that as a result of the show.

Yesterday I packed my final order (actually, I may have two more orders if waitlist galleries still want the work) of the year. It felt good to see a giant list have the final X through the order to say it was shipped. I thought I'd share a little about my packing process, as I've gotten a little better at it (although I still occasionally have breakage- it's hard to completely guard against someone dropping your box, which happened last week!).

I first get all my pieces together and check the list to make sure I haven't overlooked any items.

Each piece will be wrapped well with bubble wrap, with the end taped so it doesn't come free. Masking tape or another colored tape works best because whomever is unpacking on the other end will be able to easily find the tape (rather than using clear plastic tape). I often tear off a bunch of strips because it's much more efficient than wrapping the piece, putting it down, tearing one piece, etc.Here's a pile of wrapped and taped pieces:

The final mess of bubble-wrapped pile. I like to have all the pieces out so when I'm loading the boxes, I can see what may fit in a little nook. I didn't take any pictures of the loaded boxes, but a couple things to keep in mind:

-don't stack plates flat on the bottom of the box. Instead, create a little nest with newsprint and stack them diagonally or on their ends. I will often add a little paper cushion in between the plates as well

-Fill all gaps between pieces with newsprint- you don't want the work shifting in the box

-add extra bubble wrap around protruding handles, feet, and spouts before wrapping the entire piece Always double box your work with at least 2" of foam peanuts in between. That's my gigantor bag of peanuts- 20 cubic feet!

I always overfill the top because the peanuts tend to break down through transport:

The process yesterday took a little under 3 hours (which is always longer than I think it will!). This was a particularly large order, so it took me a bit longer to wrap all the work. This all includes wrapping, packing, typing the invoice, creating a cd of images and info, dropping it off at UPS and a quick trip to Wendy's for a celebratory Frosty!

Doh!!! & duh!

2008-01-28T18:21:00.001-05:00

This past week for me has been filled with random blunders and clumsy acts that have gotten me questioning if I need to just go away for a couple of days and start anew. This all culminated about an hour ago with the discovery that I had committed the ultimate mistake when making a stamp: I didn't create the mirror image, and thus ended up with a stamp that was opposite what I wanted (see the little swoosh going down to the left instead of the right)! DARN! DANG!

I'm working on a project for the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas: creating volunteer and donor awards for their 5th anniversary celebration. I have the pieces made and ready to receive patterns and textures that contain the CBC's logo of a blood drop. Luckily, I decided to test out my stamps really quickly before I went to town on the 12 platters and 8 vases I had made. Needless to say, I was much more careful when making the new stamps to do them backwards!

It a winter wonderland!

2008-01-17T08:53:00.001-05:00

That's what a friend of ours used to say on the rare chance it snowed down here in the Carolinas. While it's only about a half an inch and will probably be soggy mud by the end of the day, I've always loved how beautiful snow-covered trees are.

All that's left

2008-01-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Today I returned to Clayworks for the winter session. Once again, I'm teaching 2 sessions of handbuilding. This morning's class had several returning students, one who hasn't taken in a year and she's back (yeah!) and many new eager students. It looks like it'll shape up to be a great session. We're going to be working on bowls (some to keep, some to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank event), wall pieces, a box with a drawer, and as many other projects I can fit in 10 weeks. I always have unrealistic expectations of what we can accomplish in one 10 week session, but there's so much one can do with clay, it overwhelms me (in a good way)!!!

After class I headed to Tic Toc for a yummy lunch, and then on to the Mint Museum downtown to check out the Fiberart International exhibit. For those of you who live in or near Charlotte, it's one show to see. It basically blew open the concept of what fiber art is, for me, and included many wallpieces, sculptures, and objects. It made me inspired to explore sewing materials other than fabric. I'll share sometime if I actually get around to it!

After my little excursion downtown I headed to tutoring, and then home to discover that one of my daggum (that's darn for you non-southerners) cats knocked one of the plants out of the garden window! AAARGG. Of course it was in one of my favorite pots (I can't figure out if pots become my favorite before or after they're broken!): it was one my professor in college had made and given to me. Bummer. Here's all that's left:

The problem is that Parker and Posey love to sit up in the window and chatter at the birds outside in the fig tree. Usually there aren't quite this many plants in the window because many of them are outside during the spring and summer. Parker, the fat one, has a charming way of squeezing his body in the smallest available spot. It just doesn't work well for fatty. Although I can't accuse him of doing it because I wasn't there to see it happen- just home in time to discover the pile on the floor and little dirt and ceramic treasures scattered around the house. I wish I could ground those crazy cats, but what can I do? Not pet them for a day? Yeah right.

In case you didn't know....

2008-01-15T09:43:00.001-05:00

Here's the answer to that age old question: what is art? A friend sent this to me and I almost fell over.

Little rascal

2008-01-11T15:38:00.000-05:00

The reason our bird feeders run out of seed so fast....

I saw this little guy several times this morning even before I thought to get the camera.

I guess it was divine intervention for him to fill his belly so well.

A little visitor

2008-01-05T08:59:00.000-05:00

My wedging table has a window above it that looks into my neighbor's backyard (and no, I wasn't peeping). During a marathon wedging session yesterday I happened to look up and see this little guy, nestling down in the tree. He (or she?) was fluffing up its feathers and really getting comfortable for some time. It reminded me of my cat, Parker, who is fat and cuddly and quite a character, and will quit at nothing to get comfortable (or fed).

I have a new found appreciation of birds, as my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are bird watchers and just got these new amazing binoculars. They took Brian and I on a short birdwatching stint. It would be fun to be able to identify birds.

Here was the result of my wedging labor yesterday. Although not much actual work got done. I ended up going to the Clayworks monthly potluck lunch, which was fun and yummy. Those ladies know how to cook. When I got home, a friend who now lives out of town stopped by and we ended up talking for 2 1/2 hours! That's the pleasure of working for yourself, I guess. That means more work for today!