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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!