6th Annual Potters Market Invitational

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

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

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?

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.....

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

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

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!

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

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

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: