The App

Good morning. Glazing day! (And I don't mean the ice on my side walk). Wow it's been hard not to follow my primal instincts and hibernate the year. I have to think SPRING - that means birdhouses today. 

Also I get to ship my bird houses to Vegas for their 'Open House' with the vegasclayarts group. Wish I was packing and shipping myself to Vegas for a month too!  

Enough procrastination disguised as 'deliberating' - Laters Gators!

Oh  - forgot the title reference ... I am using my blogger App and it's cool!  Can't wait to try it at shows and gallery events!!

Gift of Gab - Revisited

 

Well its been a while - Hi!  I've been thinking about this for a bit but in my sick mind I was punishing myself by saying 'Can't do the blog until you work on the Website'.  Not healthy - but motivating.  So....the website is about 80% there so I gave myself a break and let myself off the hook.  So here I am back and really, really hard at work.  This year should be full of fun (and meltdowns - literally I'm sure).  Last year I saw an increase in shows and demand for my work!  Nice!! Also, I through myself into the Art Guild locally to help promote art and artists in my community.  Its been great - but sooo busy.  AND - Kiln problems!! But with that I learned how to repair - always an adrenaline rush to know you can work with tools! :)

 

On to 2014.  I was asked to participate in a juried show in Vegas (super cool).  Heres a pick:

 

 

The birdhouse pic above is one of two entered in the show.  The coolest is that I was asked - they found me - which is totally awesome as an artist. 'Cause you all know that as an artist we were born to work and pound the pavement - such is our 'creative' existance.  Also I was 'found' at the Clothsline Fest last year by two organizations that asked for my work in their shows.  I did one last November at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (huge show) and the upcoming one that I'm working my a@@ off for now is Springtime in Canandaigua in April.  I was also asked to one in Syracuse in June but my blonde is graduating at that time and I can only be SO crazy in one year!  I hope to do Clothesline again - that has brought me some pretty great contacts!

 

OOOKKKK - Enough of the boring catchup stuff.  I have 6 followers and I think 2 of them are me (by mistake of course)  :)  If you read this please let me know!  I will send out something on my website and then facebook but I'm not in my writing 'groove' yet so it may wait a bit. 

 

Thanks for listening to the boring stuff.  I promise to try to inject more of my humor next time (I'm sure something will explode or melt - so no worries on subject matter)

 

As my teen girls say, "Laters".

Here it is. I'll talk more about it later. I have to sleep now....

Afternoon.....

I don't like to over plan. There is something magical in the unexpected. This is my cause and my curse. I want consistency with all the promise of 'magic'. It doesn't exist.

And yet I try and try to maintain both.

Morning....

Wow - almost 2 months since my last entry. I wish I could say its been 'work, work, work' all day long since, but alas no. More like, 'kids, summer, driving, moving, and more kids' all day long. With that said, I still feel on track and ok with my progress. However, since the last entry, and my apparent stroke which caused my obvious dementia, I entered and was selected for another show - which happens to be THE DAY AFTER my OTHER show, 11/5. So I have to make a @#&* load of work to sell at the second show, cause its like a fair.

I really think I am calm because if I wasn't calm I'd completely lose it.

In the last two months I've had my share of technical difficulties, for sure. One so bad that in my panic I emailed my old professor (she's not old, you know what I mean, sorry Lori) for advise on how to save a piece after a kiln mishap. As is always her she has been very supportive - she is basically why I remain so calm amid all of this craziness! She is also the one who reminded me (over a very nice and needed lunch) that THIS is how I learn how to have a show....like you actually have to have one to learn how to have one. Duh, Cheryl. In my mental state of nuts I forget - and she reminds me, very calmly. Cheryl you WILL make mistakes. Its ok. You're doing it - thats whats important. Learn, move on.

Thanks Lori.

Above all else, I just want to be interesting. If I can be interesting and unexpected AND somewhat engaging as an artist.....well THAT would be success. But for now I will accept interesting.

Good Morning all,

During a fantastic evening last night, as I had dinner with family at a dear friends home, this blog was mentioned. It was surreal. Angie (dear friend) said how - although she doesn't 'get that stuff' she enjoyed my blog. First off - Angie, you not only could 'get this stuff' (she's a very intelligent, forward-thinking woman), girl, you'd probably write an excellent one yourself! Tell Pat (dear friend's husband, but also dear friend in his own right) that he should definitely write a 'making your own wine' blog. He has incredible knowledge around the subject and tells it in a very interesting way. OH - and by the way Pat.....you were right - no hangover! :) Lovely evening guys - thanks again.

Back to pottery life. I've not written because I've been working! Its all good. Lots of activity that hopefully produces some good results. The new kiln wash cracked again - but I think that may have been somewhat my fault. I put on 3 quick coats, and then ran it through a glaze firing. Probably too much stress. Still not as bad as before and I can reuse the shelf at least one more time for a bisque fire. If anyone (other than close friends or family - sorry people) reads this, and has any other ideas around this subject, please write! Some 'lost art of kiln washing your shelves' enlightenment would be fantastic! I don't know if you are reading this Gary - but I know YOU could help me. Let me know.

Why do we do this? Why have we picked this medium that is difficult, messy and requires a process that is both unreliable and toxic? Is that what draws us? Is it the comfort I find amongst the almost certain disappointment? Or is it the challenge to tame and produce from this place of raw beginnings? For myself, that moment when it all comes together....that unexpected jewel under the kiln lid as I open it. Its when I KNOW what happened is good, and I don't care if anyone else sees it, or gets it. When I make something I want to keep, instead of give away. Its when its a surprise, a good surprise, and I am inspired by my own product to produce again. Its also when I know its one of a kind, and that I won't be able to produce it again. And yet - I stay and try for another day.

Enough musings. Off to work..
HiHo, HiHo....

Good Morning.

Thank you Mike at Studio Sales Pottery in Avon, NY!! Not only did Mike make me up a special batch of his tried and true kiln wash, like every great potter he did a 'show and tell' session in his studio and helped me better understand the problems I was having in my own. And, as usual, I went down there with additional questions, which he very patiently answered. He is such a great resource!

Now, the only problem is......Mike also kinda put me in a panic about my upcoming show. Not in a bad way - just a 'you gotta load of stuff to get done before October' way. I think my brain was on overdrive after that - I laid awake thinking about it all last night til after 2am. The best, though, was when Diana (who took this pic of me driving, btw) shows up at my door after going home from our roadtrip with a complete bulleted list of the 'highlighted' action items Mike brought up regarding prep for my show! If thats not friendship, I don't know what is! I think she could visibly see my semi-meltdown on the way home from Avon and just had to do something! Thanks Diana (and sorry in advance for the crazy B you're going to have to tolerate over the next, oh, 30 - 40 years!)

BTW - kiln washed last night - already can see its gonna work! yea!!

on to my day...