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...

Morning...

All that scraping, re-applying, firing and vwah-la........cracked city! Not the work (TG) but the kiln wash. I am telling you, anyone who had to talk to me within 2 hours of that discovery (and you all know who you are, sorry) was treated to the frustrated ramblings of one PO'ed potter! The only saving grace was the fact that, even though the wash cracked and lifted, it didn't cause any permanent damage. But - oh - the fact that I can't fire right now is not good! Hopefully Mike down at StudioSalesPottery in Avon, NY will save the day for me. A quick trip down there today to investigate new kiln wash, get my supplies, and I hope to be on the road again.

The good news is the mug you see here today. I really like how this combination came out! It's different from what I've done in the past - but still 'feels' like my asthetic. Has that right 'matt to gloss' ratio I crave. Especially in functional. I don't think I'll ever like shiny on my scultures! Just doesn't feel right! (example below) I've now fired this twice trying to down-play the shiny, but still too much for my liking.

So today is 'ceramic fieldtrip' day! Maybe I'll bring my camera and document. Diana - you're in charge of the camera - I better focus on driving.

Bye

Too Long....

The summer is killing me! Creatively - that is. Finally back to the studio this morning and what am I doing? Scraping shelves - uhg! Maintenance is a B.... but part of the ceramic world. I often think - wouldn't painting have been easier? All you do is pick up the brush, throw some paint on a board and ready, set, go! :) (all painters hate me now) Not a printmaker - however. That process is very long - and very messy! Even more so than clay. Both are equally toxic, however. I don't think either of our shelf lives are long. Metal work is cool! I often think that if I hadn't found clay first I would have worked in metal. Its more dangerous - but the results are immediate - which I love! And few surprises - unlike clay and glaze.

So today I prep for another round of work. Its time. If I have to beg, borrow or steal people to drive my kids to their activities, camps, etc......thats the price I have to pay.

Thanks to all my art friends (and thats all of you - visually inclined or not) for your comments, support and suggestions regarding my website. I'm just happy to have it out there and not think too much about it for a while. Of course, my kid is about to move out of the area to start his own career - so where does that leave me and my site? I mean.....good luck kiddo, and I'm proud of you and I'll miss you! :) (both are so true)

Back to the shelves. Then bisque again (I see your pieces on the shelves Diana - nice!) Then I have to glaze.

on and on and on and.....

Good Morning.

Patterns and impressions - I'm into those right now. The clay just lends itself so nicely to that. I am carving stamps out of clay, running them through bisque fire and then wha-la! Clay stamps!! I've done alot of carving in the past - and have ruined many-a piece. This is a nice way to apply a repeditive pattern, while (hopefully) not altering the form too much. I apply the patterns on slabs and then form my slabs into my shapes - this way I can break up the patterns at interesting places - even mix them up - and make something more interesting. The problem, of course, is over doing it. As Tim Gund would say...."Edit, edit, edit!" (Project Runway reference) Sorry if I spelled your name wrong, Tim. LOVE you on that show!

Cheers for now. Remember today's theme:

'Whatever you do, make an impression. But don't forget about the all important edit.'

Afternoon...

As my artist-kid tells me," when you are feeling uninspired, do something in the studio that's a maintenance job (clean, test, etc) - don't worry about it, and things will work themselves out". Well - test tile day it is. And, kiln loading, again. All necessary - and hopefully inspirational. Not yet - sorry kiddo.

I am working out my lowfire work and glazes. I haven't done alot of this in my kiln here - mostly worked on lowfire at school. I love the claybody! Easy to manipulate the way I like - while maintaining the essense of it origins. LOVE IT! Hope the glazed reflect that as well.

To Da Lu!

Good Morning.

This morning held one of those moments that - as a parent you understand - is so precious in its normal-ness that you don't mess with it, no matter what you had on your agenda for the day, you just go with it. I got up, made coffee, sat down with my paper and began to read. Slowly all of my children (ages 25, 14 and 12) gravitated towards me and sat down to 'chat'. It started with the question from my oldest," So who gets stuck with Mom when she's old?" My middle answers," Well, I'll be in Colorado.....". I tell them all, "No problem, I can come to you'. Roll of the eyes from miss middle, smile from the youngest; the oldest laughs. Then we talk...... about nothing. About everything. About them, me, us. Precious normal-ness - I'll take it while I can get it.

Thats it.

Back to clay tomorrow.

Morning...

Its' been a crazy few days but I'm finally back (sort of). The kids are on vaca...Patrick's grad party is done.....and I can't locate anything in my house (including the cd of the additional firepit photo's Diana left at my house for the blog - sorry Diana, they'll turn up by August, hopefully). So here I am and I HAVE to get going on my work for the November show in Brockport. Ceramic artists do not ever have enough time! Time is a problem - really. It takes a seriously long time to create something, I should say to COMPLETE something. And even then - because so much of the process is left up to the 'GODS' (fate, luck, astrological sign, moon phase.....) you never know if the work will be presentable. So...........I have a lot to do and not alot of time for the 'redo'. Or the - 'do it again' do. Uhg.

One fantastic bit of news - my website is out!! Please go to www.CherylHungerford.com to check it out. It is not 100% yet - but very close and I am extremely happy with the design. My kid did good! You'll find my blog link on there, as well as my Etsy account. I'm still loading that with my 'for sale' items - work in progress. I've learned alot about shipping (aka - Show work road kill) so I am rethinking the sell-ables. Don't want to be known as the artist who ships 'wrecks'. Please give me feed back on the site, though. I would appreciate it. One thing that a couple of artist friends have commented on is the inability to open the images completely. I know - a problem that Patrick is working on.

Today's mug - another creation from the Brockport Holiday Art Collection. I have alot of these - so get use to it! I don't know who did this one - but it is one of my 'tried and true' mugs. Always there, always sturdy (for those 'less awake' mornings) and always approachable. A good mug should be approachable, don't you think? I do not like those skinny, delicate, 'pinky-in-the-air' cups......they wouldn't last one morning in my house! Plus, a good mug should look 'huggable'. You know what I mean, right? Like its filled with this warm 'elixar of life' and you just want to wrap yourself around it and soak in the colombian bean goodness....starting to get myself all excited....

K - onto the day. Don't know if I'll get in the studio. After all is said and done I still have kids home now, and another business to help run. Tick, tock, tick tock......

Good Morning...Afternoon too!

Hi All. As you can see by my profile pic - on the road again. But now I'm back and will continue with my pitfire experience. As you can see - fire! This was cool because it was actually more smoke than fire - smoke and heat being the 2 main ingredients necessary for amazing afteraffects on the pots. We learned ALOT! For example: due to the wind direction that day and the depth of some of the work as compared to others - different sections of the pit achieved different degrees of heat and therefore different results. The sawdust worked like a champ - Sam had high hopes for it but as is always in an unknown like this, we couldn't be certain. And it was free - always a plus for an artist (cause our time is free too - right? :( )

Next you see a few of us fanning the flames with our 'high-tech' equipment - shovels! I later 'donated' those glasses on my hat to the pit - first casualty to the process. Not too smart on my part - another lesson (sorry Patrick - hope you weren't too attached to them!)

You can see here also how we needed to move in these kiln shelves once we got it going - to keep the heat and smoke in. Sam really developed this cool system by using steel sign stakes that she laid over the pit - and the was able to slide then shelves into place in the grooves of the stakes - really smart! That was one of those tricks that, as an artist, you are so happy that you were able to see it in action - no book or website can compare to practical application!

Tick, tock - now we wait....

Actually - now we roasted hot dogs! Probably not the most healthy thing to do (I speak of the toxins, not only in the fire, but also in the hot dogs) - but hey, once you've been a ceramic artist for a while you understand that it doesn't come without its share of toxin exposure....no beauty with out sacrifice! (did I read that in Ceramics Weekly, or see it on a poster at Bally's Gym?) Both, for me, are work in progress.

The next morning (approx. 24 hours later) we 'unearthed' our pit of treasures - very cool results! These are Chris's tiles - very nice results! You can see his use of the iron oxide in the red - and of course the smoky residue.

This was one of Diana's works of art! Nice.

By the way - I thought I'd have more pics available to show but apparently, and as I scan through my photos, my kids (who were supposed to be taking pictures of the work) were taking an amazing amount of pics of the dog! And then - the batteries died - so sorry for the lack of variety. I am hopeful that Diana got allot of those and will share. What I'd like to do in the next day or so is put a post up that is pictures only - that will be nice for documentation purposes, as well as easier to deal with without having to write too. Thanks Diana. If, however, any of you are interested in more pics of the dog.......

K - back to the studio. Oh - one update - I got my pieces back from the show and both were broken. So sad - but the risk we take, right? Another learning experience. Next time I enter a show out of state (mail) I will rethink the pieces I submit. As much as I am bummed, surprisingly I am still happy for the experience. And - I did get some prize $$ and a resume' line item. Hopefully UPS insurance covers me here. They actually wanted proof of the value!

How DOES one document blood, sweat and tears anyway?

TA TA

Pit fire June 2010

What a great experience! And what a great group of creative people! As expected, I learned alot - and got very dirty! So all in all a fantastic weekend!

In blue here is Sam - our leader. She is an artist and instructor at the Genesee Pottery in Rochester. This pit fire was an experiment, of sorts - and even though she had done this type of thing before, this was a new pit, with different environmental elements, and a new collection of people. Also shown here is Diana (hat and braid) - in action, as always.

My pots before the fire. My shapes ended up to not be the most ideal for good results. More rounded is better so that the fire can hug the surface at some points, and pull away to create variations at others. Also, the cone 04 idea was wrong. I learned that you should leave the work more porous, not less - this helps the work to absorb more of the fire affects and chemical reactions.

Heres where all the excitement happened -- the pit! You can see the sawdust layering the bottom and our work being placed. Looks like a garbage dump, right? The foil was used to create affects, as well as hold in salt, miracle grow and other chemicals to hopefully create interesting affects. We discovered that all in all the foil only served to prevent more affects, rather that create them. At least in my case. Again, I think my higher fire bisque wear might have been the problem too.

I would be remiss is I didn't introduce our hostess. Here is Sandy (blue shirt, holding her pot) - she kindly lent her property (and hot dogs) to us. She allowed us to drive on her lawn, dig a hole in her yard, and in general create a big mess. And she loved every second of it!! Sorry if this isn't a direct quote Sandy - but here is the essence of her thought about the weekend's activities - 'For decades I've dreamed of having a collection of artist friends out to the property to do something wonderful - to work together to create and enjoy. Its just wonderful......and only potter's could truely appreciate (the beauty) of a hole in the ground.'
She was awesome! Thanks Sandy. Hope you don't mind, but we'll be back!!

And heres our mascot. This has got to be the calmest dog I've ever met!

OK - there will be more but I am realizing how much of a pain it is to download these images, so I think I will spread it out over the week. Gives me more material (and hopefully makes me more interesting). Tomorrow I'll have images of the fire and more of the group. Now I need to go wash the campfire smell out of my clothes (and possibly my truck!)

Oh - by the way - the website process is a complete pain and Hostway sucks! I have had the site done now for over a week, but my host can't seem to switch my reserve name over to a usable one (I HATE that I have to know this stuff!). In essence - I can't upload the site so you-all can see it! Hopefully I get it resolved in the next couple of days - or fire my host and get a new one.

No new mug today. I used up the batteries in my camera over the weekend - sorry!

Good Morning...

And.....xmas morning! I like the cone 04 - the pieces feel a little more sturdy. I may do a test on midrange clay to see if it affects glaze. Anyone with any thoughts out there that is willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

So now we are ready for the pitfire - all I need are the winecoolers!

Today's mug is kinda cool. I bought a set (yes there is a set of 4 of these in my house) at the holiday art sale at SUNY Brockport last season. This student's work really spoke to me - I bought several of his pieces. Plus he was there to talk about his style - I'm always a sucker for that! Anyway, I just loved the idea of serving guests tea, coffee or even a beer in one of these altered mugs. They're probably more 'cup' than mug - either way they are cool!

Off to trim and put handles on the mugs. The studio is finally cool enough to work in.
Cheers!

Back at it

After a late start I did manage to 'spin' out 8 mugs today. (fyi - my husband still calls what I do 'spinning' not throwing; sometimes its a joke, sometimes he just forgets! And if you knew me and saw me it would be pretty obvious that I'm not 'spinning' at all) :) More than likely my kids will want a few of these mugs for teacher's gifts since we are at the end of the school year. I try to stay stocked up. Hope I get them done in time.

Also - got that kiln going as soon as I got in this morning. So pit-fire here we come! As is so typical - Diana wants to be prepared for the workshop so she has been studying up, sending me links about pit fires and techniques and she called to see if we should prepare some of our pots ahead of time. She is a very meticulous student! She wants results, where as I'm looking at it as a day of lawnchairs, wine coolers and, oh yeah, fun with fire! Thats why we are such a good balance! Don't get me wrong, she's just as into the fun as I am....we just define it slightly differently. :) ( lets face it, I would never have survived the Stone Age - While I would be sitting there looking at the 'pretty colors' in the fire, she would have been off inventing the wheel, or something!) She is great - thank goodness for her attention to the details!

Today's mug is one of mine. I think I made this one for Casey (my 14 yr old daughter) Orange was her 'thing' for a bit. I hate handles! I think I rolled this one out (cheater, I know).

Up to 800 degrees now. Doing my first cone 04 bisque so this will be a little different. Normally I do a 05 - but since these will be in the pitfire, and they are low fire clays I think this is the way to go. We'll see.

Ta ta for now!

OOL (out of loop) Day

No ceramics today. Well, one exception - to stop myself from firing off the kiln when I know better. I was tempted - even started the cycle. But then reason won out. One piece that I really want to make the pit fire is still slightly cold (Lori trick) - I need to wait one more day. Tomorrow when I get home it will be fine.

Today's 'mug' represents the traveling around I do. Made by one Horton, Tim - it symbolizes the life I lead pretty much everywhere else BUT my studio. Go, go, go! I DO LOVE my T.H. (both of them, really). Never far from either!!

K. Thats all I got for today.
C

Good Morning...

This is one of my favorite sites. Loading the kiln is like putting a puzzle together - each piece needs to fit just right or the whole thing doesn't work. And you can't force the work together (I've learned the hard way, more times than I want to admit) - baaaaad things can happen at 2000 +degrees! But when you do it correctly, have patience (another not-so- strong personality trait of mine) and open that lid.....oh man its Xmas morning! I love it! Hopefully I can fire this off tonite. This is actually a bisque fire for work that I will use in a pit fire workshop on Saturday (expect cool pics from that!). Still waiting for some stuff to dry - cutting it a bit short.....this is where the 'patience' thing is important. Don't push it Cheryl, don't push it!

Friday afternoon I played hookie with Tim (my husband) and he was sweet enough to spend some of that time with me visiting the gallery that I will be showing at in the fall. I hadn't seen it yet and was curious. The Different Path Gallery is located on Market Street in Brockport and it is just great! I reminds me of the stuff that is going on in the city. The shop is full of REAL artist made work (functional, wearable, and decorative). The gallery isn't done yet - but the plan is fantastic. I can't wait!

Today's mug is made by an RIT grad student - I purchased it at their annual holiday sale. I apologize for not knowing her name - but love her work with glazes - beautiful! And she turned me on to this white clay that I now get down in Avon, NY.

K - can't linger here - already having a late start to the day and I have to go to my OTHER job for a bit to get some stuff done. It pays the bills and keeps my clay 'habit' going! Wouldn't it be nice to be a self-sustaining artist? THAT is the dream .....isn't it? We do what we need to do....

Good Morning...

Hi All. Well, yesterday was a good one in my world. I'm exhausted! I should've had a pic of me on the computer, rather than throwing - cause that is what most of my day was about. This website thing is crazy....coming soon. Hopefully later today. VERY glad I don't do THAT for a living! Hats off to those of you who do - you earn every buck you get! Its a beauty though - can't wait. My kid ROCKS!

The big news is that I placed 2nd in the Trinity Arts Guild National Juried Show in Bedford, TX! I received that email right after yesterday's post. So Great! Those folks were super to deal with too. Very nice experience. This is the piece that did it. So goal number one met for 2010 - on to the next. This would be my show at the Different Path Gallery in Brockport, NY in Novemeber. THATS whats making me look so dusty and tense lately! I feel like I have to make a ton of stuff, just so I have a few good things to chose from. Hopefully that happens.



Yes Lori, I can do better with my photos. I swear THAT is the hardest part of this process (another profession I should stay away from). I am working on it though. Lots of internet searching for 'tips and tricks' for in studio photographs. But my first teacher (that would be the referenced 'Lori') has set the bar high for me and I now can't live with crappy images. Thank God for digital! Otherwise I'd be broke from the processing and throw-aways!! In my opinion all college level Ceramic Students should be required to take a photography class. Lets be honest here, very few of us will be able to afford a professional photographer, and when jerry-rigging your lights with a broomstick and C-clamps you want to feel confident that your f-stop thingy is working correctly! (I can FEEL the professional photographers rolling there eyes at this moment....).


Said I'd keep this short, so I will. Today's mug is made by Chea Peng. Yesterday's was from my first teacher, Lori Mills. Lori is first, always. She knows how I feel about her. Chea...well he's also an amazing artist and taught me to push myself further in throwing. Plus, the guy just makes you laugh!!



Take care.

Good Morning...

Coffee in hand (as always) and I'm ready to start this thing! Hi, and welcome to my 'fun space'. While developing my website and etsy account I brainstormed with my kid (aka. website developer) about a place where I could record the 'extra' stuff I do as a developing artist. I'm not all that internet savy, so when he suggested 'blog' I was mystified. Aren't blogs for hackers and that women who wrote about Julia Child? Anyway, here I am and we'll see how it goes.

I promise to try to keep these things short - after all I should be in my studio creating a masterpiece! Or - at least something I can serve mashed potatoes out of.

A little about me before we get going...... I am a person with: dreams, family, energy, problems, blessings - lots of stuff and I will probably talk about all of it at one time or another. That being said, however, I will try to focus on my creative 'self' through my adventures in clay.

Periodically I will probably have a c0-author - Diana. She is my friend, studio-mate, technical expert and quite possibly my other half in a previous life. I say this now because, even though this blog will be from my perspective, she is always there.

Ok - said I'd keep it short, so I will. My hope here is to document my develpment process in an entertaining way so that I don't get bored with myself. I will take pictures and share (I like the visual). I will also talk about where I go and who I meet, the workshops I attend and the opennings that I go to. I will spell stuff wrong and not keep up with the correspondence the way I should, but thats how it is, so why not just say it.

Welcome to my clayground!