American Craft Council

This blogpost has been sitting in my drafts for about a year and a half. This was my first and only time taking part in the American Craft Council show. I was honored to have a spot for new up and coming artists. But taking part in the show had some snags and stresses in it, as well as being not very lucrative, so I decided to do it again. At least for now. Here are some pictures of booths that I found interesting. Figuring out the display is probably one of the hardest things.

What's in a mug?

A lot of people I meet have no idea about the process of ceramics. So I made a little process diary I would like to share about the different steps it takes to make one of my mugs.

Day 1: I typically throw multiples, typically about 10 in one day at the moment. Since the process is relatively elaborate I prefer not to do too many at once if I can.
I pull the handles first and let them dry on a table, then I throw each cup, cut it off the bat with a wiggle wire and line them up on a board. Depending on the season, I wrap it up lightly for the next day, so they can all dry out a little for the next step.

Day 2: I attach the handles and wrap everything up again. This allows the handles and cups to reach the same level of moisture, so they can dry evenly without cracking. If one part was drier than the other, cracking will most likely occur.

Day 3: Now the cups are still slightly moist, but not too wet. The trick with a lot of the process is catching the clay at just the right moisture level. At this stage I can still carve and stamp the clay.

Day 4: The clay is bone dry. It can still crumble in your hands if too much pressure is applied.
Now the underglaze is applied. Right after I brush it on, I wipe it right off with a moist sponge. The underglaze stays in the cracks and shows off the drawing nicely.

Day 5: Cups are ready to be bisque fired. That involves loading them into the electric kiln and firing it to cone 04 (about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit). Takes about a day with the cool down period.

Day 6: Unload the bisque kiln (pic 1 is how the cup looks after firing 1), glaze the cup (pic 2 with glaze applied), fire it again for one day to cone 7 (about 2100 degrees Fahrenheit), and then you have the finished mug! Ready for close up so it be uploaded to etsy!

Each cup has gone through my hands about 8 times during the week at various stages until it was done. Did you know that's what's in a handmade mug!

New Work

Phew. It's been a year exactly since my last post.
I almost forgot how to sign back into this, pathetic.

But, I'm committed to keeping this up, especially since I've had a couple of new interesting requests come up in the last month from random people over the internets. Since I am planning on expanding my business I have to keep this going.
And today I created a brand new piece that has been perculating in my head for the past 5 years and a small sample has been created. Woohoo. Nice, when it all comes together all of a sudden.

The idea started while I was in Switzerland on a ski lift and looked at the mountains and the receding tree lines. Somehow that picture and feeling stuck with me for all these years and since I like to sew and love fabric this is what came together today. Just a start, but I definitely see larger pieces in this style, maybe even incorporating paint. I may dip the threads of this piece into black die, we'll see. I'm excited.

Jonathan Adler Video

love this guy.

Let me not forget to slave away. That's what it takes!

So talented...

Capoeira

Wow, I have not written anything in forever (how many blog posts start like that..).
I have been sewing and working some in the studio, although not as ferociously as before. After the big order for Dubai and the American Craft Council show (which sucked, btw) I was sucked dry.
All the remaining energy goes to life as it's lived and my new passion: Capoeira. I don't think I even mentioned it anywhere here yet. I started shortly before Thanksgiving when a friend showed me a postcard she had picked up in Little 5 Points. First class is free! Let's do it. So we drag ourselves to the 8:15 class in the evening. I remember thinking (not knowing one thing about it) "what if i really like this?". Well, this is what happens if you really like something: You make time for it, get fit, are sore, learn a lot, make new friends, and get in touch with a lot of things that make you up and grow from there. Capoeira is an amazing sport, philosophy, culture, that one cannot sum up in a few sentences. And I am the wrong person to write about it. Anyway, it's something I love now and maybe part of the reason my energy has been diverted. I am happy I am exercising again and I am getting fitter. I am learning a lot, which I missed. Of course now is summertime and my priorities are my kids, husband, and Capoeira. A little bit of pottery. I am really going to get in gear in the fall, when both kids are in school and I can focus on my business again. Lots of thinking going on, but I have to be patient with myself. Nothing big is going to happen in that department for a few months. So, I may be posting a few things here and there, but for now, just a brief update and what's going on. Of course, that reminds me that I have some Capoeira mugs in the oven; I am putting some decals on for my teachers... Peace & Axé!

Ritz Carlton, Dubai

For the past 2 months I have been very busy at work with another commission.
There are 5 24" carved discs and 9 20" squares that have to be done.
At this point I am almost done. A couple more firings and gilding of 3 squares and it's finally over. It's been so challenging and physically strenuous, but I learned so much from it...it's been worth the pain, but I can't wait to get a massage at this point. So here are pictures of the process, trials and errors.
I have done the discs before for the Hotel Felix in Chicago - just in a much smaller size.

Continuing the journey... Germany!

I have abandoned the blog for a while, I didn't take the time and didn't see the point of continuing it, but as I talked to Jeanette a while ago I realized it is a great record for myself. And so I have renewed energy to continue - for myself. It is too much pressure to think about others, how it could be perceived, etc. I am not a writer and I can't just focus on pottery alone. I can't take a stance and write about important issues in ceramics. I can only write about myself and my life with my kids and friends and family and all the little things that bring me joy (and sadness on occasion). So, if you care to read about it you're welcome to it, but don't expect greatness.

So, let me play catch up with all the little things that happened since last time.
I got to go to Germany for a weekend last November. By myself. To surprise my parents!
It was time for the annual fair and I missed it so. It was great.
Ferris wheel, Kettenkarusel, and the only stained glass project I have ever attempted and gave to my mother...

Hotel Felix

How cool is that? I received these images yesterday from Heather Stewart
who worked on the Hotel Felix project for Soho Myriad.
This is a small boutique hotel in Chicago.
I love how my work is protected like the Mona Lisa.... :-) totally cool!

Upcoming Shows 2009

October

Hotoberfest
Saturday, Oct 3, 2009
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Glenwood Park
916 Glenwood Park Drive
Atlanta, GA 30316

November

Paideia Art Visions
Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, November 15, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m

ICE-Atlanta
November 21st at Ambient Plus Studio!

Small Angel Blowout at Whitespace
November 28 and through Chistmas

December

German Christmas Market at the Atlanta International School
December 05, 2009

Swedish Christmas Market at the Trolley Barn
December 13, 2009

My second quilt!!!

Now about my second quilt that I am still working on as we speak:
I've been studying books and toying with ideas until I stumbled upon this Martha Stewart Quilt in October 2005. Since then I have been collecting our old Jeans. After years needless to say, I got tired of this pile and I thought it was time to cut them up. That took a few months.
Now that they were all cut up I tried to lay them out. It's really hard to work around the kids, since they are with me pretty much all the time. This is my workspace.... you get the idea!


Well, the second time I got to lay them out I actually had time to play with it (yesterday) and I started to sew the strips together. I will finish the top this morning!! Yay. Of course I want to make two, one for Noah, one for Sophie.


I also saw this beautiful Gee's Bend Quilt with Jeans. So beautiful. I never got to go to the High Museum, when they had the exhibition, but I ordered a couple of books from the library.
Here is my work in progress right now. I'm planning on backing it with cuddly flannel in blue.


wow. so, i was writing this last November or so and abandoned the blog.
The quilt is now finished and it was awesome and such a labor of love.
It is warm and cuddly and I'm proud I did it for Noah. May he be enveloped
in love forever! Now I just have to find a picture of it finished....
well, i don't have one, but I found a couple of more process pictures, you can see the
backing and how i started the stiching:

My first quilt!!!

I recently finished my first quilt. I have been yearning to make one ever since I got pregnant
with Noah 6 years ago. (Shit, I'm getting old)
So, my mum was visiting last year and we went to a quilting store. There they had displayed quilts all over the walls and her eyes fell on a pretty Gingko leaf quilt. I promised to make it for her birthday. Then I forgot about it, because she left. But I stumbled upon the pattern recently and started to get cranking on it.

It went awesome for a first quilt. First I picked out the fabric with a nice employee at the store.
That took a good hour with Sophie falling asleep on my back.

Then I started to cut it out immediately at home, so I wouldn't forget what fabric we picked out for what. Next day I cut out the circles and leaves (another hour).
Another day I ironed the fabric stiffener (forgot what that was called, sorry, dedicated quilters...)
on and sewed the leaves on the circles and the cirles on the squares. Another 2 hours.


Then, over the weekend I sewed all the pieces together and that was it. Within a week I was back at the quilt store to pick out the backing. A nice employee offered to do the topstitching for me.
I think I could have done it, but I really didn't want to mess it up, since it is my first one,
and it is as I said for my mum!

I picked it up another week later. Then I worked on the binding; that wasn't bad either.
The blind stitching probably took the most time, but it is so relaxing, it was totally worth it.
I love sewing! It is really relaxing to me and I can do some while the kids are around.
I'm really proud of it and it is gratifying to have something hand-made in my hands.
I'm hoping to give it to my mum in person soon. Don't know exactly when I will see her,
but December at the latest.

flying high... relatively speaking.

I'm having a really good day. Thankfully I was able to work all morning and got a good
start at a bunch of things. Made an angel, a large tree vase, mugs for a friend, an advent's
wreath, and started a couple of large vases.

Then I got my groove on at Dance 101 with the firecracker teacher of the Salsa Fit class.
It is so envigorating and I sweat like a pig. It's crazy. This teacher has energy like I used
to have ten years ago. I hope one day I'll get back to some kind of better shape.
Anyway, envigorating it was. My head was still red 30 minutes later.

Now I made a cake, wiped down the toy room, cleaned the kitchen, made the kid's dinner,
and am generally in a good mood.
Oh, and I was meant to bake: I found those plums that are not common to Georgia,
but I grew up with them, so naturally I had to make this German yeast cake.
I just grabbed what I assumed to be enough for a cake, and check this out:
The perfect amount for the cake pan. Not one too few, not one too many!
And did I mention I have four kids here?
I feel like ... one of those perfect fifties women right now. What do you call them?

Inspiration

Lately I haven't been able to find my groove and I'm probably taking longer than I should...
I feel like I am so much at the beginning of where I want to be,
that it makes it even harder to get started. I still have a lot to learn and grow.
Thinking about it overwhelms me and petrifies me.
I think that's why I stopped painting. I didn't think that was going to happen to pottery.
That was my safe place. Easy going and I could just do it.
My husband also brought up an interesting point over the summer:
"Why is it, that you can do
handstands on a diving board and not translate that into your art?"
I'm still mulling over that one.
Anyway, here is something that I found inspiring.
I hope I can just continue to do what I do without thinking about it too much.



PS: Are they sure they weren't styled by Vogue???

Fighting Atrophy!

Finally I am back to writing. It has been a long summer with lots of child-oriented activities.
It's been fun, but also tough on me. No real time for myself let alone work!
I hope to get back into the swing of things. I don't even know where to begin, but I signed up
for a lot of shows, so I better start asap. More later!


Here are some picture of a fun day at the studio with the kids; doing a Raku firing and some wheel throwing. They had a blast and especially useful was the hose to rinse the kids off!
All finished off with a great Snow Cone at the place next door. Summer fun!

New website!!

Ta Dah, after a long hiatus (don't worry, more is yet to come) I was finally able to finish
my website with new pictures, etc. Woohoo!
I did like my old one a bit better, but alas, this one may be overly simple, but for now at
least new pictures are up and I can edit it from home. That's the most important part.
I've been thinking a lot about what to write on this blog and had some great ideas,
but it's all just got to wait. Spending every day with my kids during the summer is great, too.
Watching them learn how to swim has been great, my niece is coming this Sunday and I
can't wait to reintroduce them to my native language... I am hopeful!
Well, got to go to get rid of my expired driver's licence..

Current mood: hopeful

...and dreaming of a brighter future. Could this really happen? Soon?
This could be huge: The Kennedy bill

"The bill would provide subsidies to help poor people pay for care, guarantee patients the right to select any doctor they want and require everyone to purchase insurance, with exceptions for those who can't afford to.

Insurers would be supposed to offer a basic level of care and would be required to cover all comers, without turning people away because of pre-existing conditions or other reasons. Insurance companies' profits would be limited, and private companies would have to compete with a new public "affordable access" plan that would for the first time offer government-sponsored health care to Americans not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or other programs."

taken from the following link: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090606/D98L1MI00.html

Especially relevant reading the latest issue of Ceramics Monthly where several ceramists mentioned they don't have health insurance and simply can't afford it. And those are kick-ass potters mind you. Really talented people! This is not right!

Diana Fayt (on the cover above) is featured in a current show at mudfire ("Bay Area Pottery Posse") that really turned out to be lovely. I was actually afraid to be completely crushed by it. There are several people represented whose blogs I read and who have it going on. Having a low self esteem myself and not quite believing in myself often I was ready to be blown away. The show was extremely good and it was great to see it all in person, but I was not crushed. Actually I was quite uplifted by it. Totally attainable.


I thought our little Cabbagetown Posse is actually really good. We've been working hard at it and still have ways to go, but we are doing good! What I had expected were much larger pieces by some potters. But they were all sizes I am doing. I definitely have to refine and tone down all the variety I am doing and really make sure to only let the good pieces through. Weed out quantity over quality, but I'll do it. I am hopeful!
If you need to compare notes, check out our etsy sites:

vesselsandwares
Green Lotus

Playing ketchup!

Ok, I really mean catch-up. I finally downloaded some images. Here are my new large vases. I really like them and they make a fine addition to our house. I hope they will make a fine addition to some high-end boutique soon and other people's houses!

My home-made tomato pots. The plants are growing like crazy in this lovely wet spring weather. Amazing how they just yearn to grow upward. As do I !

The latest spring fashion for barbies. Home made bras!!! Per request of Noah.
How great! My favorite past time when I was growing up was to take leftover fabric from my dad's alterations shop and make dresses for my barbies. Now I'm designing and sewing with Noah. It couldn't be better!