Oh you beautiful blog...

My mug and pitcher were featured in a most lovely blog today, I Dreamed I Saw, with several of my clay friends...

Check it out!

Year Ending...

Wow. Guess it's been a while since I've been on here...

Well, just wanted to mention that the shop is still open and my official last day for shipping is Monday, December 21st! All items are shipping USPS priority mail. (Free priority upgrade for ornaments!) That means 2-3 days depending on how far you are from me...I'm in NY. Actually, if you live in NY, NJ or CT, your package might be there by Tuesday. So get those orders placed by Sunday...Monday by noon at the latest! I will even gift wrap, include and note and ship directly to your gift's recipient!

And after these INSANE holidays are over, I'll be back to making work for some shows and hopefully posting a lot more often on here.

Happy Holidays!!

Snowflake Giveaway.

You can win a snowflake!!! Katydid and Kid has featured my work and is running a little giveaway. Leave a comment with your favorite item from my shop and you get entered in the giveaway for one of my snowflake ornaments. Find it here.

Pack and ship and pack and ship.

That's it. Approximately 130 pieces went out in the mail today...yikes. My studio looks mighty empty right now...and I'm totally freaked out.On a lighter note, this tray was featured on a lovely blog today. Check it out.

2 Months Later.

I know, I know.

It seems that Flickr and Twitter and Facebook have all conspired against me...sucking up my time and making blog posts nearly pointless. My husband hates when I use the term "micro-blogging"....and I must say that I hate that term as well, but that what it is. Instantaneous notes on new work, new Etsy listings, shows...all that stuff.

Oh well. I do miss having a weekly update that's a bit more thorough...and a bit more permanent. It's nice to look back on my progress and lame little musings....I'll just have to try harder....stay more focused....be a bit more disciplined.

So, you can find my work up in Hudson, NY during Arts Walk 2009. I have 15 pieces displayed in the windows of Face Stockholm for the Windows of Warren. It's actually a perfect fit. My glaze colors compliment the makeup really well....and then there are those great black and white floors...

And of course, I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to fill all my holiday orders....while still trying to fit in a bunch of one-of-a-kind pieces I've been DYING to get made. I will admit, I've been on a weird kick for the past month...and my husband doesn't like it one bit. I've basically been working in the studio just about every day into night, non-stop, until about 4 am. I've even seen the sun start to rise a few times...I know, not too healthy. In my defense, I still get at least 6 hours of sleep, I've been eating really well, working out as usual...in fact, I'm very healthy, not run down at all. And I've gone through so many audio books it's kind of insane...not to mention the late night dance parties....in attendance: me. I thought I'd be totally burnt out by now...not at all. I'm actually amazed at all the work I've manage to make and I'm still happy being in the studio, not sick of it AT ALL. I've always been a night owl. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but Facebook has been a great tool for keeping my sanity. Being able to connect with other potter's who are also all alone in the studio is a really great thing. It's nice knowing that I'm not the only one locked up in my studio, talking to myself. I take regular "coffee breaks" to chat with my "co-workers" and it brings me back to "reality"...ha! And even when it's late, there are the potters in other countries! Where would we all be without our computers and phones....

Well, back to the studio for another long night...and I love it....

Showtime.

I should have posted this already, but I've been super busy lately. I'm one of 18 potter's in The Clay Studio's...

Pitchers: An Exploration

August 7 - August 30, 2009

So, if you find yourself in Philadelphia, go check it out!

I really do love making pitchers. I have about 5 new pitchers sketched out and ready to be made. Now that I have about 200 pounds of fresh new clay sitting and waiting for me in the studio, tomorrow might be the day...

Back to reality.

My mini camping vacation was fun. Super relaxing. No phones, no internet...perfection. I left the shop open and came back to a bunch of orders and emails, but everything was fine. I 've stayed out of the studio for the last couple of days and just packed and shipped and packed and shipped....then took photos and took more photos and posted work and posted more after that....then took stock of what I actually need to create in the next couple of weeks. I've been invited to do the Kohler One and Only show again this year, so I'll have to crank out some work for that as well. It's hard to be thinking of the holidays, but I know I'm not the only one. I've seen that "holiday" word popping up on a lot of artist's blogs lately. Yuck.Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on the outlook) I don't have much work in the studio right now. A bunch of mugs and some free form tripods. Nothing too unusual though. I do still have some of these cute bird silhouette vases. I made a bunch before the Pittsfield Art Show. The owl keeps popping up on the front page of Etsy.I guess it's off to do some more cleaning. I need to make some more clay and I've totally been procrastinating. The husband has a gig tonight and that's means I'll have some alone time in the to work. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having a husband that's a teacher and who gets his summers off, but I can't seem to get a damn thing done around here...

Success.

Well, the Pittsfield Art Show was a success. Sold a lot of work, met a lot of nice people, the show was well organized, great weather...what more could you ask for. I came right back and started posting the left over work in my shop and pretty much sold everything as I listed it...crazy! Also sent more work up to the Mountaintop Gallery in Windham, NY for the Journeys in Clay show (which has been extended until August 20th). Tomorrow I'm off to go camping upstate. I won't be closing my shop this time. I've decided to keep it open. If you decide to purchase something, it will be shipped on Wednesday, July 29...same with messages. I'll be camping, so no internet, no replying to emails or conversations. 4 days of no internet, can't wait.

Where have I been?

Okay, so it's been more than a month since my last posting...baaaad girl. What have I been doing? Well, there was a couple of weeks of non-stop studio work and a couple of weeks of Arts Camp.

Today was my last day of camp and now I'm about to pack up all that work I was making before camp started. Why? Well, for the Pittsfield Art show, of course. This will be my first year doing the show and also my first 2 day show. I've mentioned before that I only do 2 fine art/craft shows a year, so this is my summer show. If you are in the area, come see me at tent #11 this Saturday and Sunday from 10am-4pm. The weather is supposed to be lovely.

Super Sale Time.

Yup, the old studio is getting crowded again. I've been busting my tush in the studio for the past month+ and I need more room on my shelves! I have a few gallery shows and my one big craft show of the summer (I only do 2 craft shows/year...not really my thing) coming up in the next couple of months. SOOOOO, that means it's time to clear out the older work and all those pesky seconds. So go visit my SALE section where you can find work 30-50% OFF!

Journey's in Clay 2009.

I survived another gallery opening! And it was a successful one too, sold 6 of the 11 pieces.



Journeys in Clay 2009-Contemporary Ceramics.

May 30-July 18

GCCA Mountain Top Gallery, Windham, NY. Hours: Friday & Saturday 11AM-6PM; Sunday & Monday 10AM-5PM; Tuesday-Thursday:11AM-5PM. 518-734-3104, or visit www.greenearts.org.

You can see the nice little blurb in the Arts Newspaper right here...name misspellings and all.

p.s. The pitcher isn't in the show...I'll be posting it in my shop this weekend!

The worst...

...blogger ever.

Yummy, yummy.

Yo! Gabba Gabba - Party In My Tummy from Sundtrak on Vimeo.

Here is some inedible yummy-ness.
I think I'm officially going nuts...but it sure is cute. You can find out more right here.

I've been working on ALL new stuff. I made a dozen large nice sized planters with my gray porcelain (AKA the reclaim from all my black and white scraps).

These are upside down waiting for their bottoms to be "signed" and carved. They were coated with white porcelain slip and then carved. So when they are all finished, they will be white with the gray porcelain showing underneath. I'm not sure if I'm going to add any color to them. They may just get a very thin coat of a clear glaze.

I also been making LOTS of pitchers. All different, all one of a kind. Some have been made into animals...of course. In fact, I'm off right now to make some more.

Garden.

This one made it on to the front page of Etsy today. It got 400 views in 2 min. Crazy.

Hotness.

Well I HAD a studio full of work for about 2 whole days. That's almost a record. I sent 54 pieces of work today... Most of it is on it's way to Portland, OR. Then a few other pieces to random spots throughout the country. I've also had a big spike in International sales the past few weeks...wonder why...

Anyway, I spent the past 3 days hanging out with an old friend. Hiking and walking and hiking and walking and taking pictures and watching movies and walking some more... After she left I spent the rest of the day today taking photos and doing some computer work...(and watching ¡Three Amigos!)

I've updated my Etsy shop with these 2 new vases. They are on sale (with the rest of my vases) 25% OFF until April 30th. ((Mother's Day is coming fast!)) ((Free gift wrapping. Just let me know in the note to seller box when you check out.))

Be on the lookout for some surprises in my shop in the next few days. I got a few fun new pieces into this last kiln load...

*OH! And I was featured on a lovely blog the other day. Check it out right here. Thanks to Andrea at CRE8IVE JUICE. And be sure to check out here work at small muse.

Wow.

I need new business cards...

...and I need to go listen to some Joan Jett.

I'm back.

I've been the worst blogger ever. It's really not my fault. The husband has been on spring break and that makes it damn near impossible to get any work done. I have managed to get work made in the studio, but any extra computer work has been really hard to fit in.

The first few days he was off he was up in Buffalo for a teacher's union conference. And my few days alone with Dudley were very productive and lots of fun.

This cupcake sugar shaker is just one of the cutest things ever. I was going through old pictures and found these shakers I made over 2 years ago. I thought they kind of looked like cupcakes, so I just went a step further and made them REALLY look like cupcakes. S & P shakers didn't seem quite right, but sugar or cinnamon and sugar seems just perfect.

I've also been cranking out the mugs and other smaller items so I can restock a few of my shops and also start to stock pile for my 1 summer show and then for the fall. Of course, I've still been working on the bigger stuff...

This guy is REALLY fat. I think I'm going to tuck him away for my show at the end of May.

Other than work, we rearranged the ENTIRE living room area. It's a big open space and SO hard to work with. We've been wanting to get a new TV and knew we were getting something big and we'd have to rearrange the whole damn room. I know, why a new TV when you don't have cable or anything? Well, that doesn't mean we don't love movies. And we do LOVE movies. We decided on an LED HDTV...uses less power and has no mercury (2 really great things) and the picture is fan-freakin-tastic. It's like looking through a window and watching everything happening in real life. AMAZING. Well worth the extra cash. We really aren't into the whole consumerism thing...but I can't praise this TV enough.

Well, enough about that. I have a huge amount of work on the shelves waiting to be fired. I really want to pack this kiln solid. I've been having a great time with the standing and throwing and my hip/back issues have been lessening. One more batch of work to carve and that's it. I'm aiming for a Thursday bisque. Then it's going to be glazing, glazing, glazing...

Springtime.

In honor of all those lovely flowers starting to open up in my yard, all my vases have been marked 25% OFF! Click here to see.

Happy Spring!

In hiding.

Okay. So this has been out of the kiln for several days and I'm just now sharing it. Every once in a while, I unload a kiln and get so excited by a new piece that I hide it in my studio. At times, I can be seen huddling in a corner, gently caressing it...I'm really not kidding. This bird pitcher is one of those pieces.

Today, I finally felt ready to part with it. You can find it right here.

I've been spending my evenings this week sketching. I have loads of new ideas and guess what??? They don't involve animals. Well, I guess they do, but of the bipedal form. And I don't mean Emus........

Birdlady of Alcatraz.

So here is the newest edition in the studio. It's actually in the kiln right now. I glazed the inside with yellow...I'm not really sure why, it just told me it wanted to be yellow... The weekend went by fast. I spent Saturday loading the bisque and doing some more straightening up in the studio. I'm still working on getting me wheel up just how I want it.

I did finally go through all my molds. I have a ton of plaster molds I made when I was working in, well, my old style...which I PROMISE I'll go into someday. Some were molds I took of things I made and some where molds I made from found objects. This little tray-bowl-dish piece was made from a mold of a Styrofoam tray that once held string beans. I had it at my desk for a while and I just kept touching it. I even made Jon hold it. It feels sooooo good.

Tomorrow it's the chiropractor, the gym, and some more organizing while the kiln is cooling...

Cute tray mania.

Well, after 2 trips to the Chiropractor this week and a diagnosis of a twisted pelvis and a bit of scoliosis {probably due to the muscles on my right side being WAY more overdeveloped than my left and pulling my spin over}...I'm rethinking the amount of throwing that I do. The past week has been going to the doctor, cleaning the studio, going to the doctor, reorganizing the studio... New shelves are going up, more lights have been hung, big heavy tables are being moved (don't worry, I have help!!) and I'm finally putting my wheel up so I can stand while throwing. The goal still is, throw less. Which is fine. I have already mentioned that I will not being making lots of bowls and small vases and other small pieces that just seem to suck away all my time and physical health. I've been committed to making more complex pieces. I've been throwing lots of parts and spending time cutting and "pasting" them back together.

But, making these cute trays was a nice, relaxing, no-body-stress activity. The blue one is already on it's way out with the mail today, but the green one was just posted in my shop. I have one more owl tray with a deep purple background that I really like...It's like he's hanging out at night. Unfortunately, the purple is SOOO hard to photograph and I don't have a good shot yet.

More work will be posted over the weekend. Wall pockets, other trays, and a new BIG fish bowl!

For the quails.

Here are my new quails. I've had this form in my mind for a while. I kept drawing it over and over until I finally went ahead and made it...well, them. A fat one and a skinny one.

I didn't quite know what kind of bird they were going to be until I made them. A quail seemed to work best and the feather variation worked well...not to mention their great little "headpiece" that I knew would work with the handle.
I've also been working on a little one-a-day project this month. I've been collecting black and white plates to hang in a grouping in our giganto bathroom. I just got this one a couple of weeks ago.
It's mid-century, made in Norway...and I LOVE it. It's little, about 3 inches in diameter. And it totally inspired me to make one little plate a day for the entire month of March. I have a little mold that I've been using. My only requirement is that they must have only one color glazed area...which must be an animal. Each one is signed and numbered on the back. I'll be posting them on my Flickr. Of course, the drying, firing, glazing, firing schedule is going to make it difficult to show a new one every day, but I will be making them daily. They are really just quick sketches to keep my mind fresh but committed to one shape. Maybe I'll do something else next month??

Well, that's it for me. I know it's been a while since my last posting. I've been making work, firing kilns, shipping out orders...same old routine. Also, I've been in the process of rearranging my studio and adding more lights and shelving...AHH! It's still a total mess in there. HOWEVER, I did unload a kiln this morning and I'll be posting new work in my shop over the next week! Lots of cute trays and new serving pieces.

Pretty penguin.

Here's a new one. I posted him on my Etsy shop today. You can find him here. I made a few of these in different shapes and sizes but, the rest are already spoken for. He's the baby of the bunch and the only one available right now.

My whale made it into 2 great treasuries today. The one above is all artists from the Hudson Valley...where I live. Click the pic to make it larger. You can find the actual treasury right here. A thank you to WrenWillow who was the curator on this one and go check out her shop. Her things are so cute!

And then there is this great treasury by SplishySplashCraft. You can check it out right here. Birds and fish...my favorite!

I'll be posting another new thing tomorrow...can we say rainbows??...

Interview.

Check out my interview on the So Cal Potter's blog. I know I'm not from or living in southern Cali, but hey, he asked and I answered. Anyway, check it out right here. There are a bunch of really great interviews like this one with my buddy Shane Keena or this one with the fabulous Ricky Moldonado...my fellow compulsive surface decorators.I've also posted more newness in my Etsy shop. This is one of my new tripod bowls. And upgrade from my old design.

This one sold shortly after I posted it, but I plan on adding another one similar to it.

OH! And I also made my 1111th sale...actually, I made my 1112th sale today also. But I was so excited to hit 1111. I really like that number. My next goal is 1234...

Newness.

Well, the new batch of work is finally finished. I had some distractions...Valentine's day cake making (it's kind of weird censoring plastic boobs), feeling crappy a couple of days, kiln issues, glaze materials back ordered...

But, I finally have some new things in my Etsy shop. I finished a bunch of special orders and a several orders for some galleries and shops. I've also managed to tuck a few things away for a gallery show at the end of April.I just added this guy today. And I'm one sale away from 1111 sales...make a wish!

I have a ton of new things to post. As I mentioned before, I'm moving away from simple forms and I'm moving toward making more complex pieces and more animal related things. I realized I was wasting time making multiples of bowls and vases and it left me with little time to make more complicated things. Soooo, you may see bowls and vases BUT, they will be a bit more involved. And, I'm playing with reducing the custom orders I take. I'm planning on making more one of a kind pieces or small runs and let that be that. I often get requests like can you make this shorter or wider or a different color. Sometimes it's hard to explain to customers that their idea just won't look good, or that I only make my chick bowls in green, yellow and orange for a reason...it's starting to drive me a litte crazy...

Anyway, be on the lookout for more animals and a few "normal" bowls that just happend to make it into this last batch of work.


++Oh! And I totally forgot to mention that the awesome Ashley Akers did a sweet little post on her blog about my work! Thank you Ashley! You can go check it out right here. I've mentioned her work before. I'm a big fan. Be sure to check out her Etsy shop as well!

One more.

Heartstrings...which you can see here. A thank you to Monarchdancer, for featuring my sculptural bird dish with pink...which is also part of my Valentine's Special through Saturday.

Another treasury, another piece.

This little vase made it into a treasury on Etsy today.

Wrapped in Morning Dew Silk. Lovely name. No Dew here in New York's lovely Hudson Valley. Just piles and piles of slushy snow. There are still spots in the yard that are well over 1 ft of snow and I hear our almost 50 degree heat spell is on it's way out. Anyway, a warm thank you to lilysoffering for including me in this collection. You can check it out for real here. You can check out my vase right here. And being that everyone I know is either pregnant or has just given birth, I am particularly fond of littlesaplingtoys. Go check them out.

I've still been working nonstop in the studio. I fired one bisque and I'm finishing work for one more, which I plan on firing Thursday night. So...new work should be out and finished by Sunday. Although, most of it is off to St. Louis, some to Boston, some custom orders and a bunch is being tucked away for a gallery show at the end of April. I'm hoping to have some left to post in my shop. And speaking of my shop, my 10% off Valentine's Day special is still going on. 10% off any thing with red, pink or purple.

Okay, time for the gym...

Treasury loveliness.

How beautiful is this treasury? You can see it for real right here. Thanks to Nina of Kings & Queens who was nice enough to feature my love bird ornaments. You can still get them right here. And, if they sell out, I have 2 more sets available with red eyes, just ask and I'll post a special listing for you.

Salt & Pepper

Well, we'll see how this one goes. All the parts were made on the wheel and then altered. The owl shaker comes off. I really like holding her. She's such a great size. If all goes well, this will be off to a gallery. I may or may not make another set...we'll see...

Tomorrow I fire a bisque. I'm going to do 2 in a row and then a tightly packed glaze firing. Hopefully the new work will be finished by the end of next week.