In the retail world.

Here is a pic I found by accident from one of my favorite stores to work with.  Someday I'll get there in person... 
Thanks Tildé.  I love you...and apparently so does Portland.

SALE TIME.

Yes, I'm having a Mother's Day sale. 10% off all vases. AND, I can ship directly to mom. Free gift wrapping and I'll even include a note if you'd like. I'll be adding a few more vases today and tomorrow...that's all I seem to be making these days. I guess it's all those flowers popping up outside. Ah, spring...so, go check it out!

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...

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!

Sore hand.

Yesterday I was a carving machine. This morning I woke up with a sore forearm...I made a ton...well, a bunch...of owl creamers, a few "stump" jars to match and a pair of TALL owl vases. I plan on making at LEAST 2 more of the owl vases. I need 2 to send out to a couple of galleries and I'd like to have some back-ups and maybe one for my Etsy shop. I also made one of these guys!

And the menagerie grows... I'm going to make a few more penguins in different sizes. They look cute all sitting together.

I tried to take the day off today. It's still really hard to make my mind shut everything out. I plan on doing a bit of drawing later. I guess that football game is on now. I'm so happy we don't have TV. I didn't even realize the super bowl was going on until I was at the gym on Friday. I've never watched one in my life, why start now. Hmm. Anyway. I have a really good idea for a salt and pepper set and I'd like to try it out tomorrow. I just need to draw it out a few more times...

And now I leave you with Dudley in the snow...eating a branch from our deceased Christmas tree. It's a little blurry. I took it from the porch.

Finished.

Everyone really seemed to like these, even before they even saw them finished. So, here is a finished set.Both sets are already sold and I don't have any more. I AM making more...I'm starting today after I write this. I'm still going to make just the solo owls because I prefer making them a little larger. People have also asked about different colors and I have pretty much decided that I will ONLY be making these with green. That color seems to suit them best. I'll also be making more owl vases. I have tons of requests for those as well. Again, as for color? Only blue interiors...Just give me some time. My last couple of kilns have been filled with orders for galleries and shops that carry my work and some special orders from Etsy. I didn't have a lot of time to play around with all the ideas I have drawn out in my sketchbook. I've been toying with the idea of really cutting out most of my "normal" work...like bowls and more simple vases. That will free up some time and some space in the kiln.

ALSO, I'm running a little Valentine's Day special in my Etsy shop. I've marked down everything with red, pink or purple, 10% off. Click here to see! And look at the new addition to the shop...can we say swans?

Woo.

It's been a looooong week. I had an opening last Saturday in Catskill, NY. I really hate going to openings. It's mostly those group shows where I am the youngest by about 15 years and no one realizes I am one of the artists...it doesn't help that I don't look my age either...and I'm pretty anti-social... I think that's why I don't go out of my way to get shows within driving distance. Not that I don't like having gallery shows. If it's someplace I like or put on by someone I know, it's waaaay more enjoyable, even (dare I say) fun. I did actually sell one of the 2 pieces at the opening. I'm assuming this was after we left to go get sushi. Anyway, to promote holiday sales they are letting buyers take the work when they purchase it so I sent them another piece.

One of the pieces I'm showing is an owl vase. Similar to this one.

Unfortunately this one has a crack in the bottom. It's small and was completely filled in with glaze, so it's still water-tight. I'll probably be posting it on Etsy since it's not gallery worthy. I have another one that is much taller and has little feel at the bottom. That one also has a crack at the bottom but it goes all the way through. I may just keep that one for myself.

I'm not one for trends. I know owls have been big for a while now. I thought they would be "out" by now, but they are still going strong. I've really been on a bird kick and wanted to make a vase. Owls just seemed like a logical choice.

I've also made some small pitchers.

Again, the owls just seemed to work with this shape.

In other news, I just sent more work to Tilde in Portland, OR and to the Kohler One and Only show and The Clay Studio in Philadelphia now has some new snowflakes. Oh, and guess where I will be on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2008 from 10:00 AM – 7:30 PM?

Yup! This will be my one and only craft show of the season. So if you happen to be in NYC area, come to the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th Street and say hi! I'm really looking forward to meeting some of my Etsy friends in person.

That's all for now! I've got to go make lots and lots and lots of work...

Seeing spots.

I've really been into the colored dots lately. I'm not really sure why. I just posted these 2 in my shop. They are short and squat and I love them a lot. I think they'd make sweet planters as well.

I've also been really into opening up my Etsy page and doing a search by color within my shop. Like this one for "green"... or how about "blue"...

Not much else to report. I'm in the middle of a new batch of work. In fact...I better get those handles on their mugs...

I'll leave you with pics from Dudley's 2nd birthday.

Oh, and Dudley picked Barak too......

Tweet.

I posted my first pedestal bird! Isn't she pretty? This one was my first attempt. I had this form in my head for a few weeks now. It's always so nice to see work go from a sketch on a piece of paper to pulling it out of the kiln. These two were attempts 2 and 3. I was experimenting with a thicker base and different carving patterns. Unfortunately the one on the left has a little crack around the spot where I inserted the "candle hole"- which was a separate thrown piece. I'm sure you'll be seeing that one in the good old sale section. These 2 were in the same glaze firing. They are off to Massachusetts on Monday. I do have a similar green vase that will be posted eventually. I'm a little attached to it right now....that happens a lot. I'll hoard pieces I really like for weeks. Just living with them in the studio, soaking up their good vibes...deciding on whether or not I should just keep them all for myself. :)

Hearts.

I woke up this morning and went to check my Etsy, print out some invoices...shop a little. I decided to check my hearts. I've found this to be a great way to find gifts for *me* and for others. I figure if these people like my work, and I like my work, we probably have similar tastes and I might like what's for sale in their shop or things they might have purchased. Hearts are definitley one of my favorite features on Etsy. Anyway, I clicked to see 3500 hearts! I feel so warm and fuzzy inside.I also forgot to post this amazing treasury I was featured in. It's called "Modern and Masculine" and it might be on of my all time favorites. I'm glad Etsy decided that it's not spam to notify people when you put them in your treasury because I would have never seen this! Many thanks to decoratethediva!

Just working in the studio today, getting work piled up for the summer. I posted some new vases in my shop. I've been playing with layering the glaze over the colored slip in small amounts to add another layer of texture and more depth. I'm very happy with the results.

All finished.

Ah, so I took a few days off from blogging and fired a bisque and glazed and then fired up again. The vases are all finished...

They look so late 60's, early 70's. Especially with my vintage kitchen canisters in the background (they hold some oxides and stains-a little present from my lovely husband).

Anyway, it feels good to get that order done and I have a bunch of new work besides these to add to my back stock and some to list on Etsy. I broke out the 2-ton Epoxy and finished up some new pendants. I just posted a couple in my shop. One with my new orange and one with my "for a limited time only" periwinkle.
Looks like tomorrow with be a packing and shipping morning. Then it's time to start my next big order. Lots of serving bowls and mugs...ah, mugs...

In progress.

So I never got around to posting photos last night. I stayed in the studio quite late and then collapsed on the couch to do some crossword puzzles and watch an old James Bond movie. So this is what I woke up to this morning...

The vases in the 1st pic are from the other day. Drying in the kiln room. The other vases are the 15 from yesterday with half their black slip, waiting to be lightly trimmed and painted some more. Hopefully they will be ready to carve later tonight.

I'm off to bathe, eat and run to Bailey's for some new mason stains. I'm going to start testing a few new colors and I'm also planning on revamping my red for the spring. I know I've already changed it a few times, but red is so difficult. I get customers asking for a pink red, a primary red, a rusty red... I just want a clean, close to primary, glossy red. My current red is a creamy tomato red, which I love, but it is a little unreliable. I'm also testing a possible new green. I LOVE my current green, but I'd like a more glossy surface. So, if I can keep the color and improve the surface texture, I'll be a very happy lady.

Hearts.

So I knew I was nearing 3000 hearts on Etsy and I wanted to capture a screen shot, but I missed it. So here is 3030...

Pretty cool. That's like 6 people, everyday, 7 days a week, since I've opened my shop (September 2006)! And cosidering about 1 in 3 of those hearts have bought something from me, that's also an excellent feeling.

So today, more vases. Finished up 16 last night and went to sleep with a sore hand. Woke up this morning to more wedging and weighing and now I'm off to eat and then throw, throw, throw... I'll try to post some in-progress pics later tonight.

So pleased.

A little over a week ago I finally saw a cup that spoke to me in Nathan William's Esty shop, hijackedceramics. I mean, I could buy everything in his shop, but I really like his new work with the white clay body. It reminds me of ivory, which suits the Indian patterns beautifully. Amazing depth and the color is just stunning. The photo does not do the cup justice at all.

On the studio front, I've spent the past 2 days mixing up more clay. Today I'm starting my spring order for Tilde in Portland, OR. Another one of the shops I work with around the country that I would LOVE to visit in person. They carry some great artists and are a pleasure to work with. So, if you live in Portland, go check them out! On the agenda today, more vases with the extra color on top and posting some new work on Etsy.

new work.

I unloaded a kiln Friday night. Like I mentioned before, it was mostly special orders. Not much left to post on Etsy or to keep as back stock. Whenever I think I'm getting ahead, I see a boost in sales and then *poof* no more work left. I thought January and February were the "get ahead"months!

Anyway, mug mania was brutal. I had several mug orders to fill. I haven't been making many mugs because they are rather labor intensive and I don't want to have to charge a ton for them. I recently started to only take special orders for them and then I sell off the extras from the special orders. And however many times I say to myself "never make more than 8 at a time" I never listen. I inevitably end up with at least a dozen mugs that all need to be carved at the exact same time, have handle put on at the exact same time...ugh! 8 is manageable, more than that is not. And here are some of the fruits of my labor. (and with my new orange again!)

I also have my new lavender glaze. I guess I'd say it's more of a periwinkle, but it really depends on the light. It definitely looks more blue in my photos. Maybe I will call it periwinkle. It looks so nice with just about all of my colors. Especially green and yellow. I only made up a small batch. So once it's gone, it's gone!

I also forgot to mention that I was on the front page again a couple of nights ago. And yes, more tiny tripods. This time in red! And of course, another great treasury of items that I'm happy to have been included with.

Thinking spring.

I don't really have anything to report. Firing a glaze kiln tomorrow. Again, mostly special orders. I was on a bit of a pitcher/creamer kick last week. I have 4 in this load. All larger than a creamer but too small to really be a functional pitcher...I don't know what I was thinking. I mean I do want my work to be used, but it goes back to what I said about certain forms working better at certain sizes. Anyway, other than that, I still hate winter. So here are a few spring time pretties...

Feeling grey.

Today I posted a few of my 1 lb. vases, this time made from grey porcelain. What do I do with all those carved and "contaminated" bits of fine white porcelain and black slip? Recycle them and make grey porcelain, of course. Now, I use colored porcelain on a regular basis with my sculptural work (which someday I'll go into on here) but it's rather expensive to make. If I made a vase out of bright orange porcelain I'd have to charge quite a bit and I don't think your average customer would understand the price. But consider the fact that my orange stain is $30/lb. and you also need WAY more stain in a clay body than in a glaze. Anyway, my grey is practically free when you think about it that way. And I must say that it is quite lovely. It does wonderful things with the glazes and it's always nice to change things up every once in a while. I've never been a fan of working with dark clay bodies but I think that bias is from working with the rough, groggy stoneware I had to use in college before learning to make my own clay...ugh, memories of finding sponge bits and sticky band-aids in the community buckets! So here are a few of my new vases. I particularly love the yellow over the grey which turns slightly green and the cobalt, which makes a lovely, super rich, navy blue. Not quite as graphic as the other work, but just as beautiful in their own way.

I ♥ hearts.

So after some annoying kiln issues, I've finally posted some new work in the shop. After MANY hours of the kiln slowly rising, I shut it off at about 2000 degrees. So frustrating. It turns out I had a break in the bottom element. I'm sure it never would have gotten to temperature. Thankfully Bailey's called on Friday to tell me the back ordered elements were in. I changed them all, excluding the bottom one that I changed last month. Then, I re-loaded and she rose up like a champ. Cone 10 in a little over 7 hours!! Note to self: CHANGE THE ELEMENTS MORE OFTEN!!!

And the fruits of my labor....

Tiny porcelain hearts. Made with vintage lace, pressed into the ultra thin porcelain and painted with black slip. When the lace is lifted, it leaves not only the imprint of the lace, but the white of the porcelain beneath. These are tiny, 1 3/4 inch wide, and come on a 12 inch length of red satin ribbon. I'm selling them in sets of 4. That way you can give some, keep some, use them to decorate the house or use them as gift tags! I've left the backs blank so you could write or paint on them. Love them.

I also LOVE this vase. I've just been holding in my hands, it feels so nice. I made several small 1 pound vases (I call them that because they are thrown with 1 lb. of clay....duh!). I'm particularly in love with this one's shape and that cool, pale blue. I'm now officially out of this glaze and won't be making more, so get it while you can! So cute.

Working.

I've been working like crazy the past few days and have slacked off a bit in the online world. Finally posted some more work in my shop. I posted a few 3 tripod sets. I thought I'd offer them this way because they are a bit off model from my others. I made these 12 just before I decided on a standard size for these little cuties. I'm also offering them at 3 for $25, so they are a pretty sweet deal. I think they'd be great for Valentine's day. Give one to a special someone with a super delicious dark chocolate truffle in it or maybe a pair of earrings or special ring.

(Oh, how I love my wedding rings)

I've also posted this little bird bowl. I've since worked out all the bugs in this design, but this one was the first, so it has a few issues. I still couldn't bear to smash it, it really came out quite lovely. So, it's a bit rocky on it's 4 little feet and the beak is more brown than I would like it to be. It will still look lovely displayed or used to hold some sweets. And it feels so nice when you hold in your hands.

Tomorrow is going to be a finishing day. I made about 15 vases that all need to be carved tomorrow.....boy, am I gonna have a sore hand.