Leaving Denver
I am so very excited – my family and I leave early tomorrow for Europe. It’s our first proper vacation in years, unless you count camping. My in-laws flew in yesterday to take care of our spoiled dogs (who I just can’t bring myself to take to a kennel) and will also be helping my sister in law with a home renovation project. They are so good to us – if you happen to be reading this, Thank you!
Neuschwanstein Castle in Bravaria
One of the stops on our travels to Germany is going to be Neuschwanstein Castle which was used as inspiration by Walt Disney for the famed Disney icon, Cinderella Castle. We figure that might make sight seeing with our 11 year old daughter a little more tolerable to add in some fun side trips that appeal to someone her age. Our head quarters is going to be a little town outside of Würzberg where my step mother currently lives. We also plan to visit Rothenburg, Munich, and Stuttgart (where my husband and I met).
Eiffel Tower
Since my husband took so much time off from work, we found terrific flight bargains within Europe and are going to spend 5 nights in Paris. We figure we won’t be going back to Europe any time soon with me going back to school this fall so we should take full advantage of our trip. $120 round trip per person from Frankfurt to Paris on Air France – can’t beat that. Plus it was less expensive to fly than to take the train. Instead of staying in a hotel, we found a screaming deal on a 1 bedroom apartment in le Marais which is in the heart of the city for about $140- a night through a terrific website called VRBO. The place is in the 3rd arrondisement within walking distance to many of Paris’ main attractions such as the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Picasso Museum, Notre Dame, the Seine & more. We’re also going to swing by the little apartment where I used to live in 1985-87 when I was a student at the American University in Paris. Good memories….
Back to VRBO which stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner – it’s a terrific site that we recently used when we went skiing in Steamboat Springs. People post their homes & condos for rent on the site and a calender shows if the place is available along with plenty of photos & amenities. We like living like a local and having access to a kitchen. In an expensive city like Paris, eating at home saves a lot of money.
I will be unplugged for the next two weeks, but hope to take lots of photographs to share upon my return July 1st. Maybe I’ll post 1 or 2 from Germany – I will have access to my step-mom’s computer.
Later,
Cynthia
Three of my water color crayon drawings from 2007 served as the inspiration for my stamps.
Just for fun, I modified one of the projects in Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin to make some original stamps to print on fabric using only some craft foam, chip board and blank canvas tote bags. The original project called for using acrylic blocks on which to attach the foam, but I didn’t have any acrylic and found some chip board instead. I do recommend using something heavier like acrylic or wood since the chip board is pliable, but it worked in a pinch.
Meanwhile, I spent the last couple of days setting up a little website for the Pearl Street Potters….
Pearl Street Potters
The group is comprised by 12 members (myself included) of the Colorado Potters Guild who have banded together to sell our wares at the Old South Pearl Street Farmers Market every Sunday, now through October 25th. The website has a map to the market and includes a calendar when each artist will be participating. I’m currently signed up for July 12th and August 2nd – see you there!
Have a great weekend,
Cynthia
Linoleum block I carved last year to use on clay
I haven’t spent much time in the studio lately…but I have been thinking about new projects related to clay and print making. I feel like branching out partly inspired by the following two books:
Printing by Hand - Lena Corwin
I had picked up Lena Corwin’s book, Printing by Hand, from the library last year but felt it didn’t apply to my projects at the time. Most of the examples and projects involve printing on paper, fabric, furniture and walls. But, I have a hankering for printing some note cards and stationery and remembered her book. I did some internet sleuthing (read googled the title of the book) and landed on Lena’s blog. I don’t know how much time I spent perusing her blog, when eventually I saw mention of Lotta Jansdotter.
Lotta Prints by Lotta Jansdotter
I managed to find two of her books at the Denver Public Library – Lotta Prints & Lotta Jandsdotter’s Simple Sewing. I’m inspired by both Lotta’s and Lena’s use of printmaking to make beautiful and decorative items. I can’t wait to explore some of the resources they list in their books on the web this afternoon.
PhotoEZ Screen Print Starter Kit
I am particularly interested in screen printing which both Lotta and Lena describe in their books and am reminded that I still have the PhotoEZ Screen Print Kit that I haven’t used yet. I should mess around with it before I leave on vacation next week. One method of screen printing that I also want to try is using drawing fluid and screen filler to create easy original screen prints.
If you visit regularly, you might be asking yourself – “What about clay???” Wait for it…………wait for it…………okay….. I mentioned above that I want to branch out a bit. I’m going to try my hand at making some paper products for sale along with some fabric/sewing projects for the new/old home we’re moving into in late August. It will give me a chance to do some drawing and think that the projects will translate really nicely as color ceramic decals if I can get my act together. The screens would also work nicely directly on raw clay using underglaze.
The paper & fabric projects will give me some instant gratification unlike making pottery (okay there is gratification in making and designing, but less so when the firings don’t always turn out as expected). These projects will also be more portable when I consider that my studio is also going to be moving cross town – a task I am looking forward to. Why? Because my studio needs some serious reorganizing! What better way to accomplish the task than a move to light the fire under my behind.
Signing off,
Cynthia
Agate ware circa 2005-06, cone 6 white and brown stoneware, glazed on inside only.
If you tuned in recently, I want to assure you that I’m much better though I’ve been quiet on the blog front mainly because it’s been a busy weekend. Yesterday, I ran with my training group – about 6.5 miles total for me. I felt great and after a post run breakfast, I headed to the Colorado Potters Guild for our annual group cleaning day. I both dread and loathe the day because cleaning is not on my top 10 list of things to do, but it’s also sort of fun to get together with most of the guild members – this is something that doesn’t happen frequently aside from our biannual sales in the spring and fall. I closed the day by catching a Flobots concert at the Filmore last night with my hubby.
I feel the urge to get my hands in clay this next week – especially after spending time at the Guild yesterday. Even though we were cleaning, there’s nothing like the smell of a pottery studio to get in the mood. 
Architectural scale is triangular in shape and has 6 possible different scales.
Meanwhile, I agreed to do a small scale garden design for a friend of mine. Nothing big – and I knew it would be a good exercise in preparation for returning to school in the fall. I went to her house, took photos, measured and spent this afternoon reacquainting myself with my architectural scale while drawing a “plan view” of her home and garden. I worked in 1/4″ scale meaning that each 1/4″ = 1′ in real life. The project isn’t difficult and I’m only really recommending some plants and hard scape details to replace some ugly overgrown evergreen shrubbery that she removed. She lives in a lovingly restored 1910 bungalow that has been in her family since construction a century ago and I’m recommending plants that are period appropriate that can handle our semi-arid climate based on the hours of sunshine that her yard receives every day.
She keep asking me to name a price, but since I’m not formally trained (yet – though I do have my Colorado Master Gardener certificate handy), I’ve been hedging. I think I will tell her I’ll do it for a few bottles of nice red wine.
Have a great week,
~Cynthia
P.S. My husband thinks I should call my last post “Glazed and Confused”. While I concede that this is a great post title, I’ve file it away for future use.
