For my Plants in Design class, we’re keeping a journal – the goal of the journal is to document different ways plants are used to enhance built environments which is ultimately what I’ll be doing upon graduation. Fingers crossed the financial recession will be behind us by 2012 when I start looking for a job!
I pulled 3 of my favorite pages out of my journal from last week’s assignment to share. The topic of the assignment was “enclosure” (in terms of plants) and it’s in evidence everywhere I look now. Some work, some don’t and I suppose that’s the benefit of keeping our eyes open – Being able to file away different ways plants work in the landscape for future reference.
For this assignment, we were asked to draw in “plan” (sort of like an aerial view) & section (literally a cross section) to scale. It’s a totally different type of drawing and the scale is really more an approximation since I was measuring the spaces by using my feet as a ruler. It’s a little more technical as far as drawing goes, but it is sort of fun for a geek like me. 
Meanwhile, I picked up 25 lbs of white stoneware clay this afternoon. The Colorado Potters Guild sale is less than 1 month from now and while I don’t have much to show for myself, we are allowing clay jewelry this time around. Guess what I’m making? I really don’t have much time to do much else.
Hey, what do you know? I managed more than 2 posts this week….
~Cynthia
P.S. Tonight we’re going to try a new hot dog stand just a few blocks from our house – Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs. It has something for everyone in the family – big old all beef dog for the hubby, vegetarian dog for Jasmine and Frito-Pie for me! Luckily, I don’t have class tomorrow ;D
For those of you who are potters (or even if you work in another medium) – do you ever fall out of love with clay (substitute medium of choice)? I do and I’m not quite sure why. I’ve tried nailing it down in my head – is it the sales aspect? Or frustration at seeing some very fine factory produced work from Asia selling for pennies? Or lack of ideas? Or technical difficulties? Or keen competition? Or, or, or???
I seem to be afflicted by all of the above from time to time and am really trying to make an objective analysis of my two steps forward, one step back position with clay. Literally, I distanced myself from clay in May & June by not making any work at all. It’s not that I don’t like touching the material, it’s more a question redefining what I make and what I want to see happen with the end products.
Coiled Mug
Let’s face it, it’s tough to make a living as an artist. Throw in teaching, selling in galleries, in person, and online and one begins to approach being able to support oneself. If you are more of a production potter, then you stand a better chance short of being a pottery super star. I guess what I realized about myself is that I’m not happy doing all of the above at the same time. I never have been very good at juggling.
So, in an effort to reclaim my love of clay, I’m taking the selling aspect out of my clay experience. Or more correctly, I’m removing the pressure to make a living as an artist and am simply moving to more of a hobbyist making what I want and selling here or there when it suits my frame of mind and schedule. As an observer, you might tell me that you could have told me this – but somehow I had to decide this myself for it to stick. I think that’s why I decided to go back to school (albeit another creative field, but one where salary is more livable) this fall. For a time, I even considered selling all of my pottery equipment in one fell swoop. But, I know I would regret this when the love returns. And it will…because it always does.
Pinched Bowl
In my last post, I showed a hand built box along with a large coiled bowl that I made last week. I have gone back to basics to help reclaim some of the joy that I originally found when I first touched clay in 2002. Coiling and pinching are a pottery student’s first projects and there is something magical transforming a lump of clay into something – anything. I had to laugh though – I think I messed with my coiled bowl for the better part of 5 hours – not necessarily the route to efficiency or wealth. But, I guess that was my point when I decided to make these projects – sort of clay as zen master. I am not planning on selling these either – they will serve more as a reminder about why I turned to clay in the first place seven years ago.
This post isn’t meant to be all dark and brooding either…it’s simply a revelation I recently made about myself. I love pottery, making, buying, touching – I just don’t want to be a professional potter after all. I truly hope that this sentiment comes across today.
So where is this blog going? I’m not sure. Most likely, it will continue as it has with a bit about my interests, clay work, connections found and maybe even some school projects thrown in here and there.
Here I am standing in the Colorado Potters Shared booth at the farmers market before it opened yesterday morning
Meanwhile, I had a busy weekend including a stint at the Old South Pearl Street Farmers Market early yesterday morning. But, wait – I just said I’m taking the selling aspect out of my clay experience. True, but I did say I’d sell some of my stuff when I felt like it and this was one of those times. I didn’t have much in the way of pottery, but I did bring my ceramic jewelry which generated a few sales and lots of interest – one of my booth mates even commented that I would have made a lot of money if I charged a $1 a touch. 
A local gallery even inquired as to whether I’d be interested in showing my jewelry at their First Friday events. I make stuff that I also like to buy and jewelry is one of those things. Hopefully that comes across in the things that I do make – that they’re made with love by someone who is enjoying what she does. I think this is also true in reverse because it’s also reflects the type of person from whom I buy whether pottery, food, or services. Laissez faire….
Have a great week,
Cynthia
12 glazed star shaped stoneware pendants
Yesterday was bitter sweet – it marked my 20th wedding anniversary to my hubby and it was also the last after school clay class of the year that I am ever teaching. The kids are bummed, but I think glad that they had the opportunity to take clay classes after school in the first place. As a little good bye present, I made each of my students a little star shaped pendant with their first name initial decaled on the front.
Initial decals etc.
Decals after application but before firing
I searched long and hard for a fun font to use for the initials – and ended up using this one…I think it’s called “101 Starry Nights” or something similar. Although, if you look closely, there’s one anomaly – the “C”. I used a font called “Parry Hotter” for Cole who is obsessed with Harry Potter.
Close-up before firing decals
Initial pendants after decal firing
Star shaped initial J after decal firing
I didn’t get a picture of the final gift – I added jump rings to the pendants and strung the stars with waxed cotton cord. I think they liked them….
So with that, I want to thank my pint sized pottery rock stars for two terrific years!
~Cynthia
Stamps I received from 2 other EMT members
Back in February, I participated in the Etsy Mud Team’s (EMT) stamp exchange. The EMT is a group comprised of Etsy Sellers who make any type of clay work (as long as it starts as wet clay and isn’t pre-purchased bisque ware). Nearly every month, we have “challenges” or swaps and not that our membership is swelling, it’s always fun. I don’t participate in every swap or challenge, but aim for about every other one. Yesterday, I had a chance to play with some of the stamps that I received as part of the swap. I did ask both EMTers whether I could use my new stamps for ceramic jewelry that I plan to sell – and both Ericka and Jude replied yes. Thanks so much!
Ericka O-Rourke, otherwise known as Elm Studios, made the polymer clay stamps and hails from Pennsylvania. Jude Prevost, known as Muddy Waters on Etsy, made the bisque stamps and calls Canada home. I love both sets of stamps – and have been playing around with combining textures from both potters to make some new porcelain pendants.
Stamps I sent to 2 EMT members
On my end, I sent two EMT members a roulette and 2 smaller stamps to use as they wish in their work. One aspect of making these stamps that I really appreciate is that I made roulettes (clay stamps in the round – perfect for rolling out a continuous pattern or texture) for the first time ever even though the project has been on my to-do list for a long time. To make the roulettes, I rolled out slabs of clay and wrapped the slabs around paper wrapped card board toilet paper rolls. After the clay had stiffened, but before it had shrunk too much which would make removing the card board support tricky, I pulled the clay rolls off of the card board supports and then let them set up a bit more to almost leather hard. In the evening, I carved designs onto the clay tubes free style. The other stamps I made from plaster molds I had made of a starfish and a button.
The Spring Colorado Potter’s Guild Show and Sale is just around the corner – the sale opens on April 30th at 5pm. Eeek – that’s about a month from now and I need to make some work. Yesterday, I did a bit of inventorying and I have about 40 items made so far to include in the show. Each member is allowed 105 pieces which can include a few sets. That means that I can make another 65 items between now and April 30th – sounds like a lot, but after doing some math, if I make 4.55 items each day for 14 days straight, I could make it. 
That doesn’t seem like an overwhelming # does it?
It’s Saturday morning, and I am heading to the studio – I’m inspired to make a covered baking dish that I watched Laura Ross make on a Ceramic Arts Daily video. I love that she combines wheel throwing and hand-building techniques – a woman after my own heart!
Have a great weekend,
~Cynthia
