New Ceramic Platter Designs
On Tuesday, I decided to drop by the Art Student’s League of Denver to check whether or not my ceramic platters had been fired. Perfect timing; when I arrived the studio assistant had just cracked the kiln open and had begun unloading the ware. It’s always a bit like Christmas for me peeking inside the kiln after it’s been freshly fired. I helped the studio assistant unload the kiln – it was either that or I would have annoyed the heck out of her waiting, waiting for my work to reveal itself. Here’s what I realized – I need a bigger kiln! These platters just barely fit in my own kiln, so I can not make larger work in my old Paragon.
I was, however, pleasantly surprised when I saw my platters. I had decided to switch clay bodies for my slab work because I’ve found that the porcelain slumps too frequently despite all my best efforts to dry the work slowly. This is a buff colored stoneware that I happened to have in my studio which has more “grog” than the ultra fine porcelain. Many potters I talk with liken throwing porcelain clay to throwing with cream cheese. That’s how soft porcelain is when it’s wet. So, when I saw my new platters, I was very happy.
I’m firing both my kilns today. I have bisque work in the large kiln destined for Summer Art Market on the 9th and 10th of June. In my small kiln, I have ceramic pendants and earrings firing as well. I would like to have my Etsy Shop stocked with Jewelry by next weekend since I am not allowed to sell jewelry at SAM. The Art Student’s League does not teach jewelry, so it is not allowed sold there. I will be wearing some of my jewelry and will direct interested people to my Etsy Shop if they’re interested in the jewelry. I am going to be applying for space at Art-O-Mart at Capsule Gallery, which has no medium restrictions, in September and December. I will also be firing my kilns most likely through next Friday as I prepare for SAM.
I received both of these magazines in the mail on the same day this past week. I was struck by the similarities in design and color palette that both chose as their cover art. After SAM, I plan to warm up my sewing machine again. I am FINALLY going to finish sewing for my home and am going to pick up my Earth Series again. I have still been thinking of ways to combine the 2 mediums. I also have plans to resume work on the craft of making thrown porcelain cake platters after SAM. I’ll be able to work at a more leisurely pace and will be able to concentrate without distraction.
Till later this week,
Shameless Self Promotion Plug!
These are but a few the items in my Etsy Shop right now. I’m offering *Free Worldwide Shipping* during Memorial Day weekend, through Monday, May 28th at Midnight!
All of the ceramic components are made by me in my studio from porcelain clay that I fire in an electric kiln. It’s a multi-day process and takes approximately 7-10 days to complete each piece, from the making, drying, sanding, firing, glazing and then assembling the components.
Earrings = $12.00
Small Pendants = $18.00
Large Pendants = $22.00
Have a good weekend everyone & new post on Tuesday morning,
Musings
The piece you see above is a before and after of the thrown clay cylinder that I had painted the other day. The yellow that you see is shellac and will burn off during bisque firing. I was searching for the name of the technique and I can’t seem to pull it out of my brain files right now. I’m pretty sure it’s a Japanese term-when I remember or find it, I’ll share it with you.
I was reading a book the other day, titled Studio Pottery, that has beautiful images and also a really great explanation of the re-birth of pottery around the 19th C in western cultures. I qualify that as western cultures because the ceramic arts has a solid tradition and reverence in eastern cultures.
In a nutshell the author, Oliver Watson, describes how the Arts and Craft Movement began as a back lash to Victorian tastes and the rise of Industry in the 19th C. Machination made it possible for things to be produced faster, cheaper and more efficiently than handmade items. The movement was a social one and aimed to return the soul back into design and the items that were used everyday. The touch of the artist or craftsperson imbued the items with integrity and purpose, unlike cold evil machines. Wikipedia has a great explanation too. He described “ethical” pots as being ones that have the maker’s touch on it, unlike mass produced items.
So many different mediums were affected including ceramics, fiber, architecture, glass, jewelry, design reflecting nature and more. I bring this up because I think in some ways it reflects a bit of what is happening today too-such as the slow food movement, Etsy, green building, hybrid car and other smart, but social reactions to the technology of today. While many of these are in fact fueled by technology, they are a social response to production and use methods today.
Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox now and offer you a photograph below that I took inside the State Capitol of Colorado in Denver a couple of weeks ago. I took this by placing my camera as close to center looking up into the dome which has recently been restored. I think it turned out really well. Although I have lived on and off in Colorado for 12 years now, this was my first visit to the capitol. I was chaperoning a my daughter’s class field trip.
Moo Cards and the Business of Art
I desperately need to make some new business cards for both my Etsy shop and for my website, Colorado Art Studio. The problem is that I am doing a complete overhaul of my website and don’t have a logo or “look” that I want to advertise to the world yet. Enter Moo Cards stage left! I ordered some a few weeks ago and I just received them last week. I can’t tell you how much I like these mini calling cards (they’re about 1/2 the size of regular business cards-1″ x 2.7″). They’re a bit on the pricy side, 24.99 for 100; although that does include shipping from the U.K. They also come with this nifty solid storage container so that you can throw them into you purse, backpack or briefcase and they won’t get dirty, bent, etc.
The cool thing about these are that they’re constructed of heavy duty paper with a smooth satin finish. I thought they were made from some sort of plastic when I first got them because they’re so strong and durable, until I read the packaging. Moo Cards are made from recycled materials and are in fact themselves recyclable. The other really neat thing is that you upload your images from your Flickr account. You could feasibly print 100 different images on your order of 100 Moo Cards. I chose just 2 images, 1 of my fiber pieces and 1 of my ceramic vases. By the time these run out, I should have my new website up and running and also have new business cards freshly printed.
In other news, I registered my art business with the State of Colorado and the City of Denver. My business is now officially known as Colorado Art Studio, LLC! I haven’t made enough money in the past from my art to even make a blip on the radar; however, this year that is going to change. I have a lot of plans for the future and want to do this correctly. I want an official record of my income so that if my husband and I want to refinance or purchase a different house or maybe even a vacation home sometime, I will have an income on record. Who knows if social security will still be in existence when I need it; but at least by paying into the system I will perhaps someday be able to tap into it. These are but just a few reasons for my desire to start my business the right way.
How did I decide to organize my business as an LLC (Limited Liability Company), you might ask? I’ve been doing a lot of research and then last Saturday, after attending the “Building Creative Business Expo” in Denver and sitting in a workshop presented by Kevin Houchin I knew exactly what I needed to do. Mr. Houchin is an arts and entertainment attorney, so please visit his blog for a ton of great information regarding organizing a creative business, copyright, trade mark, public domain and other pertinant creative business information.
By the way, I am closing down my original Etsy store, DoodlesnKaboodles and am in the process of opening a new one, coloradoartstudio. Etsy doesn’t allow users to change their store name, so my only option is to close and then re-open. I am going to lose all my + feedback, all my favorites and the people who have ? me, but I’ll have to rebuild. I’ve also joined the newly formed Denver Etsy Street Team. We are going to have our first meeting March 18th. I’ll let you know how that goes later in the month.
