Colorado Art Studio

Glazing snowflakes
I spent the better part of yesterday in my studio - getting organized, cleaning and doing some miscellaneous tasks like touching up the kid’s snowflake ornaments from class last week. I had them glaze their own snowflakes - but when I inspected them, many had missed spots, so cleaned them up a little. I was on my feet most of the day, when I remembered this stool that was sitting forlornly in my dining room. I had painted it for my kitchen when we lived in Maine - but there was no spot for it in our house here in Denver…until yesterday. Perfect studio addition if you ask me.

Washin’ Dishes
Part of offering a clay class after school is that I have basically created a mobile studio for the kids. I have to haul everything back and forth because the school doesn’t have the storage space and no clay facilities. It adds a little bit of work for me and necessity is breeding efficiency. Every week, I figure out how to get more stream lined. The biggest burden is the clay - but I’ve figured out that I can get by with 25 lbs of clay per class - no need to lug the big 50 lb. box with me. Everything else fits in a large blue Rubber Maid container, and while awkward, is not particularly heavy. I also have to clean up at home, since the school’s old plumbing system is not set up to handle clay.

Freshly painted ceramic buttons
When it became apparent that I wasn’t going to get any new work started yesterday morning, I took the time while I was glazing and painting these ceramic buttons to catch up with my wild friend, Nikki, out in San Fransisco. It’s always great to talk with her since our backgrounds are fairly similar - both former flight attendants creating their own lives and realities. My neck was a little sore after talking with her for 1 3/4 hours - remind me to get a head set for my phone next time I’m near the gadget store, will you?

Last week, while I was at the library, I remembered that I wanted to watch Art School Confidential and lo and behold, they had a copy in stock. It’s loosely based on a comic of the same name and is quite funny in a perverse sort of way. Everyone who has seen the movie told me that I would recognize myself in the student body and I did. Arghh, I was the older woman following her dream after having kids. Ahhh whatever, I’m okay with that. If you’ve ever been to art school, you know the different types - tortured goth kid, jock who can’t draw, talented kid who isn’t recognized, older woman/man, hippie, etc. etc. I know, I know stereo typing isn’t cool.

So now that I’m caught up with busy work, I’m going to try my hand at making a couple of molds today, followed by cranking out some work.

See ya later,
~Cynthia

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Thank you to everyone who left comments on my studio remodel post - I’m super excited about my new space.

Meanwhile, my first kid’s clay class has come and gone and I’m now planning my second class. In our first class, we made some simple sgraffito snowflake ornaments using purchased cookie cutters, low fire clay and under-glazes. It had to be a pretty easy project since I spent a good part of our time together talking about the “rules”. I know, no one, especially kids want to hear about rules. But, we are borrowing the art room which also doubles as the music room at the school during the day. I would be really sad if our class was canceled because someone decided it would be a good idea to play the drums or xylophones with muddy hands. Or, if we had to call an ambulance because another kid stabbed his buddy with a needle tool. You get the gist.

I chose snowflakes since the school is diverse - some kids celebrate Christmas, others Hanukkah, or Ramadan and I even have one child whose family doesn’t celebrate holidays with any outward decorations at all. So, snow - pretty benign. Before I let them get started on their own, they were like crazed horses at the starting gait. Once they started working on their own, however, they were in the creative zone and that is such a cool thing to watch!

Next week, we’re making masks - about which everyone is psyched. I’m going to bring in one that I made my first semester in college as a sort of show and tell. I don’t think I’ll do a demo, since they can now confidently roll out slabs of clay for the base of their masks.

Meanwhile, I’m going to the opening of the Colorado Potter’s Guild Annual Fall Sale this evening. I have a couple of friends who are members and I’m considering applying for membership. It’s a juried process, and I’ve heard that a lot of talented clay people haven’t made it in the past - bites finger nails. The cool thing is that if I am offered membership, it’s for my lifetime - and there are only occasional openings. So I had better try now or wait a few more years when another opening pops up. I’m going to meet the membership chair tonight and see what I need to do to apply.

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween - I am currently recovering from a self induced sugar coma myself,
~Cynthia

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