Still in Progress

Ok Chickens, it's been a busy week. First I decided to roll with the tulip bowls and am now obsessed with tulips. Similar to my recent strawberry craze, and maybe just as short-lived. Here although are some gorgeous gerber daisies from the Fresh Market, where they must just be selling fake flowers disquised as real flowers because these are still kicking after over a week. I am hoping to have a pottery sale sometime soon with friends, or perhaps just sell some f-in pottery. I went to the library and paid my fines. $14! That is pretty shameful, and instead of getting books I had already paid fines on in the past I checked out two books about the arts and crafts movements, and one specifically about William Morris. This proved to be a good choice. First I discovered jewelry that looks likes it would translate beautifully to the silhouette of a pot.

Then last night I sketched some notes on this funny paper a friend gave me as I had left my sketchbook at the studio. Lately I have been watching tv and sketching, strange? Maybe. I used to listen to npr, but hbo just has so much to offer. I am thinking about trying some sgraffito, carving through colored slip, sometime soon, and I think this is a good start.

Works in Progress

Today I continued a series that I have decided to call my tulip series. My boyfriend was sweet enough to buy me some beautiful tulips a few weeks ago, that I then did a water color photo of just before they wilted and fell apart. I love tulips because they remind me of when I was a kid and my mom would cut them for us to take to our teachers. I remember being young and going to school when school was still fun! She would always wrap the stems in a wet paper towel and then foil. After a few years it became seriously uncool to give teachers presents or even like them, but I remember when it was still ok, too. Here I have a new shape I am exploring, the sundae cup. You can view the first ones I made on my etsy page. I have made the new bowl lower and wider, and the stem taller. I am trying to avoid them looking like a goblet. For some reason I hate clay goblets. They make me cringe, something about a goblet just requires it to be made out of glass. For me. I don't care if people use my sundae cups as goblets. That is up to the user. I am also working on a different shape of bowl. It is made with slightly less clay then the one I have been making for the past year, and designed for a single serving. I made the bowl cup in slightly, and then cut the edge, in a lotus style, kind of like something I saw in China this summer. It really does look like a flower. I am covering it up in plastic for the evening, amd trying to decide if I stop myself, and excercise some "economy of design", or indulge myself and end up making something that might appeal to a smaller audience. It is really a question that is coming up for me now that I have more work available online. Who is my audience? Tulip lovers?

Welcome to my Studio...

For the past four years I have been living and working in northeast Florida at Atlantic Pottery Supply. I think the best way to introduce myself starts in my studio. First, my apron collection, I always pick out an apron when I arrive at my studio, and I usually match it to my clothing....ridiculous, I know, but part of my process. To the left are some of the more delicate and less wearable type. Above are the functional ones, highlights include the rooster with the rhinestone eye, and I saw the apple apron worn by one of the crazy head wives on "Big Love". That pretty much made my weekend! Said apron was also given to me by a student which ups it's special factor. Sometimes I am jealous of my friends who get to dress up to go to work, and I am always dirty, I remedy this with a fabulous collection of aprons, go ahead be jealous!

Besides looking fabulous or fabulouso as my former boss used to say, I do actually make things in the studio. Most of my forms start on this kickwheel that I purchased from a friend while I was still in school. I think I paid about $120 dollars for it, on a whim, I had never even tried a kickwheel. This was worth every penny and more! I've had it for 6 years now. I am considering getting an electric wheel for bigger pieces, and the occasional terra cotta series, this one is impossible to clean, and will always be a porcelain wheel. I like using a kickwheel, because it's much quieter. Somewhere along the line I developed a ridiculous aversion to annoying noises, we all have our quirks I suppose....