Finally!

That's really the best title I can come up with. My blog is always on the back of my mind, but things get away from me. I have been super busy working full time, getting ready for the holiday season, and you know being pregnant! This season I will be doing two holiday craft events, one is November 6th in Rochester, NY. MayDay Undergound! It looks like it should be a really fun event, and my mom will be there helping us out. Also depending on when baby decides to come out, I may be joining some other local artists here in Cortland for an evening of shopping, wine, and appetizers at Hairy Tony's. This was a great event last year, so I am hoping that little baby stays in until at least his due date. The event is December 8th, and I'll try to post more details later. Here are some shots of what I've been up to lately. I'm trying out a more graphic look and would love some feedback! Thanks! xoxo




As always all of these treasures can be found on my online store......and these new works will slowly replace any sale items, so get the sale items while you still can!

When Life Hands You Lemons...

You can make the most delicious risotto.


For the past few weeks I have blatantly ignored my once per week goal of posting. What have I been doing? Living. As an artist I usually get a feeling of anxiety when I feel like I'm not working enough. Balancing a part time job and studio work can be stressful, and often times simple joys in life get pushed to the side. Since moving to New York I have been able to add to my studio time a lot, and I have felt calmer as a result. So last weekend I trekked to Ancram, New York in the Hudson Valley and met up with some friends and headed over to Ayumi Horie's studio sale. Ayumi is a kind of a household name amongst contemporary potters, so it's really exciting for me to be able to make my second visit to her studio. This year her sale featured another potter and a furniture maker as well as her own work. I was so overwhelmed to see so much work in person! Usually I look at things I like online or in books, but here were hundreds of pots to choose from. After some cider and treats and much back and forth I left with a great plate, and an ice cream bowl. I spent the rest of the weekend at a harvest party, picking apples, playing with five year olds, and enjoying great food and wine. It was the perfect weekend for driving through central New York. Fall is my favorite season, and I didn't realize how much I missed it over the past four years. When I got back I made a gluten free apple crisp with my apples.

I like all the steps involved in cooking, peeling the apples and the way the different shades of the peels look so beautiful together. Chopping, mixing, the smell from the oven. Oh, and the eating. Yes, the eating. And the way the ice cream melts into the crisp.

So, the theme of the past few weeks for me, has been enjoying fall and the simple things around me. My days at the co-op go fast and I relish the time I can spend on my work. But, I also have to remind myself to relish the time I can spend doing simple things at home. With the cool weather, risotto had been on my mind. When I spied some meyer lemons in the produce department, I knew that this would be perfect for the dish. Risotto is a slightly longer process than most dishes, and requires care and patience. But it is worth every minute. As I prepped my kitchen before friends came over I was struck by a parallel feeling I get when making work. The thing about risotto is that it needs constant attention. So I had to get all my ingredients within reaching distance. The other two requirements are a glass of wine, and a back up person in case your arms get tired. I began stirring the rice and adding the ingredients. Anxiety set in. What if it doesn't turn out? The guests will be here in 30 minutes. Similarly, what if the kiln I am firing right now shuts off early or over fires? Ok, if the risotto is gross I have some pasta I can boil really quick and toss the ingredients in, Vaughn can't eat pasta, but he doesn't have to eat does he? I keep stirring the rice, is this how it looked last time? Should I be doing this in a cast iron skillet?

This must be life imitating art at it's best. Because I'm also thinking, did I put the glaze too thick? Was I rushing? Do I use too much of that new celadon glaze? Do I have other pieces I can apply for shows with? And then, the rice starts gently puffing up and getting creamy from the starches, and I know instantly that it will be good. I sip my wine, and get back-up help with stirring. The remaining ingredients are added right before the guests arrive. I sprinkle the top with meyer lemon zest and relax. Once I get out of my pajamas I'll open the lid of the kiln. I can only hope the kiln is as good as the risotto was.

The Walk to the Studio

If you've been reading then you might have picked up on the fact that I recently moved to a new studio I am VERY excited about. Here is the moment you've been waiting for, some pictures! One of the things I love about my new studio is the short walk from my apartment to the studio. Here are some shots along the way:

Right now the queen anne's lace is everywhere. I remember it growing along the railroad tracks by our house as a kid, and now it grows near the tracks on the way to my studio. I had kind of forgotten as I don't think it grows much in Florida. After I cross the railroad tracks, I reach the Cortland Corset Company, affectionally referred to as the Corset Factory.

The Corset Factory does manufacture undergarments under the label "Cortland Foundations".

The building also houses graphic design firm Hopko Designs and photographer, Roger Williams and has provided temporary space for sculptor Vaughn Randall an assistant professor at SUNY Cortland and his National Endowment for the Arts project this summer. So the building has already been a really exciting place to be. On a side note in the right hand corner of the shot below is my new car. After several months of being a full time pedestrian, I know have four wheels instead of two. Although I am not sure that these wheels will inspire any blog posts or revelations about function vs. form. Time will tell...

I thought I would miss Singleton's Seafood Shack, but now all I have to do is cross the railroad tracks to get some delicious fried seafood, or fresh seafood to take home. And they have real shrimp! I'm not sure if they supply us with any fuel at the Corset Factory, which is run on biodiesel, but something tells me they have plenty of fryer oil, as that is the only utensil in their kitchen. So up two flights of stairs, through the room of sewing machines, and then the pattern room:

And then I arrive in my studio, when I took these photos they were still in the process of finishing the walls.
So far my studio set up is some carts, a huge table, and my trusty old kick wheel I bought from Keith Renner about six years ago. I intend to put a glazing area in the right hand corner of this photo. Also more shelving will probably be in order.

My main focus right now is building up an inventory of work. I began with a series of dress vases which was really fun, and some larger bowls. I just finished a big quantity of cereal size bowls and big tumblers. I am focusing on making much bigger cups now thanks to a little nudging from Jeff. Next in the plans are more big serving pieces, single serving teapots, mugs, carafes and pitchers, working big, testing new clays, an earthenware project, the possibility of plates, and breathing.

Function Follows Form?

The other day I was hanging around the studio, glazing and waiting for the rain to stop. Currently this fabulous beach cruiser is my only mode of transportation. So while I could catch a ride in a car, I really don't want to leave my wheels behind. Finally the rain slowed enough for me to put on my windbreaker and go...my colleague thought I was nuts and it was way to wet to ride a bike. Which brings me to...the form. I bought this bike because it looks so rad. I don't think there was really any other factor that influenced my decision. I learned the value of it's function this year when my car broke for good, the fenders allow me to ride through puddles, and in light rain. Thursday night I enjoyed a lovely twilight bike ride, and arrived home to a rainbow over my house. My bike fabulous for it's look and it's functionality. So, are the things that are most pleasing to the eye also the most functional? For me this usually rings true, like in this style of teapot. The handle is nice to hold, and also allows you to hold the lid down while pouring. And I like the way it looks! This leads me to wonder do we automatically pick functional items based on the way they look, or the way they function, or do we choose them as the form and function go hand in hand?

Fresh Work

It's all flowers and bubble gum colors for spring. When I lined up all my work I wished I had finished it for Easter. I've never been very good at planning for holidays, I'm hoping I'll get better at it as time goes on. So here is the infamous tulip bowl, stage one. Some of the work I made this firing was more about the form, and less about the surface. I tried restraining myself, which of course backfired because I became less interested in the work. I did, however come up with some good basic ideas.

Every firing elicits a different reaction from me. In the past firings I have peeked in the kiln and prepared myself for disaster, only to be pleasantly surprised; fired a kiln load almost completely full of pots for the shard pile; and most recently had every emotion possible about my work until arriving in a satisfied place. My good friend Mandy told me as I was about to fire my first load of glazes I had mixed myself, you won't get the glazes exactly how you want them until about ten years from now. At the time I was a little discouraged, but of course hindsight is 20/20. I know that I probably still won't get the glazes exactly how I went them, but that feeling now relaxes me, and sometimes allows the "happy accidents" I wouldn't otherwise experience.



In my next firing you will see some more of these bubbly gummy colors, and my new forms playing dress-up with different embellishments. As I was loading up the kiln this morning with student work, and I remembered a critique where someone commented on my work, "You're going to hate this, but it's like venus flying trap playing dress-up" Now who could hate that?

Glazing Studio

Last week I switched over to my glazing studio. I am a "process person". To me this means that I like to be making, then glazing, then I decompress, and then I start over. I think that a lot of potters in some kind of cycle. For me sometimes it's hard to take days off because I feel a looming guilt that I should be working, but at the same time I feel that it's important for my mental sanity to do that once in a while. I'm sure that people around me appreciate it too. Since graduating from college and learning to balance teaching, working, and creating I have found that re-arranging and cleaning my studio in between my processes makes my working process more efficient. It helps me set a clear beginning and ending to each phase. Here is a shot of my glazing studio all ready to go.

You might be noticing my fabulous Shimpo banding wheel. Lucky for me my boyfriend knows the value of a good tool. This is an essential in my studio that I use in every part of the process. I also love my stacking porcelain trays I got in China for mixing stains in, but I still use my ice cube tray from the dollar store too! This glazing load is a little small for me, but I'm trying some new things and also testing some new colors.

There are also some new forms in this batch for me which I am excited to see. I decided to leave my tulip bowls simple and glaze them in a similar fashion...for now. I also made a new vase form that I took a little further in the decorating process which has led me to a new conclusion and direction. This "new" direction is really a continuation of my work. If you know me you might know that I love dressing up, or you might only see me in dusty clothes at Atlantic Pottery Supply
I restrained myself in decorating my bowls, which led me to feel a little detached from them. So, I am going to be working an a series of "dressed up" forms, inspired by tulips and lotuses, then embellished with sprigs, slip trailing, stamping and maybe some sgraffito. If I can't wear a dress to work everyday at least my pots can! Of course once I got through my technical difficulties and finished this post....my kiln is downfiring right now, and I'll soon have some results. Check back for more.