There’s a lot going on in our world and a lot more disruption to come but every day I’m reminded that life moves forward – regardless.So we will keep going, working hard, keeping the creative flame alive and spreading light however we can. Remember the people and things in your life that bring you joy! You are all part of what brings happiness to my life and I’m incredibly grateful for your support on my clay journey! I’ve been working hard to make enough ware for this time of year and I’m almost there. Your encouragement[…]
The Updated Challenge
If you’re a reader of these newsletters, you will have noticed that I recently cut back on teaching. This is not because I was tired of teaching but because I needed more time to produce work.About a year ago I wrote about a new challenge I was working on. I had my work shown to a buyer for some high-end home stores and she had some suggestions for making it more saleable. The challenge was to make my work more saleable but still make it my work. So, here is the update. The journey of this[…]
Nurture Your Creativity and Find Your Power
I had my physical recently and it’s definitely inspired me to work on some new habits! The first one I’m tackling is to exercise every day. In an effort to find music that is fun, uptempo and makes me feel like moving, I’ve resorted to pop. Two of my favs are Katy Perry and Taylor Swift because I love their songs about female empowerment. After I work out and listen to those songs, I feel like I can do anything! getting in a few squats while the coffee is brewing! What does any of this have[…]
What’s Coming Up?
It’s June and it feels like summer is happening! This weekend, June 8th and 9th, is the Fairfax Festival and Ecofest. My husband Sam Parry and I will be sharing a booth again. There will be so many beautiful paintings and a whole kiln load of ceramics to investigate! Come down and see what’s new–we’ll be under the redwoods near the main stage. A large part of my new work is a line I’m developing called ‘Coastal’. The pieces are made in both porcelain and a dark clay with only clear glaze and sands from local[…]
It’s All Happening Now!
It’s that time of year when the shows and festivals begin so, here we go! My husband Sam and I are having our spring Open Air Open Studio this weekend–rain or shine. There will be beautiful paintings of all sizes and it will be the introduction of Coastal, my first line of work. I’ve been working hard for awhile on developing a group of pieces that work together and follow a theme and I finally have a solid set ready to show. I’m excited to put it out there and see what happens! More pieces, including[…]
Handle It!
As ceramicists we all have things we need to handle–mostly mugs! Adding a handle is the moment in building that finishes your piece. It can give it personality and style, complete it in a harmonious way or relegate it to the ‘interesting but not very useful pile’.Over the years and I’ve put a lot of handles on things. And all this experience has led me to developed a small checklist of what I want in a handle. Basically, it to be functional and appropriate to the piece. Given the list is so short, it’s a surprise[…]
Tips to Work By
Every class session I’m reminded how long the learning curve is for ceramics. There are soooo many options for materials and the techniques we employ, glaze applications, firing variations and then there’s the combinations of all these things. It takes a long time to master this art. I still learn something every time I open a glaze kiln. So here are some tips I find myself telling students frequently. Hopefully they to help shorten the curve! * Water is the key-to building! To build successfully you have to monitor and control the water content in your[…]
Taking a Fresh Look
I’ve recently started questioning my functional work. Once you can make a form successfully, it’s very easy to stop thinking about it and just default to ‘that shape you know how to make’. I’m taking a fresh look at everything and asking does it work well? Why did I choose that shape? What would make it be better? Take butter dishes for example. My standard process is to make them a bit like an upside down pinch pot, about the size and shape of a stick of butter, and then refine and decorate them later. In[…]