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Art Opening at East End Arts and Pottery Party
2008-11-16 20:34:00
My good friend and former ceramic’s instructor, Mary Cay, has just moved into a new studio in the East End Arts District in Aurora, CO.  This makes me happy on so many fronts because this means she’s going to start making work again after a bit of a hiatus due to change in her life ...
More About: Party , Opening , Pottery

Earth Shelters, the Environment and Green Pottery Practices?
2008-11-12 21:29:00
Earth Shelter, builder unknown taken from http://conted.colorado.edu/programs/indep endent-learning/sustainable-practices/ Get ready for a woowoo post! With each passing year, I’m becoming crunchier.  It’s sort of a weird awakening, but that’s exactly what I feel is happening to me.  I’m waking up to the world around me and realizing that each individual is responsible for the earth’s safekeeping so that ...
More About: Environment , Earth , Life in General , Green , The Environment

New Glazed Work
2008-11-11 04:59:00
I meant to write a blog post yesterday or this morning, but my flash image uploader in my wordpress dashboard wasn’t working and I was forced to upload one photo at a time.  Quelle horreur!  Stomping my feet impatiently and yelling at my laptop didn’t seem to solve anything.  So, today, I did a little ...
More About: Work

Good Crowds and Great Pottery at the Colorado Potters Guild Fall Sale
2008-11-08 16:15:00
I have felt a bit out of the loop the past week as a crescendo of activity culminated in the Colorado Potters Guild Fall Sale opening on Thursday night. Fortunately, the spiked adrenaline that was fueling me the last few days has subsided and I am much more relaxed today. The Colorado Potters ...
More About: Great , Good

Colorado Potters Guild Fall Show and Sale Invitation
2008-11-05 17:54:00
You are cordially invited to the Biannual Fall Sale featuring work by members of the Colorado Potters Guild . Late last year I applied to become a member of the Colorado Potters Guild located on Old South Pearl Street in Denver, CO and was juried into the Guild as one of its newest members in early 2008. The ...
More About: Show , Invitation

Affirmations for Artists in Today?s Economy
2008-11-03 15:31:00
Art Biz Coach, Alyson Stanfield, just released a short, but powerful video of affirmations as a tool for artists and craftspeople to use to respond to today’s belt tightening economic climate.  This is an uncertain time period financially and politically that has the potential to play with artist’s psyches in crazy ways and affect pocket ...
More About: Economy , Artists , Today , Affirmations

Gift and Amaco underglaze info at cone 6
2008-11-01 20:12:00
My good friend and former ceramics instructor, Mary Cay, popped over for a visit last Monday evening.  It was so good to see her again and she came bearing a gift for me.  She gave me the tile above that I had long coveted and was originally part of an exchange we arranged when I ...
More About: Info , Gift

Working away and pimping my Facebook profile
2008-10-27 16:02:00
On Friday, I drove to the hardware store because I was out of mapp gas for my torch and while I was there, I decided to pick up an anti-fatigue mat for my new wheel set up since I’m pretty sure, I’ll never sit down to throw again.  The mat is cushy and much more ...
More About: Social Networking , Profile , Facebook , Working

Throwing pottery while standing thanks to new table
2008-10-23 15:47:00
Three weeks ago, Ben posted an image of a table that he built for his pottery wheel so that he could throw while standing, instead of sitting.  After seeing his table, I knew I wanted one too so I saved the image to my computer to show to the perfect person for the job.  No ...
More About: Table , Standing , Pottery

Ayumie Horie has organized an Obama/Biden fundraiser
2008-10-21 15:03:00
Ceramic artist, Ayumie Horie has organized a unique fund raiser for the Democratic ticket for the White House - candidates, Barack Obama and Joe Biden . From 27 of the best ceramic artists in the country, an online exhibition and sale featuring Obama-Biden specific pots in limited editions. Participating Artists: Dan Anderson Andy Brayman John Byrd Victoria Christen Steven Colby Michael Corney Josh DeWeese Diana Fayt Donna ...
More About: Fundraiser

Making a butter dish and template design
2008-10-14 18:00:00
I read a recent article about the dangers (or maybe it was folly) of making new work for an upcoming show without testing and revising the original idea first.  So, here I am less than one month away (24 days to be exact) from the Colorado Potters Guild Fall show in Nov. and I’m making ...
More About: Design , Template , Dish , Butter

Looking for Clay Harp Tool, Mapping Out Schedule and Kid?s Art
2008-10-06 18:14:00
While I love to use the potter’s wheel to make work, I have found an equal affinity and enjoyment for hand building in the last 6 months.  I once had the opportunity to try a clay tool called a “harp” that a potter had purchased in the U.K. and I have been looking for the ...
More About: Schedule , Tool , Harp , Clay , Mapping

Wiggle Wire Tool
2008-09-14 20:25:00
I’ve noticed that quite a few people use a “wiggle wire” to cut their freshly thrown mugs off of the pottery wheel head which gives the bottom textural interest and also negates the need to trim a foot.  I’ve wanted to try one for quite awhile and decided to attempt making a homemade one myself ...
More About: Life in General , Tool , Wire

I have?
2008-09-09 04:21:00
If you’re seeing this photo and shaking your head up and down in acknowledgment, or you’re shaking your head side to side and tsk-tsking, either way, you’re right - I’ve got nothing right now, at least not in terms of pottery or anything clay related and it doesn’t seem like the situation will be ameliorated ...
More About: Life in General

Political junkie and I?ve been tagged
2008-09-05 15:46:00
When I went into my studio on Wednesday, hard clay greeted me.  I really need a damp box or need to figure out a way to retrofit the area where I keep my clay by lining the shelves with some heavy plastic or some other system to keep clay from drying out.  Heat and low ...
More About: Political , Tagged , Junkie

Denver Museum of Science and Nature
2008-09-02 21:01:00
On Saturday, I cleaned my studio in preparation for making some new work.  Literally, making the first voluntary step with intention is the first part of the creative process for me.  While I had planned on working in the studio on Sunday afternoon, my family decided that they wanted to spend some quality time together.  ...
More About: Science , Nature , Museum , Denver

Colorado Potters Guild Tour and Studio Wish List
2008-08-30 18:16:00
Colorado Potters Guild A tour and peek inside the Colorado Potters Guild in Denver. 12 Photos Click on the thumbnail to open the album and then click on any thumbnail to enlarge the photo and scroll through the contents. The Colorado Potters Guild was formed in 1964 by a group of 18 people who had taken pottery ...
More About: Colorado , Tour , List , Studio

Teaching, Website, and DNC Update
2008-08-28 21:32:00
Yesterday, I finally nailed down a schedule for my after school clay class that I have decided to teach again this year.  If you’ve read any of the past month’s posts, you’ll know I have been on the fence about it - so it’s a relief for me to finally make a decision.  Instead of ...
More About: Website , Teaching , Update

Soda Firing at the Colorado Potters Guild on Sept. 6 & DNC
2008-08-25 20:36:00
The soda kiln in action at the Colorado Potters Guild On Sept ember 6 - less than 2 weeks from now, the guild is holding a group vapor firing for any members who want to learn about the process and participate.  Currently, only about 5-6 people use the vapor kiln at the guild.  I love the ...
More About: Soda

LeRoy and Follow Up on Inspiration Post
2008-08-23 23:10:00
Update: Playing with some themes right now - so things look funny right now… Remember the post I wrote about the “Mixed Media Movable Sculpture” class that I taught at Anderson Ranch Arts Center about a month ago?  I finally got around to photographing my sculpture that I made in advance of the class to ...
More About: Inspiration , Post , Teaching , Leroy

Adios Anderson Ranch and Snowmass Villiage!
2008-08-02 17:17:00
Our exhibit and the unveiling of our sculptures to parents and friends on Friday (I’m standing in the back of the class) My class at Anderson Ranch wrapped up yesterday afternoon and my students worked almost up till the time of our reception at 3:15 to finish their sculptures .  Some finished early and then many ...
More About: Teaching

Success! Pink and Violet ^6 Glaze Test Recipes Part 2
2008-07-08 15:14:00
This is a continuation of my last post. Mason Stains in ^6 Glazes In my second round of testing, I was optimistic that I’d found the holy grail of base glaze recipes to achieve a pink ^6 glaze - but I was mentally prepared to open the kiln this morning and find nada.  Imagine my surprise and ...
More About: Recipes , Pink , Violet , Success , Part

Working on Cups, Boxes and Platters
2008-06-26 11:41:00
Hand built stoneware cup with square base I’m continuing to work on the lessons I learned in the workshop that I took last weekend in an effort to make the work my own.  This cup is one of the results and one I’m going to continue developing.  I like the square base and the round top.  ...
More About: Cups , Working , Platters

Earth to Annie Workshop
2008-06-23 13:46:00
Me, Lillian, Annie, Cindy, Diane and Kathi On Saturday, I took a one day hand-building workshop with 5 other people taught by Annie Chrietzberg at her studio.  In addition to being an accomplished artist, Annie has been writing articles for Pottery Making Illustrated and graciously shared her hand-building techniques and templates with us.  If you visit ...
More About: Earth , Workshop

Hitting the Jackpot!
2008-06-06 17:42:00
Shipping pottery and other clay items isn’t the most environmentally friendly endeavor.  Bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts are both used, along with double boxing items.  It’s sort of the bane of my existence - a necessary evil. With that in mind, I scour my neighborhood when walking my dogs for packing material and who knows what else I might be able to reuse.  My neighbors must think I’m nuts!  Last week one of them happened upon me leaning into one of the dumpsters, my behind in the air, dogs loosely held in one hand in the alley behind my house reaching for some perfectly clean bubble wrap that had been thrown away.  Plastic gold is what I call it!  I think I need to put a flyer out to all my neighbors reminding them that I collect and recycle bubble wrap and styro-foam peanuts. It makes sense to reuse that stuff and I really hate buying it.   Meanwhile I was gifted with  a healthy supply of packing peanuts and bubble wrap from a dear friend of mine! ...
More About: Jackpot

A Couple of Thank Yous and Random Thoughts
2008-05-30 20:03:00
A few weeks ago a blogging friend & fellow artist, Shawn McCann, purchased a couple of my porcelain vases from my Etsy shop. Of course I was flattered that he purchased my work, but I was even more tickled when he sent a photograph of how he was using one of the vases. ...
More About: Random Thoughts , Random , Thoughts , Couple

Trimming Faux Pas & New Work in Progress
2008-05-23 15:42:00
Trimming Faux Pas While I was getting ready for the Potter’s Guild show in April, I made a grave mistake. It’s one that many novice clay people make and apparently one that I make too occasionally when I’m in a hurry. If there’s anything I’ve learned about myself it’s that I can’t rush because ...
More About: Work , Progress , Work In Progress

Studio Clean Up and Milestones
2008-05-21 15:45:00
Studio Clean Up I went into the studio yesterday to work, only I couldn’t find anything I needed including tools, boards, rulers etc. This was a clear sign that my studio space needed to be thoroughly cleaned. I made good progress and hated to stop, but stop I had to in order to make ...
More About: Studio , Milestones

The Right Tools Make a Difference
2008-05-17 15:59:00
Leather hard ^6 porcelain being cut into my desired shapes Since I’m sharing a booth at the Art Student’s League Summer Art Market this June with 3 other people, I cut myself some slack in the making department. From the get go, I decided that I don’t need to have a lot of inventory since ...
More About: Tools , Make , Difference

Finger Condoms Cots & Studio Safety
2008-05-15 15:56:00
I’m trying to keep a safe studio for my own health and wellbeing since working with certain ceramic materials can be toxic.  Every so often I get a little paper cut or other small wound that doesn’t look terrible, but hurts like the dickens - especially with constant use when working with clay.   When this ...
More About: Safety , Studio , Condoms , Finger