The Cracked Potter

Do you want the good news, or the bad news first?

2012-01-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

I always like to get the bad news out of the way first....
I got to work two weeks ago today to find that I had been laid off. So that is the bad news.
In response to this rather drastic change in my income, I began an Etsy shop (this is the good news). I have not sold anything, but am trying to post at least 1 or 2 items every couple of days. I currently have 7 pieces listed. You can find my shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrackedPotCeramics and will have more to add over the next while. I don't expect this to pay my bills, but it would be nice if I could actually work towards being a full time potter.
If anyone out there has any suggestions on the best way to run a pottery shop on Etsy, I welcome your comments and advice.

Late onset ADD?

2012-01-09T13:10:00.001-07:00

I meant to post this on Friday, but as the tittle suggests, I have been a bit scattered lately. My fingers are getting itchy. I was in the studio almost every day over the holidays, but now I am back to my regular schedule of Tuesday teaching, Friday night , Saturday after working at Ceramics Canada (maybe) and early morning Sundays. It seems I always go through a bit of withdrawal after having been in the studio so much, my brain just won’t shut up. Today is proving difficult. I will just have to think of what I need to work on over the weekend and what I could begin working on more long term. Perhaps I will see if there is interest in putting together a small group of people to do a salt firing this summer if we can get some kiln space. I would go back to Medalta, but they don’t have a lot of time in the summer due to their workshops and residencies. I understand that they also raised the cost of renting their soda and salt kilns, which makes it a little out of my budget. I will probably look into North Mount Pleasant and see what they have to offer in terms of renting the kiln. I hear it is very inexpensive and If it is really cheap, I may just go by myself (I tend to overproduce and then never get it all in the kiln when I share). The plus for this option is that I can sleep in my own bed. Medicine Hat is a 3 hour drive and would require at least 3 or 4 days in a hotel to finish the firing (load on day one, fire on day 2, cool down day 3 and then unload on day 4). I also need to go on a wood hunting trip (just a walk along the river will do). I am looking for some pieces of driftwood about 6 inches long that I can use as handles for a few stretched out platters and more of a unique piece of wood for a smoke fired jar (Mum, if you are reading this, if you see anything while beachcombing in Hawaii…). I pierced the lid of the jar during construction to accept wire or leather cord to attach the wood, and it has been sitting on a shelf unfinished since the summer, just waiting for its handle. Perhaps I will do that this weekend. I need to go by my parent’s house, and they live near the Bow River with lots of pathways and wood strewn river banks…

I also need to revisit the glazes I was testing over the holidays. Although the “frontal lobe” reticulated glaze is interesting, I was really looking for a snowflake crackle glaze (see Nov 2011 issue of Ceramics Monthly, I used the original snowflake crackle recipe). The glaze had less than 5% Magnesium Carbonate, but apparently that was enough to cause the insane reticulation. I have used other glazes that have way more Mag. Carb and have not had this degree of reticulation before. I did omit the 2% bentonite as I thought it was more for suspension, but perhaps it had another function? I will try mixing a 100 g batch including the bentonite, as well as 100g batches of other snowflake crackle glazes. I also want to look at the matte lavender glaze. I want to know how it looks as a white glaze, but I also want to revisit the lavender, so perhaps a 1000g batch split into 2 parts (1 white, 1 lavender). What I am really looking for is a microcrystalline white with a smooth, waxy matte surface that appears frosty and thick (if that makes any sense at all). Describing glazes is like describing wine….Notes of honey, plum & leather with a smoky, earthy finish…blah blah blah.

Sorry for the slightly scattered thoughts here. Like the title suggests, perhaps I need to take Ritalin?

New Years Resolutions...

2012-01-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

I never make New Years Resolutions, but I am going to put this one out there so that hopefully I will make more of an effort.

For a while now I have been saying to myself that I should create more of an online presence for my pottery with the hope of creating more sales and therefore more revenue ($$$). The gallery sales have been slow to say the least, and I have to say that for the 3 sales that I was a part of this past fall, the numbers were not generally good. I did well at the studio sale, but then, I always do OK. But even then, the overall sales were down by at least 1/3, and my personal sales were a little less than normal as well.

SO, here it is. I will attempt to open an Etsy shop sometime before the summer of 2012, and if that works out and I sell enough via Etsy to pay for it, I would like to branch out to an actual website (not just a blog) that showcases my work. I don’t think the website is as vital to get going right away, as I don’t think I would use it for selling work directly. However, it could be a place to funnel people to the work for sale on Etsy. I am going to actually try and use my holidays this year so I should have a little more ME time to work on this goal. I have collected a few friends lately that are directly involved with website creation/design and marketing, so I may have to pick their brains over a beer or two…

I have the space that I will dedicate to this endeavor mostly finished at home, I just need to put up 1 more shelving unit to store all the work that is for sale so it doesn’t get all mixed up, get some decent lights for photographing items, and then eventually get a decent table in there for wrapping orders (crossed fingers).

My one big obstacle will be my penchant for procrastination, and my fear of the unknown. I do tend to put things off if I am at all unsure about the outcome, or if the process is not clear from the beginning. I had done some research a while ago on setting up an Etsy store and a pay pal account etc, but as it was not something that was in my immediate plans, I did not really take it seriously. So that is something else I will have to do…research what my start up costs will be. I have no idea what it costs to sell stuff this way. I know that with Etsy, there is a per upload cost and a cost per sale, but I have not gone very far with the credit transactions and figuring out what my costs would be for Pay Pal etc. Then there is the shipping costs. I have no idea how to calculate shipping costs on a per item basis. If the customer is buying only 1 item, then that is easy, but if they buy multiples, then more items can fit in a box, and the cost for a bigger box may not equal the cost of shipping them individually. Should I standardize my shipping container sizes? Ie: 4 different box sizes and then work out what the average box would weigh when full of pottery and figure out the cost to ship each size. Do I ship via Canada Post or a company like Fed Ex, Purolater, or UPS? So many questions and not enough knowledge. I have actually only made one Etsy purchase, and my motivation was twofold. First, I really liked what I bought, and second, I wanted to know what the process was like. I could do the shipping thing like the merchant I purchased from. They had individual shipping costs noted for each item, but when it came time to ship them, he was charged a little less than what I paid, so he refunded that amount to my credit card. That is something else I will have to figure out, how to refund money once I have already processed the transaction.

So many questions….

First post of 2012

2012-01-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday. I had a week off from the job that pays the bills. This afforded me the opportunity to go to the studio every day and play in the mud, test glazes, listen to music etc. I was there on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, all the next week & New Years Day. Some might say that is lame, but as I was pretty much on my own this Christmas, I took advantage of the free time.

I tried out a new (to me) clay body over the break, Plainsman F96. This is a very warm and toasty brown colour when fired to cone 6. It has the look of a wood fired pot, but without the wood. I did discover that it does not throw certain shapes very well. It is a very moist body, so perhaps it could have used a little time on the plaster before I threw it, but patience is not one of my virtues. So, tall was out, but it did nice plates, stretched out platters/trays, teapots, cups, bowls etc. Everything required a lot more trimming that I am used to as well. I usually don’t have thickness issues, but then I usually throw nice smooth BMix that you can thin out really easily. F96 is definitely not BMix. It is pretty groggy, but not too painful to throw. As it was quite moist, I found that things wouldn’t stand up to a lot of height unless there was a lot of supporting clay at the bottom, and even still, it was hard to get that clay up. I still need to see how it works with my glazes, but from what I hear, it should be very nice. The only real downside to this clay is that even though it is not as red as M390, it stains waaaayyyy more than M390. M390 is a very dark terracotta coloured clay when wet and fires to a very dark chocolate brown. You know when someone has used M390, but it cleans up pretty easily and doesn’t stain your skin (very much). F96 on the other hand is very orangey and will stain your skin for days. After I used it the first time it looked like I had been using a really cheap fake tanning lotion, but only on my hands, and only up to my wrists.

After trying out the new clay, I got busy testing some glazes on Christmas Day. I found some glaze recipes that I wanted to try out so see if they would be good as a base, or even just a white. I am trying to find a waxy or matte white that will work within the price restrictions at the studio and that could then be used to widen our colour/texture options at the studio. I was also going to test a snowflake crackle glaze (from the article in Ceramics Monthly a little while ago). If the crackle worked, it would probably be just for my own use, as they are not really food safe, and require a bit of knowledge on how to apply them and in a recreational studio setting this would not work too well. I fired the kiln off on Boxing Day and this is what I got……Brains! As you can see, it is more like a frontal lobe than a snowflake crackle….

My other tests were OK. I did get a nice result from one of the matte glazes I tested. I was looking for a nice lavender as well, and I thought I would try that with this base. It was a bit thin when I applied it, so this looks a bit streaky, and it is tending to a pale blue when thin, but where there are drips, and also on the inside where I could get a thicker application, there is a very beautiful pale lavender.

Neither snow, nor rain....

2011-12-05T10:31:00.003-07:00

The United States Postal Service Creed (no Canada Post equivalent) should apply to potters too. Saturday saw an official snowfall of 9 cm on Saturday night / Sunday morning. I crawled out of bed at 8am, shoveled off the car and set off to go open up the studio and throw a few pots. I knew that I would be the only soul there for a while, as it was still snowing quite a lot when I got there and it continued to do so until noon or so. This meant I could spread myself out, turn up the tunes (today it was all Imogene Heap ), and get into it without any distractions. I don’t mind the distractions, as it comes with the teaching territory, but the weekends are my own time, and although the students usually respect this and try not to ask too many questions, there are always a few interruptions throughout the day. I got the pots I threw on Friday night trimmed, assembled a teapot, added my high temp wire decorations to a tall lidded form, threw another large lidded thing, and threw eight 600g mugs. Not a whole lot accomplished but that’s OK. I suggested a method to trim mugs to Sallie so that it would go faster, and wouldn’t distort the rims, she was very pleased. I talked to Sonia about how to glaze her pots and talked to 3 or 4 different people about how a particular glaze result was achieved on someone else’s mugs that recently came out of the last glaze load. Oh ya, I also finished constructing my pendant hanger. I was inspired by a student to come up with a simple way to fire pendants that did not have to be fired flat, and therefore only glazed on one side. I had originally suggested bead bars but, she would have to purchase a set of the posts and bars and they take up a lot of horizontal space in the kiln, and end up costing a fair bit to fire. So, I thought, what if I threw a thick walled cylinder and inserted kanthal wire hooks into the cylinder at intervals to allow for multiple pendants to be hung on it . I have created a few pendants to give it a shot, and have incorporated little loops of thinner high temp wire right into the pendants so they can hang from the kanthal wire, we will see how this works. I left the studio at 3pm and went to my friend Christy’s house to deliver a set of 6 tall mugs, 2 medium bowls, and a teapot. So all in all it was a relatively productive day. I made some pots, and I made some money, can’t complain about that.

Hurrican force winds definitely put a damper on pottery sales

2011-11-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

The Calgary Clay Arts Association held their annual Christmas pottery sale this past weekend. Saturday was a pretty good day in terms of foot traffic and dollars spent. Sunday however was an entirely different story. As you may, or may not, be aware, Calgary, and the southern half of Alberta is blessed by a weather phenomenon called Chinooks. A Chinook is a rain shadow wind, caused by the moist Pacific air meeting the mountains where it loses its moisture on the upslope side, and then the resulting dry wind blows down the east side of the mountains onto the plains. As the wind loses it’s moisture it also becomes warmer and more energetic. The tell tale sign of a Chinook, if you are not outside to feel the wind, is the classic Chinook arch. This arch is a band of cloud that forms east of the mountains. Imagine -20 weather and then a Chinook blows in and in less than an hour or so, the temperature can climb above 0. Snow can disappear in a heartbeat, and the wind is warm, although not very gentle. Anyway, Sunday was a doozy. The Chinook that blew in on Saturday night developed wind gusts during Sunday that were classified as a class 1 hurricane in terms of speed. It was so powerful it blew windows out of downtown skyscrapers, and caused the City to shut the downtown core. No vehicle or pedestrian traffic was allowed, and it also stopped the light rapid transit system from going through the city centre.

Many large trees were uprooted, and the damage will be quite high once the figures get added up. Unaware of all the carnage going on, we were sitting in our little sale wondering where all the people were and commenting on how windy it was. Little did we know that there was a wind warning and people were being advised to stay home due to the dangerous driving conditions, flying debris, and trees coming down all over.

Very strange dream

2011-11-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

I finished day one of the CCAA sale today and when I got home I ate some dinner and then had a little nap that turned into a 2 hour sleep. These naps always yield the strangest dreams. This time was no different.
I am in a crowded building somewhat like a very busy hotel lobby and I meet a guy with really disheveled long, curly, dirty blond hair and he is wearing a really big overcoat with a hood, or a hat. Somehow I end up following him and trying to have a conversation, but he is walking really fast and leads me into another area, that while still part of the hotel lobby, appears to be where his "office" is. Anyway, he takes off his coat and all of a sudden, his hair is short and no longer messy. It looks like he has a wig of sorts sewn into the hood. Now he looks like Mikey Teutle (American Choppers fame) but with short well groomed hair. The "me". In the dream is like Zooey Deschanel. I ask about the "hair" and he says something weird like "it's ethnic representation" whatever that means. As we are talking, one of the employees makes smart alec comments about how he is actually talking to a girl and another one is standing at the counter and it looks like he is getting hairier by the second so that now he looks like Michael J. Fox in that teenage werewolf movie. The most bizarre thing was that it was very vivid, like I was watching a movie and the dialogue was totally clear and made absolute sense, at the time of course.
Weird

One last load buttoned up

2011-11-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

I managed to get the last few pieces loaded into the kiln last night. Turns out I really only had about 4 medium sized bowls, a large casserole, 1 mug to re fire due to a wax mishap the first go round, another single mug that did not make it in the last time and 4 small soup bowls. I filled the gaps in with student work, and one of our resident genius’s pieces. The genius I speak of is Walter. His work is usually very intricate, with a lot of carving and piercing. The piece I loaded last night was a tall vase with all this carving and a very delicate pierced rim. It made it into the kiln by a hair, it was almost too tall. In reality, there won’t be much from this load for me to take to the sale as one of the mugs, and 2 of the large bowls are for an order I am filling for a friend for Christmas, but I am a firm believer that the piece that someone really wants when they don’t buy something at a sale, is probably sitting on the glazing shelf back at the studio, so I try to get everything I possibly can to the table. I will have to seriously think about what to bring to the sale though, and will probably thin out my selection. I tend to try and cram as much as possible on a table, but when the table is open, people can see the work better and it is more inviting to pick up instead of reaching over and around other items. I always worry that I won’t have enough work. What if I sell out and my table is empty? Ya right, I wish.

Once this weekend is over, I am going to test some glazes. I am curious to try out the snowflake crackle glazes that John Britt wrote about in Ceramics Monthly. Here is a link to the Ceramics Arts Daily site with this article . http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramic-glaze-recipes/mid-range-glaze-recipes/crazy-beautiful-crazing-uncovering-the-mysteries-of-snowflake-crackle-glazes/ Although his main goal was to get a cone 10 snowflake crackle glaze, there are several cone 6 recipes that I want to try out. It is strange that I am always intrigued by these specialty glazes that are usually not functional, considering that I usually only make functional pottery. That must be my inner masochist coming out. In the article, he was using a brown clay body, but I usually only throw with white clay, so I will give it a shot. I don’t see why it won’t work, the crackles may just seem more subtle without the contrast of the dark background. If I try it with a little cobalt, it might make the crackles “pop” a bit more.

Aftermath of Studio Sale....gettin' ready for the next one

2011-11-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

The studio sale on Saturday was relatively successful. I cannot however make any sense of the buying public. In the fall of 2007, before the market took a nose dive, they were not buying much. Then, in the fall of 2008, they were buying a whole lot more, even though everyone was freaking out about the housing bubble. 2009, in the middle of the World Economic Crisis, sales were flat, but not too bad, and then in 2010, we broke records. This year we are down again, not drastically, but still, what is the thinking? Or is there any? Everyone keeps saying that locally made work is making a comeback as the consumer is thinking more about where there dollars are eventually ending up. In other words, they would rather their money went into the pockets of local businesses instead of China.

I made pretty much the same as I always do, maybe down about $100 overall. This now leads to a bit of a supply crisis on my end. I have a 2 day sale coming up on the weekend, and although in the past, it has not had the best turn out, you never know, there could be hoards this time. The CCAA sale is a new event, and this will only be the 2^nd year in this location, and I know that it takes time to build a following, so it is better to always be prepared for the best case scenario.

Anyway, I sold about ½ of my work this past Saturday, and now I need to get into the studio and glaze like a demon and get a load in tonight if possible to help fill in the holes. The tricky thing is that I don’t have a lot of work bisqued. I do have some large bowls and casseroles ready to glaze, but nothing very small to fill in the smaller areas in the kiln and help it fire more evenly. Oh well, such is the lot of a procrastinator. I put off glazing too much, too early, and then I pay for it. On top of all this, I still need to put together a catalogue sheet for this sale. I don’t have to do it for any of my other sales, and I don’t like having to do one for this sale, procrastination wins again. I will have to dig through all my smoke fired pieces to fill in any gaps in inventory and price the ones I don’t want to part with really high. That way if they sell, I am not that broken hearted about it. Money sooths a lot of wounds J

eeeuuuuwwww! and other stories

2011-11-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I have recovered from my busy weekend selling pottery at the Fairview Studios Christmas sale. This sale only runs from 9am-noon on Saturday, but they are the busiest and best 3 hours of the year. I went home afterwards and had a snooze, as I was dog tired and needed to rest up before I went out for beer. My dear mother has the most impeccable timing. I think she has some kind of sick 6^th sense that tells her she should call me just as my brain enters the delta wave phase of sleep ( 1/2 step above coma). So I am pretty sure she thinks I don’t like talking to her, but really it is that my brain can’t string 3 words together, let alone carry on a coherent conversation.

Anyway, I revived myself, ate some cereal for dinner, and then headed off to the pub (AKA the Ship and Anchor). It is only about 8 blocks away as the crow flies, but it was super cold on Saturday night (at least -17 celcius), so I drove. Don’t freak out, I only drank Guinness (4% alc. by volume) and I only had 3, and I was there for several hours, and I had a humongous bowl of poutine (french fries, gravy, cheese curds) to soak it up. Anyway, the purpose of this story is that somebody there that night had the worst case of gas EVER. We were sitting at the bar chatting, and then our eyes would start to water and our noses would burn as this toxic fog would waft over. We couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, but man was it powerful, and it never stopped. It would go away for a bit, but then there it was again. It was so bad that Max (the bartender) was lighting matches and wafting the acrid smell of burnt match heads around to try and “cleanse” the air. Smoking is not allowed in public areas in Calgary, so I am pretty sure that the only reason they keep the matches on hand is to combat foul body odors. Never thought I would miss the smell of stale cigarettes in a bar, but at least you never had to smell that smell.

On a side note, If you have never had poutine, and are curious, it is essentially a heart attack in a bowl. I would not recommend having it more than 1 or 2 times a year, but on a cold winter night, when you have only had cold cereal for dinner, it sure hits the spot. Invented by the Quebecois, not sure when, it slowly moved westward in popularity in the late 90’s and 2000’s. Make yourself some French fries, put them in a bowl, top with gravy and cheese curds (squeaky cheese). People call it squeaky cheese because they kind of squeak when you eat them. Anyway, the cheese curds melt all over the fries and into the gravy, and it is pretty yummy. Poutine is very salty, so take your rings off now, and don’t expect to be able to fit back into your shoes the next day. Drink lots of water afterwards.

If you are in Calgary, you should check out the Ship and Anchor as well…here is their website www.shipandanchor.com

My submission to The Clay Studio of Missoula International Cup Show

2011-11-19T19:17:00.002-07:00

Never wax your eyebrows when you are bored

2011-11-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

I was procrastinating last night. I have a few remaining bits and pieces to price for my sale on Saturday, but I did not want to go out to my car to bring them in to get it done, so I decided to wax my eyebrows. Nothing wrong with that, no disasters, I am not missing half an eyebrow. However, after I finished up with the brows, a thought occurred to me, “hey, I could do a little under the arms”. I have not waxed there before, I am a soap, water and a razor kinda girl. But I had the wax out…so what the heck.

I quickly discovered a couple of things. 1: Yes, it is as painful as I imagined, and 2: My left hand does not do things as quickly as my right.

For those of you who have never waxed anything, here is a visual.

Heat up the water based wax in the microwave to make it easier to apply. It will now have the consistency of honey, and like honey, it will get everything sticky. Spread on a thin layer in the direction of hair growth (ya right, it grows in every direction, and thin is not an option, once it is on, it is on, spreading it just pulls the hair). Press the strip of fabric that comes with the wax onto the area you just put the goop onto. Now, pull or tighten the skin in the opposite direction that you will be pulling the wax off. With your other free hand, quickly rip the strip off in the opposite direction of hair growth. Stop crying and repeat as needed. As you can imagine, when waxing under your arms you only have the use of one hand…. The other hand is reaching so far back behind your head you think the Chinese Circus could use you in a contortionist act.

Now, (once the swelling and bruising subsides) I have pits you could mistake for a baby’s bottom (if you were blind, and the baby was 40 years old) and a car full of pots still to price.

upcoming sales

2011-11-15T11:30:00.000-07:00

catching up on all things pottery and other stuff

2011-11-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

It sure has been a while since I last posted anything on this blog. But I have been very busy. I believe the last time I posted, I had just finished up the last of the 150 bottle vases for my sister’s wedding. Well, that has passed us by, and we are all relatively unscathed by the event. Nobody got too lubricated, well, maybe a few, but nothing out of control. My sister didn’t want people to come to the microphone and make speeches unless they were a bit wobbly anyway. Something about “every good wedding needs a scandal”.

I have a couple of Christmas sales coming up this holiday season, the first of which is this coming Saturday. I believe I have mentioned this before, but it is the busiest, and most financially rewarding sale I have ever been a part of. This would be the Fairview Studios Pottery Sale. It always amazes me how many loyal customers we have. The sale has been going on for probably 25 or more years, and there are probably people coming that have been doing so since the very beginning.

My next sale is the very next weekend (Nov 26^th and 27^th), and is the Calgary Clay Arts Association’s 2^nd annual Christmas Pottery sale. Although last year was not as well attended as I would have hoped, I am giving it a 2^nd chance. I only participated in the Sunday last year, so I thought I would go all in and give both days a shot. I will be at Mount Royal Station on Saturday and Sunday from 10-4pm. So if you are reading this, and live in Calgary, you should come on down and check us out. Sunday is the Grey Cup, so all the non football fans will need an escape, and there is no better way than going to a pottery sale where you can meet the artist that made the work, and hopefully picking something very special up.

Anyway, enough about that…

I have been working, working, working, hence the lack of blogging and will be working even more for the next 4 months. I am picking up a Thursday night class at the studio, as the instructor that does it now is flying south for the winter for 4 months (Phoenix I think).

Funny thing happened to me on the weekend. I was franticly trying to get a bisque fired on Friday. It was Remembrance day here in Canada, so I had the day off from working for the man, and was working for me instead. The kilns at the studio are going full bore right now getting all the student work done for the upcoming sale, so I thought I would take advantage of the kiln at Ceramics Canada. I left home early (9am), went to Tim’s for an extra large double double and got to the studio by about 9:30 or so. I packed up my green work, carefully wrapping it in paper, loaded the car and drove off to Ceramics Canada. At the first intersection I think to myself, hey, where’s my coffee? As I thought that, I also wondered why there was liquid rolling off my roof onto my windshield (wasn’t raining or snowing out). Ok, so I put my coffee on the roof of the car before I got in, it sprayed all over the rear side windows and all down the sides of my car…needless to say, I lost my coffee to gravity and centripetal forces beyond my control. I did get the bisque loaded and out by Saturday Morning, glazed all day Saturday (10-6), and then went back and loaded up a glaze on Sunday at around noon. The results were pretty nice. I am playing with some high temp wire, using it as accents pushed into the sides of the leather hard ware and loops for lid handles etc and it came out all nice and oxidized, not too shiny, just right. It works really well with the glazes I am using. One fluted jar is a nice sea foamy green (faux ^6 celadon), and another jar has our studios ^6 take on a tea dust glaze, but as it isn’t really a tea dust, we call it coffee dust (ha ha). This really dark brown glossy glaze is on the bottom ¾’s of the jar, and then the top 1/3^rd was dipped into 2 commercial glazes, that when overlapped, produce a very nice gun metal metallic, lustrous surface, and then when they run over the “coffee dust”, they produce creams, mauves, blues etc. very interesting.

So, busy me for a bit, but I will try to blog a bit more as time permits, and if I have anything of interest to share.

Oh Ya, one last note, there was a death in our family. Ginger, our family dog of 13+ years left us just before my Sister’s wedding by a week or so. Very sad, and she will be missed.

2011-07-17T19:05:00.001-06:00

I can't believe it, but I'm almost done. My sister is getting married in October and for her place cards, she asked if I could throw little bud vases that would hold a little sprig of eucalyptus and a bamboo skewer with a name card attached to it. I said "sure, how many do you need?" She said "would 150 be too much to ask?"....
So I finished throwing the little vases this weekend (i did 160 to be on the safe side) and I only have about 40 left to trim and apply the little appliqué with their name and the wedding date. I ended up throwing 8 different shapes and they were all 400 grams of clay each and each shape was thrown 20 times. This let's each table have a different vase at each setting but every table will be the same.
This picture shows the 8 shapes and the second picture is a close up of the appliqué.

Just a few pots from the paper kiln

2011-07-11T22:34:00.001-06:00

I have not polished them all yet, but here are a few, including what they looked like before cleaning and polishing.

Going to pick up pots in Bragg Creek this afternoon

2011-07-11T14:36:00.000-06:00

I will post pictures of the finished work later

Smok'in Pots in Bragg Creek

2011-07-10T18:43:00.000-06:00

I was up and out early this morning. I went out to Bragg Creek (about a 45 minute drive west of Calgary) to build a paper kiln at my friend Loretta's place.
It is dirty, and tiring, but what part of making pottery isn't? Anyway, we started with a bed of cumpled up news paper, then small wood pieces, covered that with a layer of wood chips, and a layer of sawdust. Straw was used to pack in around the edge to keep the sawdust from leaking out and was used in this manner after each layer of pots. On top of the sawdust we sprinkled a special mixture of copper carb. mixed with other things like "Italian Seasoning". It contains a lot of salt, and was not so good for cooking, but it is good for low fire methods like this. On top of this bed of sawdust, we began layering on the pots. Then another layer of sawdust, another sprinkle of the copper carb mixture, and then a generous helping of moose poop, and then more pots. After a few layers of pots, we wrapped a heavy duty wire mesh around the the whole structure, and continued adding more pots, sawdust, straw, copper carb, moose pellets etc. Once all the layers were in place and a final layer of sawdust was added, we began the plastering process. A wheel barrow was filled with thick slip and heavy duty glossy magazine paper was dipped in and then laid out on the wire mesh. We covered the entire structure with one coat, making sure to leave two corners free for the smoke stacks. We wired 2 coffee cans to the 2 corners that did not have a burner port. The coffee cans were then plastered into place. After we had approximately 7 or 8 layers of clay and papers, we lit it on fire with a tiger torch. This kiln will slowly smolder for about 24 hours (maybe more, maybe less). Here are some pictures to document the process.

Now we wait, hope it doesn't rain and go back when it cools down to dig out the pots. Then we clean them up and apply a layer of paste wax to give them a little protection and shine.

She's been gone, gone, gone, she's been gone so long.....But now she's back

2011-07-06T21:37:00.000-06:00

It sure has been a while. I have been avoiding blogging, not because I didn't want to, but I have been so busy, and tired, and truth be told, I have not had much of interest to say.
To catch up since last time, I had posted a few times that I was going to take part in a paper kiln firing, but between the monsoons and fire bans, that did not take place as planned. However, we are good to go for this Sunday. Neither forest fires, tornadoes, or 100 year rainstorms will stop us, so I promise to take some good video and pics of the event and post them for all to see.
Aside from that, I have been commissioned by my sister Erin to make 150 little bud vases for her wedding. You heard correctly....150. I have broken the seemingly daunting task into bite sized pieces, and so far, it has not proved too onerous. If I throw 10 at a time, I only have to do that 15 times, and I can actually throw 2 batches of 10 before my mind wanders and I lose interest or get tired. I am also making a different shape with each batch, so she will have 15 different shapes (but I just crunched the numbers, and instead of 15 batches of 10, I will have to do about 19 batches of 8). Here are a few pictures of the first two batches I threw. I have even created a stamp to apply their names and the wedding date. These are only 2 of the 5 shapes I have thrown so far.

I have also been working on some new lidded forms, specifically casseroles with some bolder handles:

Here is a video of me throwing a similar casserole

So in a nutshell, this is what I have been up to lately...and I will try to post a little more often from now on.

YouTube videos and other stuff

2011-05-04T20:33:00.000-06:00

2 down, one more to go. I have 1 spring sale left, and then it is time to start filling the galleries and getting ready for the fall.
I have been busy making pots for a paper clay kiln firing near the end of May, we just need to wait for the weather to get a little warmer so that all the snow in brag creek melts and that the ground dries up but before the monsoons and fire bans begin. We are always a little at the mercy of the weather here. You never know if it will be wet and miserable or so hot and dry that you can't eve BBQ due to fire bans.
Ever the optimist, I have thrown a lot of pots in anticipation of this firing. They now all have a shiny terra sig on them, and I have finished bisquing most of them. They are mostly bottles and covered vessels
Here are a couple of the shapes, but don't have any terra sig applied yet.

I have also created a section on the right that shows all of my YouTube videos, so check them out if you like.

Several Spring Sales Coming Up...

2011-04-14T18:15:00.000-06:00

I have not been blogging as much as I have been in the past. Mostly due to my hectic schedule, and by the time I get home, I rarely have the energy to produce a post.

Anyway, this is what I will be up to for the next month. I have a sale this Saturday, another one 2 weeks after that, and another 2 weeks after that. Every other moment I am not either working for the man, or at a sale, I will be in the studio, replenishing my stock.

I will be at this sale on Saturday....

This is the sale I will be at in 2 weeks

This is a new sale that I have never been a part of before. You may notice that only paintings are on the invite, but there will be two guest artists, and as it turns out, we are both potters

Here is a list of the artists that will be in attendance....

Just a few things from the last firing

2011-04-10T17:29:00.000-06:00

Just when you thought it was over...

2011-04-02T11:23:00.000-06:00

This is the view out the window at Ceramics Canada. If I took this picture yesterday, you would have not seen all this white stuff...
We have had a horrible winter here in Calgary, and we finally thought it was over, but Mother Nature had one last ugly surprise up her sleeve. This time next week it is supposed to be +12 celcius, so hopefully this is the last of the white stuff for the year (yeah right). They forecasted that the snow we are getting today will be the equivalent to the total average snowfall for April. 15-20 cm.
Oh well, I may get to leave a bit early today and then I can go to the studio and fool around there.

Just a couple of teapots

2011-03-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

working on some new pots

2011-03-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

I had an unexpected day off from work today. I normally work 10-3 at Ceramics Canada, but the construction that is going on in the bay next door required that they turn the power off today, so no work. I went into the studio around 11 and left at about 4:30. In that time, I didn't throw a lot, but I got a faceted teapot trimmed and assembled, as well as 8 small mugs handled. I know, slowest potter in the world.

OMG

2011-03-01T07:27:00.002-07:00

It's -29!

Kilns cooled, unloaded and now I am home, sore, and very very tired

2011-02-27T21:05:00.004-07:00

Ok, Here we go. As you could see from my last post, I was away this past weekend firing the salt and soda kilns out at the Shaw Centre at Medalta in the Historic Clay District of Medicine Hat.
We (Me, Lorraine, Kathy, Claire, Keli, & Sumaya and her little guy and husband) left Calgary early Thursday morning, and we arrived at the centre just after noon, and began glazing etc at around 1 ish. I made waaaayyyy too many pots, but I had lots to choose from. We ended up loading just after 6 and then the kilns were turned on low over night to help dry out the wads so they wouldn't freeze and then explode in the firing. Thursday and Friday were the COLDEST to date this year. I believe we got down to -28 over night on Thursday. In fact, when we left the centre, my car's power steering froze and I had to drive to the hotel without any power steering and that is quite a feat when the roads are all rutted with snow and ice, and it's dark and in a city I'm not familiar with.
Friday was firing day, and we were at the centre by 9am turning on the kilns, but as salting would not happen until cone 9 or 10, we had a few hours to kill and Aaron, the artistic director, took us on a tour of the Medalta museum, and some other areas that have not been restored/preserved yet, and some parts that are under construction for the new museum. The Medalta factory had been in operation since the very early 1900's, where they fired beehive kilns and produced functional stoneware items for everyday use, and then began making semi vitreous white ware etc. At 2:30 or so we charged the soda kiln with 2 pounds of soda, and then sprayed 1 pound of soda and then added another 4 or 5 pounds of soda over then next 45 minutes. Salting began around 4 pm in the salt kiln, and I believe we were all done and buttoned up around 5:45.
On Saturday, while the kilns were cooling, we toured the Hicroft factory with Aaron. Hicroft was another pottery in Medicine had that was in operation up into the 80's. The factory is in an as is condition. When it closed down, nothing was moved, or sold off, so all the old machinery is still there, the slip pits still have dried slip in them, there are aprons on the hooks and time cards still by the time clock.

The bag wall on the right hand side of the salt kiln fell over and will need to be rebuilt, but that was expected. I had a pot on that bag wall, so it was pushed against the kiln wall and was blocking one of the salting ports, even though I had to chip it off, it still looks great.

Inside the soda kiln before unloading

Inside the salt kiln before unloading

close up of the ware carts after unloading

Keli and Sumaya's salt pots

My salt pots

Kathy and Lorraine's salt pots

Lorraine and Claire's salt pots

My soda pots

Sumaya and Keli's soda pots

Lorraine and Kathy's soda pots

Close up of the back side of the salt kiln. Very crusty...

The same for the soda kiln, but not quite as bad

interior of the salt kiln

Interior of the soda kiln

To tired to say anything...so here are some pictures

2011-02-26T16:39:00.003-07:00

vacuuming shmackuuming....gotta make pots!

2011-02-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

TGIF! What a week. I have been super busy at work, and my personal life, such as it is, has been suffering. Not that I’m complaining, gotta work to pay the bills.

On a good note, the 2 days I requested at the end of the month were approved, and I can now go to Medalta to fire up the salt & soda kilns. I will be making up a flashing slip, a few stains, a terra sig, and a nice opalescent liner glaze, and a couple of stains to augment what Medalta will already have down there for us to use. I am very excited, and it is only 2 weeks away! I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will remain mild. It can snow all it wants on the 28^th, just please stay dry until then.

The Studio had a pot luck a couple of weeks ago, and apparently I was nominated in absentia to provide the entertainment and comic relief. A few people brought their spouses, and many of the attendees were students from nights that I don’t teach so Dave asked me to throw a demo. He then had me do another demo of his choice. The only proviso was that I had to be blindfolded. The sighted pot I threw never made it, I got too cocky and it collapsed after throwing a rather dramatic spiral into it that the thin walls, and rather bulbous form could not support. On to the blind pot...no issues, was able to get a rather well made bowl off (nothing complicated). Just goes to show you, throwing on the wheel has very little to do with the eyes, and a whole lot to do with touch. The food was fantastic too, it always is.

If I can, I will be firing a glaze load or 2 this weekend. I need to get stocked up for the spring. I have a couple of sales this April, and wouldn’t you know it, it is already almost half way through Feb and that means I only have 2 months to make sure I have everything I need, plus keep the galleries stocked up. Tonight I will wash my bisque, wax my feet, and let the pots dry overnight before I get at the glazing (sounds like a very strange spa experience to those that don’t know what I’m talking about)

Bloated ... And not from beer

2011-02-03T12:16:00.001-07:00

I fired a glaze load on the weekend and I finally got a look at the results on Tuesday. It appears that I have a case of bloating. Most, but not all of the pots look like they have small pox. This has never happened to me before. The only change that I made was to hold at top temp for 15 minutes, and the elements had just been replaced. I will fire again shortly and eliminate the hold and see if that solves the problem. I am not really impressed.

random reminiscences

2011-01-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

My sister and I were often subjected to really long boring road trips with my parents when we were younger. These road trips were made even more agonizing than most children would have been/are subjected to. Kids today have the option of watching a DVD in the back with wireless headphones, MP3 players, portable video games etc. In the 70’s and 80’s, we did not have these feats of technology. We usually drove to Vancouver in the summer to visit both sets of Grandparents and we would all pile in the Ford Fairmont Station Wagon and take off. These trips would take upwards of 13-15 hours. My Dad was also not one for stopping for anything unless it was gas. The only entertainment was a pitiful collection of 8 track cassettes (Cher, Commodores, The Muppets, The Carpenters, Carol King, etc...). The pain actually increased when we would drive out in a car with a cassette tape player (I think that was the Cadillac). Anyway, my parents would pop in a Phoenix Seminar tape and listen to selling/listing techniques for Real Estate agents (I think there were a total of 12 tapes?) To anyone that is not a real estate agent, this would have been enough to make you want to poke your tympanic membranes just so that you could listen to the ringing in your ears instead. Imagine what it would have been like for small children. My parents should have been reported to child services. Anyway, as you can tell, we were severely lacking in fun road trip stuff. So, as most children will do, they will invent their own fun. Here are a couple of the games we invented during these times of trial.

Disco Lights: When the sun is setting just right and you are driving through areas with a lot of trees on the side of the road, you can close your eyes, face in the direction of the sun and watch it make “disco lights” behind your closed eye lids.

Flying house: My sister says she does not remember this, but I do. We imagined what it would be like to go wherever you wanted to go without having to leave your house because it flew. We imagined all kinds of thing that the flying house would be able to do and have. Like a special separate house that flew with the big house but was just for my sister and me and we could take it out on our own etc...

My sister played her own games too, and they usually involved things like “see how fast you can embarrass an older sister”. This would take the form of sticking your tongue out and staring at the car behind you out the back window.

To add insult to injury, my Mother would stock up the car with road trip food, like sandwiches, juice& snacks. The snacks would be along the lines of Scotch Mints, Eat more candy bars, and All Sorts. That is the most revolting assortment of road trip snack food that you could give a child.

Left overs for another load

2011-01-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

Just a few large bowls

2011-01-31T12:32:00.001-07:00

Kiln all loaded on Sunday

2011-01-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

Great Goblets Batman!

2011-01-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is a few days old, but just to give u an idea about how crazy Calgary weather is, it is now -25is outside...

Looks like Calgary is Canada’s hot spot again today. We are sitting at 13 ^oC (55.4^oF) right now and it’s still January. Sure beats the -29 we had a few weeks ago.

Fairview Studios is having a pot luck dinner tomorrow night. Kind of a “Throw Your Winter Blues Away” party. Apparently I will be doing a demo of my choice and then a demo of Dave’s choice, but he is not telling me what it is. All he would say is that it didn’t involve naked throwing (nobody needs to see that).

I have been working on 1 piece goblets lately. I don’t normally make them, but for some reason, I have been making a lot of them. I have always made them in 2 parts in the past, and I think that is why I never make them. Too hard to make them all the same, and they are a pain in the neck to put together. These however are relatively easy to throw, and then the final shape is revealed in the trimming,. I have been trimming really slender stems on them, so that is the next step – see if they make it through the firing without bending over and kissing the pot next to them.

Long Day

2011-01-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here in the YYC (Calgary) airport (terminal 49 to be exact) waiting for my 49 minute flight to Edmonton(YYG airport). It is rather hilarious that it took me longer to drive to the airport than it will to fly to Edmonton (it was rush hour and the roads were jam packed), and that I have now been waiting in the airport since 6:15 and it is now 7:32, and I have been waiting longer that it will take to fly.
I am not driving to Edmonton because I would have had to leave after work, and it takes 3 hours to get there blah blah blah. Oh well, at least I get to catch up on my blog reading/writing.
I will be staying in the Holiday Inn, and I need to be at my training session by 8am tomorrow morning. This training runs until 5pm, and then my flight leaves at 9 pm tomorrow night. What the heck am I going to do for 4 hours in Edmonton? Nothing, just sit in the airport and maybe eat dinner, read a book, read all the blogs that have been piling up.
Anyway, I plan on going into the studio after work at Ceramics Canada on Saturday, and then again first thing in the morning. I have to do this whole airport waiting thing again Sunday evening though, so I wont be playing in the mud all day.

Did not get a chance to post this before the plane boarded, so this is part 2:

We boarded at 7:40 pm, and we took off at something like 8:15, and then we circled the airport for a few minutes, so we were late landing (9pm). The Airport in Edmonton is so far away from ANYTHING. I wouldn't even say it is in Edmonton. Add to that that the roads here are so sloppy with at least 5 inches of melting snow and slush, the cab ride took about 45 minutes and so I did not get to the hotel until about 10 pm.
I requested a wake up call for 6am (yuck!!), and I have absolutely no idea how long it will take me to get to were I need to go tomorrow morning. Oh well, I will get a cab for 7ish and and if I get there early, then I get there early.
Anyway, it is now late, and I need to get up very early, so I'm going to hit the sack.

too busy to blog

2011-01-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, I know. I have been getting used to working in a new office, on the other side of the city. It actually takes me less time to get there in the morning, I think. The weather has been really cold and snowy here, so traffic is always stupid. The drive home however is horrible no matter what the weather is like, so it takes me longer to get home after work. The studio is on the opposite side of town from the new office, so I have to fight even more traffic to get there after work. I also used to be able to log into blogger on my iPhone and write my blog entries that way at work as I could use the wireless connection without needing to use the cell network. Now however, the new office blocks blog sites and that includes their wireless network. So, now I am forced to write my blogs at home as well as read all the blogs I subscribe to. Don't know about anyone else out there, but when you spend all day looking at a computer screen, the last thing you really want to do is look at a computer when you get home. So, it seems that my blogging with be greatly curtailed, but I am sure that is no loss, it's not like I am writing the next great masterpiece or anything :)
I also just found out that I will need to travel to Edmonton a couple of times in the next week and half for some training sessions for work, and it will seriously impinge on my time in the studio. I will need to fly out Thursday night, spend the day there, fly back Friday night, and then fly up again on Sunday, spend the day there on Monday and fly back that night. so, the only full day I will have at the studio will be on Saturday (maybe some time on Sunday, but not much). I have lived in Calgary for the past 36 years, and even though Edmonton is only approximately a 3 hour drive north, I have never been to Edmonton. I have passed through on a Greyhound bus, but that's it. I've been to Australia, Ireland, New York, Montreal, etc, but never Edmonton.
I finally managed to get some pots down to the Galleria in Inglewood today at lunch. I needed to get some more stock down there before their annual pottery sale. I didn't have much (Christmas pretty much cleaned me out), but I did have some new stuff, and I have some more on the way, I just need to glaze it, and then I can take it down.
Other than that, I have returned to my regular schedule at the studio, and have been working on some new things. I have begun to exaggerate the rims on a few teapots by forming a really recessed gallery and then further pulling up the rim, flaring it out and making it undulate around the pot. I have also begun the make goblets. I don't normally make them, but I have begun to make them in one part, whereas in the past, I had always made them in 2 parts, and I hated making them cause they never really worked well. These ones have so far proven to be relatively simple to throw, and time will tell if the shape and construction fires well.
Anyway, that's what I've been up to and I will try to set more regular blogging time, I actually found that I missed being able to put my thoughts and activities down "on paper". It's late, I'm tired, and I'm going to sleep.

What I did on my Christmas holidays

2011-01-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

I spent the holiday with my parents, my sister and her fiance, our great Aunt and our Cousin Wayne. The dinner was excellent. But after that I was pretty much always at the studio. I opened and closed mon thru fri and got a lot of work done. I fired a glaze load with some pretty great results. Here are a few pics of what I got up to

And then I was struck down on New Years eve. I came home from the studio, had dinner, and then almost instantly, I had a fever, with chills and everything but my teeth hurt. The weird thing is that it began at 6pm and ended at 9:30. I have not developed any other symptoms, so whatever I had, it was not too serious.

2010-12-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is what I was up to on the weekend. I have begun working on my submissions for the AB in a Box show and so far, this is what I came up with.
This first pic shows the piece just after I threw it.

The next couple of pics show 2 different bowls that have been carved. I will go back and refine them with a green scrubby to remove any rough spots and blend in the carving marks.

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

2010-12-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe not frightful, but it is a bit chilly (-13 C with light snow). I was walking the pooper again last night, and we walked and walked until my fingers were about frozen off. Then this morning, she decided that she wanted to go for a long walk. I said NO to that idea. My hair was still wet or rather frozen, and I was not having any of that foolishness, plus I had to go to work, and if I am not out that door by 7:30, then I am late. It doesn't matter what rout I take, it is always the slowest one. It's like picking which line up to get into at the grocery store. You could pick the shortest one there, but then it will screech to a halt as the cashier needs a price check and the 15 yr old kid that comes to see what they need a price on doesn't know where to look and so it goes...the long line up has put twice as many people through as the line you are now in, but you dare not move, 'cause as soon as you do, the line you were just in will fly on through and the one you moved to will stop. My fingers are itchin to get back at some serious studio time. I will probably be in the studio on Christmas eve, Boxing day, and then every day after that right up to and including Jan 3^rd. I think I am going to need to get some clay though. I'm thinking 200lbs or so should just about cover my needs, maybe 250.

Did you just take what I thought I saw you take?

2010-12-15T10:10:00.003-07:00

I was teaching my usual class last night, and the class was moving along and one student was perusing the ware shelves looking for their recently glazed pieces. They picked up a small cup that out of the corner of my eye, looked suspiciously like one of my glaze samples. As I am not one to jump to conclusions, I try not to jump into accusation mode right away. I tend to suffer from the dreaded foot in mouth disease, so I keep said mouth shut when I feel an attack coming on. Admittedly, I had left it on the shelf for quite a while, as I didn't like the result, and was never going to sell/use it as a functional cup, and I had not signed it, it’s a test. I didn’t think anything of it, but by the end of class, after everyone had pretty much left, I remembered what I thought I had seen, and went to investigate. I was right, that test bowl was gone. So...why would you take something that clearly is not yours? I don’t mind that this student took it, but I do mind that this student (avoiding gender here so as not to single them out, just in case I am wrong) did not ask.
The funny thing is that the glaze was way too dry and rough feeling and was not pleasant to hold. It had a somewhat appealing colour (straw yellow?) but that was it’s only redeeming quality.

Plus, if you are going to steal something, why not go for the good stuff? That reminds me of when I used to work for a little liquor store about 14 years ago. It was attached to the restaurant right beside it (same owners) and I ate way too many french fries and chicken fingers that summer. Anyway, I came to work one day and the boss was telling me about how the liquor store had been robbed over night. Whoever it was broke into the store, looked for the safe, decided that a safe that was concreted into the floor was probably not the easiest thing to take and proceeded to steal liquor and beer. Here’s the funny bit....they stole all the cheap liquor....Grant’s Scotch Whiskey and the really cheap vodka that comes in a large plastic bottle, not the Glenlivet, or Glenfiddich (one shelf up dummies) or the good vodka, and then, they stole beer, but again, bypassed the micro brew stuff and went for Labbatt Black Label and Lucky Lager Strong. I learned a lot that summer working at the liquor store. Lesson numero uno....never become a regular at a liquor store, and the other lesson....don’t spray beer in the eye, it stings, a lot. Oh ya, one other lesson learned, when you come weaving your way into the store and buy 2 mickeys of vodka, it doesn't mean that you are not an alcoholic because you didn't by the 26er. That is like saying I'm only going to drink half now and half later....when I wake up and peel my face off the toilet seat. I could expound more on the joys of plying liquor as a trade, but it really never got much better than that. My sister is a bar tender at one of the best pubs in town, and I am sure that she has way better stories to tell.

dog crack

2010-12-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before that I am dog sitting for the next little bit while my parents are in Toronto. Well, this is the pooper. Here she is sniffing every molecule in and around that lamp post,

This is Ginger eating a cookie, cause she ate all her crack

And this is the Crack! Dehydrated Duck breast. She would do anything for this stuff.

My 1st Etsy purchase....

2010-12-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

...And Ron Philbeck's 100th sale. I did some last minut online Christmas shopping yesterday and this morning I discovered that it was a milestone transaction for Ron. I can't say anymore as my family reads this blog and I don't want them to see what they are getting for Christmas (unless I just love them so much I need to keep them for myself!)

Whew!

2010-12-13T08:41:00.001-07:00

I found my legs! I have installed my whisper in the studio to replace the wheel we were using that had a mysterious palsy when on the slowest speeds. I didn’t know how much I missed my whisper until I used it yesterday. Not a sound, not a shake, just pure throwing bliss.

I didn’t get much thrown, just a large plate and a few mugs and then I had to go make sure that Ginger had not peed on the carpet while I was gone.

I can't find my legs!

2010-12-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Sounds pretty serious! I have been storing my Shimpo VL Whisper in my parent’s garage for the last few years (tiny condo does not = pottery studio). Anyway, I am going to take it over to the studio so that it can get some use, and so that those of us who demonstrate are not trying to do it on a spastic wheel. The wheel we are using now starts shuddering at slow speeds (not sure how to describe it). It is as if the belt is slipping, but it isn’t. Anyway, it makes us raise at relatively unsafe speeds and things can tend to go awry if you are not dead centered the whole time.

So the wheel is in their garage, but I can’t seem to find the legs. I kept them in a tool box that was just the right size for them, along with the t wrench for removing the wheel head and the Allen key for attaching the legs. So, long story short, I can’t find my legs!

Good News and some random micro/macro economic ramblings etc

2010-12-08T15:54:00.000-07:00

I have just been in contact with a potential new gallery to show/sell my work. I won’t divulge too many details until I have it all worked out, but they want to buy them outright instead of on consignment which is how the other two galleries I am in operate. They will take a few pieces at a time and order more as needed, so hopefully this works out. The only minor glitch is that they are located in the Crowsnest Pass (about an hour and a half drive South from Calgary). As I work during the week, delivery on a week day is impossible. I could ship all the orders, but that eats into my profits. They do drive to Calgary every so often and could pick up, and that would be a good option. If they take delivery on a weekend (Saturday), then I would not mind driving it down myself. I love the drive down the 22. If this works out then I will have been accepted into my 3^rd gallery without having to really work for it. So far it has been via introductions from 3^rd parties. Galleria took me on when my teacher recommended me and Centennial invited me to join after I took part in a group show there (I was invited into the show by a friend who is a member). This time I was introduced to the gallery via one of Dave’s students that no longer attends Fairview, but she works in the Crowsnest and joined the Pass pottery club down there for convenience. She thought of me when her friend who owns this gallery approached her about new potters to get into their shop. I like not having to work too hard to get representation. One of my biggest faults is that I do NOT like to toot my own horn, and as a result, have never approached a gallery cold. It could also be that I am too busy (lazy? scared of rejection?) to do the legwork...

Anyway, on a somewhat related tangent, it has become apparent that pottery sales, at least as far as craft sales go, have been fantastic this year. Not only did Fairview Studios break a sales record this year, apparently so did the Northmount Pleasant sale and many of the potters that get supplies at CC were saying that the large shows they have been in have been fantastic as well. So...my hope is that this demand for handmade pottery will trickle down to the galleries. I have to say that for the past few years, I have not relied on galleries for any sort of reliable source of money. Perhaps the pendulum is swinging back towards the handmade side of things and people are starting to realize that just because it is cheap doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. I think that consumers these days are very conscious of where their money is going, who is reaping the benefits, was it ethically manufactured, safety etc. It seems these days that every time you turn around there is another story in the news about toxic/tainted food, manufacturer recalls, lead in your plastic toys, mercury in your fish etc...Also, if you buy the cheap mass produced product from an overseas company, your money goes over seas too...and eventually we are out of a job. Not that if all potters in N.America went out of business the economy would collapse, but it would be a very sad day indeed. Not to mention that when we make money, that money is then spent in the community (for the most part anyway). So, I am hoping that this buying handmade is a trend, and not an outlying blip.

On a less boring and slightly humorous note...I got an e-mail from one of my Mum’s friend’s that reads this blog (one of the few that do I am sure). She had read my blog about perhaps getting an Etsy store up and running and she wanted to warn me to not get my stuff posted on regretsy.com I had never heard of this before and it is hilarious. So, if you have a warped sense of taste, check it out. I guess it is mostly stuff that people have purchased from Etsy, but this stuff falls into the realm of failed crafts.

out of the kiln

2010-12-08T10:26:00.001-07:00

Emptied the glaze load last night, and for the most part I was happy. All of the pitchers and utensil holders that I had on order were all successful. No glaze drips, crawling, pinholes, spalling, cracks. I had some issues with a new glaze I am testing out. It is a commercial stoneware glaze that Ceramics Canada brings in. It comes in a 5lb bag and all you have to do is add water and stir, sounds easy. Well, for the most part yes, but as with any commercial glaze, you never know what you are going to get, as their test tiles in the store usually don’t look anything like what it does on an actual piece. I have discovered that this cinnabar needs to be on really thick to get a nice rich red, instead of a thin ketchup look. Ketchup is nice in your burger, but not on your teapot. So, I will have to fire that one again to get it to look a little less like ketchup. I pulled a total rookie move too. Apparently I should not be allowed to glaze when tired or rushed. I had a tall canister in there that looked like it fired pretty well, but the lid was stuck. I usually just have to give it a tap and Bob’s your uncle. This time, no such luck. I peered in the space betwixt the lid and the rim, and I could see the faint glimmer of a bit of glaze in there. How the heck did that happen, I always clean that area really well after glazing to avoid just this problem. So, knowing it was a lost cause, I stuck a slot head screwdriver in there and popped the lid off (and part of the rim). What did I see? I had totally forgotten to wipe this lid clean. I must have put it on the jar and said “I’ll get to that in a moment” and then promptly forgot and loaded it that way. What a moron. Oh well, such is life. I didn’t really like the glaze that much anyway.

Here are some pics of some of what came out of the kiln.

Just some pitchers all lined up

Tea pot using Kanthal wire as my knob (not sure I like it, but I have never done that before, so what they hey) I might try using a thinner gague high temp wire next time.

Here's the ketchup teapot. Looks ok from this angle, but the glaze on the lid is a little thin, and you can see that same thin looking glaze on the top side of the spout.

Hand built butter dish

Cider jug with stopper. Although, I am sure you could put other potent potables in there too.

Where did the weekend go?

2010-12-06T09:22:00.000-07:00

I got the bisque loaded on Friday night. I worked at CC on Saturday but went into the studio for a bit to trim some pots and attach handles to a couple of teapots etc. I spent the day on Sunday glazing pots and loading them in the kiln. I went to my parent’s house for dinner (roast beef, boiled baby potatoes, carrots, green beans, pickled beets. Then I got schooled on how to make the dogs dinner, what pills and powders and drops she gets and how often, etc. I begin dog sitting on Wednesday, and I have a ton of stuff to do between now and then. I think I might skip Jazzercise tonight. I need to find a Christmas ornament for my gift exchange at CC, I have to buy some food for the pot luck at work tomorrow and I need to pack my clothes and other essential for my dog sitting stint. I am teaching on Tuesday night, and will not have time to do it tomorrow.

Further adventures in dreamland

2010-12-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

I got my new computer home last night, and I love it. It is much more functional than my 17 inch paper weight. The screen is fantastic, and everything is so crisp and clean. Now the transfer begins. It’s going to be a bear though. My pc laptop has power cord issues, so I have to use battery power. I use an old laptop that has screen issues to charge a spare battery while I am using the laptop with power cord issues. I only get about 1.5 hours of working time per charge, and then it is less if I am doing things like copying files, burning cd's, etc...so, I see a lot of hair pulling in my future as I attempt to get all my files off of it and onto my new one, especially the media files like pictures, and music.

Didn’t say too much in my dreams last night, I saved up 1 sentence for the very end around 6am, and again, I have no recollection of the dream but here’s a transcript...”I’m not sure what the hourly rate is...I’m not going down to that...thing....jfkldaj” Not too sure what that was about...

It was obviously somewhere I really did not want to go, and I said “thing” with a bit of derision in my voice, like it was totally beneath me, and why would I ever go there. I find it funny that even in my sleep, I sound totally coherent. I sound as if I am completely aware of what I am saying.

Loading bisque load tonight. I am not sure if I have a full load, but I need to fire this weekend regardless, as I need to load a glaze on Sunday if I am going to get my orders out in time.

This is the sky last night as I was driving home

Guess what!!!

2010-12-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

I am writing this post from my new puter...now I just gotta stop with all the PC habits. I think I am going to need a right click mouse though.d

Christmas crunch and other stuff

2010-12-02T10:47:00.003-07:00

I had something really super intelligent to say today. At least that is what I thought when I went to sleep last night. However, it appears to have leaked out of my brain while I was sleeping. I’m still using the sleep tracker app on my iphone in an attempt to record my dreams. Apparently we won 831 to 2. I’m not sure what we were playing, but man did we cream the other guys.

I will be loading a bisque tomorrow evening, as I need to get some orders finished before Christmas and this will be my last opportunity to get everything done in time. I will be dog/house sitting for my parents while they go off to the Centre of the Universe (Toronto) next week, and I am foreseeing that I will not be able to get much studio time in there. Ginger is a 14 yr old German shepherd cross (what she was crossed with, we are not sure, perhaps a pig). She came from ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation), and so her pedigree is a bit uncertain. Anyway, as you can imagine, she is old, somewhat blind, mostly deaf, and very arthritic. She does still think she is a puppy though. She has Cushings disease and is prone to incontinence. Oh yeah, she is on heart medication for this disease that is a diuretic. I am imagining a lot of carpet cleaning in my future, especially because I work days and will have to pee her early in the morning when I wake up, then again before I leave, and then I will have to rush home to pee her at lunch, and then again when I get home, and then again after dinner and then again before bed, and then again just before bed, and I am sure again in the middle of the night. But I love her, and what can you do?

And look what just came!!!

random blather

2010-11-30T11:34:00.003-07:00

I’m must be gettin old. I missed 5 weeks of my exercise class that I go to on Monday nights. I was teaching at the studio for several weeks, then it was my Dad’s 67^th birthday, and I couldn’t miss that. Then, it got so bleeding cold here, the last thing I wanted to do was slip and slide my way to class to get all sweaty and then go back into the cold and have my sweaty hair freeze. Anyway, I went to class last night and then went to bed early (is 8 hours and 53 minutes of sleep too long?). Today, my back is killing me, my left ankle and foot hurt and I have to go teach a pottery class tonight. Wow, I sound crabby, I’m not, I’m just sayin, getting old sucks! I’m not even that old, but I sure feel every one of my 39.5 years today.

There is a pretty strong Chinook arch today, so the weather should be mild (0 Celsius?)...much better than the -29 Celsius last week (It makes you feel like wearing shorts when the temp rises 30 degrees over night) but the Chinook related headaches are a pain. I never used to get them, but I started getting them last year and now I know what everyone else complains about.

The mountains are very clear today, they are right there, in your face and bright and toothy.

Not sure what I am going to demo tonight. Lately I have been making a mess of my demos instead of inspiring creativity. My bowls have flopped, my facets have ripped open, the elongated platters rip in half as I am “dramatically” stretching them out on the canvas table, and my slip trailer develops a case of gas and barfs slip all over the freshly decorated plate (at the very end of course so that I have to try and scrape it all off or just try to blend the burp into the overall pattern). Maybe I will stick with what I do best (bowls), how boring....I need to replenish my stock of everything, so perhaps it will be casseroles tonight, or pitchers with fancy rims....who knows, I will find out when I get there. I need to buy some clay too, so first thing after work I will be off to CC and pick a box or 2 up.

On a non clay note, my computer should be here in 3 days (Yippee!!!). Can’t wait!!!

I have been reading a few discussions in the blogosphere regarding the pro’s/con’s of selling via Etsy. I posted a while back that I was thinking of starting up an Etsy account, but the master procrastinator that I am, I never got around to it. Now that I will have some enhanced technology, and if I can get around to setting up a mini photography studio in my condo, I might give it a try. I will take all the sage advice that is being offered on this topic and hopefully put it to good use when I get my shop up an runnin. I really need to get some proper shelving in my “store room” at home. Right now it is a disaster zone with pots all over the floor amidst wrapping paper, painting supplies, an easel with an UGLY painting on it, and other sundry crap.

Enough rambling and babbling,

TTFN (What?, Did I just say that?)

Maybe I should say something like:

Make pots purposefully and make purposeful pots.

Nah, how about:

Go get dirty...

kinda funny and not pottery related at all

2010-11-29T10:43:00.006-07:00

I downloaded an app onto my iphone the other day called “Sleep Tracker”. The idea is that when you plug your phone in and lay it beside you on your bed at night, it will monitor your movements (thrashing/flailing) at night and listen to the sounds that disturb you (ie: babbling, snoring, burglers, aliens etc...). Then, when you wake up, you can look at your sleep patterns in a graphical format and actually listen to what noises woke you up, or that you made. I turned it on Saturday night and this is a transcript of my night....snoring, snoring, snoring (I have to admit it, I do snore...a little), rustle rustle, mumble mumble mumble....”fhaoptjgksau everywhere....They’re Everywhere” (I sounded a little scared there) “ha ha ha ha” (couldn’t have been that scary ‘cause I laughed right afterwards)...got a little boring for a while, just deep sleep, and then....”hpepjaehse epilepsy and stuff”.....(WEIRD)

I thought this would be a neat little app. I know I talk in my sleep, & I have actually woken myself up in full conversation. I have not been remembering my dreams lately either. Sometimes my dreams are quite vivid and I will remember them clearly the next day, but not so much now. I thought this would jog my memory if I could listen to what I say at night. So far, not so much, but it was funny to listen to. I also thought I might be able to figure out why I wake up in a twisted knot of sheets and covers. I must wrap them around me really tight and then roll over and over and over until they are a hopelessly twisted mess....no clue yet as to how that happens.

pots in progress

2010-11-29T08:21:00.012-07:00

Except for those pitchers, it has been a while since I have posted any pictures. This is some of what I have been up to lately

This is one of the 4 large plates I threw this weekend with a lot of slipped dots etc. This was the 2nd reincarnation of this pattern as the first time was obliterated by the plastic when I was loosely draping it. After I got the slip on again, I concocted an elaborate tent for it to rest under over night.

This is a funky little butter dish I was working on last week

A tea pot from last week as well

A vase from last week too

A funky tray

More teapots in progress. I trimmed and assembled these on Sunday, and then I threw a couple more.

Christmas is coming early!

2010-11-26T13:06:00.003-07:00

I bought it this morning! I should have it in my hot little hands sometime between Nov 30 and Dec 6.

What did I buy you ask? I bought a MacBook Pro!

I am very excited!! Can you tell?

So close I can taste it....

2010-11-25T14:56:00.005-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day. I am going to buy my computer. I actually don’t know how much it is going to cost right now. I knew, but now I don’t. Apple only has one sale a year, and that is the day after the American Thanks Giving holiday (aka black Friday). I am not expecting anything crazy like half off, but a couple hundred off would be nice. Then...I wait. I’m waiting now, but it’s gonna get worse once the deed is done and I have to wait for the UPS guy to show up next week (?). I am having it delivered to my workplace and then I’m gonna have to wait again to get it home to open it up and start playing with it. It’s gonna be better than christmas and all my birthdays rolled up into one.

This is what I’m proposin to get, they all look the same though, but this one is the 13” macbook pro

This past weekend

2010-11-23T11:13:00.007-07:00

Well, I am back from a few days off. I went up to my old place of employment on Thursday to flog some of my wares. I managed to sell most of what was rolling around in the back of my car (you never know when an impromptu pottery sale might break out). Friday was spent in the studio throwing several pitchers and utensil holders, as apparently that is what my old co-workers wanted, and I only had 2 when I went up there, so they want at least 4 pitchers and one wants a good pot to hold wooden spoons. I went to the Telus Art Market on Saturday after work at Ceramics Canada. I go to see what the other potters are up to, and to hopefully glean new ideas. I gotta say, not impressed. There were a lot of jewelry booths (I think there are little children chained up in basements all year stringing beads), foodie booths full of candy, fudge, tapinad mixes, hot sauce sellers, wine stopper makers, cedar planks all dressed up to grill fish on etc, but only 4 or 5 pottery booths. I have seen most of them before, and their booths were tiny and uninspiring (to me anyway).
I then spent Sunday in the studio from 10-3:30 and then went over to my parent's house for an excellent roast beef dins with all the fixins (yams, yorkshire pud, roast potatoe, salad etc). I spent 90% of Monday under the covers. It was so bleedin cold out that I only ventured out to go get some groceries, and then burrowed into my cocoon again as soon as I got home. I must have been either a bear or a caterpillar in a previous life as I did a lot of hibernating and cocoon making.
This is a picture of some of what I threw on Friday and then trimmed on Sunday.

These jugs all have handles now and are patiently drying.

YUCK!!!

2010-11-17T12:16:00.003-07:00

I guess winter is here...This is what it looks like from the window at work.
I took this with my phone, so I can only assume that is why it is a little purple. It is actually quite white out there....and cold. It is apparently -13 degrees celcius, but with the wind chill it feels like -20 or so I think.

To Mac or not to Mac, that is the question...

2010-11-15T10:05:00.005-07:00

Since I did so well at the Christmas sale this year, I have decided to bite the bullet and get a new computer. I have been using my current laptop as a paperweight for the past 6 months and only using it when absolutely necessary. I have been conducting all my work via my iphone (email, blogging, surfing, etc). The sale on Saturday will give me just enough money to buy a new computer without having to use a credit card. I have decided that the way I want to go is to get a Mac Book Pro. The only thing I have not decided on is what size. They have a 13” model now, but I am waffling and might decide to go for the 15”. I am just not sure if I would actually notice the difference. I am by no means a techie, and there are a few system differences that I just don’t know if I would even notice if I had them or not.

This is the list of Why I want a Mac:

-fantastic battery life (13” has a 10 hour battery life per charge, and the 15” will last 8-9 hours). My computer is currently only running on battery power....pain in the u know what, and it only lasts 1.5 hours per charge.

-backlit keyboard – I love the fact that I do not have to turn a light on to work on the computer.

-excellent screen resolution

-magnetic power cord connection – The reason my current Lappy is not working as it should is the fact that the power cord connection is broken. I have to use my parent’s old one to charge a spare battery while I work. You might ask why I don’t just use their computer....The screen is broken (has a big blue stripe running through it) – both of these issues are not worth the repair costs to fix. The magnetic connection is in itself genius – no more tripping over the cord and potentially damaging the laptop.

-No virus issues

-I can run pc stuff on the mac

-the software included with the computer is actually useful and works.

-Lifespan – Everyone I know that has a Mac has had theirs for way longer than the PC users I know. Therefore the cost over time is actually less for a Mac.

-My opinion, and it is just my opinion, but from what I can tell, you can do way more creative stuff on a Mac. I need to be able to create promotional material (cards, invites, posters) and it just seems that it will be easier and BETTER on the Mac.

If you are reading this and are currently using a Mac, please feel free to comment on this. Let me know if you have any suggestions on hardware/software, or if you think that I might not actually need a Mac, that would be appreciated as well.
I have 2 weeks to mull this over. I should have all my sale proceeds by then and I will be off to the Mac store to test drive them, pepper the blue shirted smurfs there with questions and hopefully make a decision and hand over my hard earned cash.

Yahoo!!

2010-11-15T08:46:00.005-07:00

Well, we all made it through another “Fairview Studios Christmas Pottery Sale”. This one was by far the most successful Christmas sale EVER. Our Fearless leader Dave (pottery owner and Irish drum maker extraordinaire) has been running this sale for at least 25 years, and he confirmed that our deposits this year were a record breaker. Not only that, but the hall was always full of customers and didn’t stop or die down until 11am. This sale has a reputation for being crazy. The customers always line up early, make a mad dash inside as soon as the doors open (you take your life into your hands if you open that door, you might get trampled). They rush around; fill their baskets, boxes etc and then line up to pay. All told, the sale that officially runs for 3 hours is usually essentially over by 10 or 10:30 AM and then it is like a ghost town for the next hour and a half. This time, we had people shopping right up until Noon. I don’t think there was a potter that didn’t sell well. I know I did well. I had 3 full tables of my stuff, and at the end, it was condensed down to 1, so I guess I sold about 60-70 percent of my work. I was a little bummed coming into this sale as the weekend before I had only managed to sell about 6 pieces at the CCAA sale.

All in all, it was a fantastic event.

Here are a few before shots of my tables. I could definitely work on my display a little more.

21.5 hours to go...

2010-11-12T11:36:00.003-07:00

There’s only 21 hours and 30 minutes left until the insanity starts....

The semiannual Fairview Studios Pottery Sale starts tomorrow morning at 9am. I actually need to be there at 6:45 am. Yup, that’s right, 6:45 am. We cannot get into the hall tonight to set up as there is some event going on until the wee hours tonight.

We have a record number of potters in the sale this year (25), which will hopefully equate to record sales. The fall sale always brings in the crowds though. They always begin lining up outside by 7:45 in the morning, and we don’t even open the doors until 9am. They bring suitcases, laundry baskets, boxes etc and it is like a shark feeding frenzy in a pool of baby seals at 9am.

So, if you want to make your way down, the sale is at 848 Cantabrian Dr. SW.

View Larger Map">

I made it out alive...

2010-11-10T12:49:00.001-07:00

Dave is finally back! He arrived in town last night and came by the studio to make sure it hadn’t burned to the ground while he was visiting family and friends in Kansas. I guess it was snowing most of the way through (He woke up to the evil white stuff in Billings). As soon as he got to the Canadian border, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

He did mention one funny thing that happened to him. I guess he stayed the night in a hotel in a small town somewhere between Kansas and Montana and when he asked for a room, he was told that the pool was not available as the community used it that night. Turns out, they were baptising local residents. Dave was looking at the goings on in the pool through the observation area and someone told him he was welcome to join them. He told him he had already been baptised but the guy said that everyone could use a “retread”. Too weird.

I am glad he is back. 2 weeks of late nights have taken their toll on me.

Oh, one more funny thing...the other day I was driving down a street in my neighbourhood, and a black squirrel darted out onto the road and I could see it was going to get squished by the car ahead of me. I wish I had been able to capture this on video as it was quite amazing. The squirrel did a hand stand. He stopped but the momentum of his body kept moving his back end up and over his head, and then he twisted to the side to avoid landing under the wheels of the car. I believe he made it to the other side. I didn’t feel a bump as I passed by the spot where he was and I didn’t see a smear on the road behind me.

No Pottery for me tonight. I am going to the movies. Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, so I can take a wee rest.

I'm still alive...

2010-11-08T13:00:00.003-07:00

I priced and packed all my pots on Saturday afternoon/evening for the Calgary Clay Arts Association sale. I awoke bright and early on Sunday and made my way over to the sale. We got ourselves set up (there were 3 of us that did not participate on the Saturday). I think that for a fledgling association that is just beginning to get itself out there, we didn’t do too badly. We had a pretty steady flow of customers after lunch. The sale ran from 10-4 and I am not used to full day sales. The studio sale that is put on twice a year is only from 9-12 and we do probably 80% of our sales by 10:30.

Anyway, I wanted to cut my feet off by the end of the day, but I still had to make my way over to the studio and lock it up for the day. When I got home, I collapsed into my large leather chair in front of the tube, but by 9:30 I couldn’t even keep my eyes open so I stumbled my way to bed and that is all I remember until I woke up at 6:30 this morning. Now that this sale is over, I am all prepped for next the Big sale on Saturday. This Sale has been going on for at least 25 years and the following is large.

I only have 2 more teaching nights and then I am done with that and will be back on my regular Tuesday night schedule and maybe I can have a life again. It has been crazy the last couple of weeks and I am still not quite sure how I have been able to do it and work a regular day job to boot.

I managed to refire all of my lustred work for the “Turning the Table” show that opens this Saturday as well. I picked the lustre up on Friday, got everything redone and loaded that night, and when I got back to the studio on Saturday afternoon, I was very happy. Everything came out just fine. I fired it to cone 016 this time and everything worked perfect. I had fired everything to 018 before, and I just don’t think that the underlying glaze softened enough to allow for a good bond between the lustre and the glaze. Anyway, I got it all priced, inventoried and packed. I had to deliver it to one of my CCAA cohorts so that they could deliver it to the gallery this week. I am quite pleased with the overall outcome and am looking forward to the opening on Saturday afternoon.

round and round I go...

2010-11-04T13:56:00.002-06:00

3 more classes to go! I only have to teach tonight, and then Monday and Tuesday next week. Every day at lunch I drive over to the studio and make sure that the studio is open, or that there is at least a key in the mailbox if no one is there. Walter (our resident perfectionist/potter/carver) is usually there, but you never know. Then today, I went over to Ceramics Canada (after I drove by the studio) to pick up some clay, and to see if the Green Barn order had arrived with my lustre. The answer to that is no. It should have arrived yesterday, but Trudy (da boss lady) thought it would be here tomorrow at the latest. My fingers are crossed so tight, I can’t stand it. This means that I will be pulling a very late night on Friday trying to finish those stupid place settings. I feel like I am in a race, but I can’t see the finish line, I don’t know who I am racing against, and I’m not even sure I am on the race track. So, if you see me looking a little harried and out of sorts, these are the reasons why: Not enough time and not enough energy. I can’t even sleep in on the weekend. I have to work on Saturday, pray that my lustre firing worked (if the stupid stuff even arrived for me to apply and fire it), and then I need to price and pack for the sale that starts at 10am on Sunday.

In hindsight, I should have backed off from teaching so much for Dave, but he was in a bit of a bind and needed someone to teach for him and I was the only option. The next time he gets a bee in his bonnet to go to Kansas, he shouldn’t plan to go right before the studio sale...just a thought.

Time is very quickly running out

2010-11-04T09:33:00.004-06:00

I seriously need to get myself into gear. To be quite honest, I have not really gotten into sale mode yet. I think that with all of the things that have happened this year in my life (laid off, fitting into new job, company merger, trying to fit into a more secure role at new job) and in my family (both my maternal grandparents passed away, my great aunt is in the hospital), I have not really gotten into the production groove. Oh well, I have Friday night and Saturday afternoon to get ready for the sale this Sunday.

I had one sale job to do. All I had to do was put together the door prize box and slips. Well, the slips were not difficult, but man, do you think I could find time to make it to a dollar store for a box, or dig something out of my house to use? Nope. Connie came by the studio last night to drop off the info for the turning the tables show,
and to pick up the door prize stuff.

Now she needs to find a box.

I think I have enough pots for the show, but they are dusty, unpriced and unpacked.

Do "A", and "B" should happen...

2010-11-03T13:49:00.002-06:00

My experience with firing kilns is limited. The first time I fired a kiln, it was the 40 cu.ft. gas kiln at our old studio. The only type of firing that I did was the glaze firing, as the bisque required a better understanding of how that monster worked. I only ever ended up firing that kiln a few times before we moved, and then all that learning was for naught, as we moved to firing to ^6 electric. Now, I have fired the electric kilns many times, and I have done bisque, glaze and on glaze (ie: lustre) loads. However, because they are computer controlled, I usually just load ‘em up, turn ‘em on, and go home for the night. They usually take 15-19 hours to fire a glaze, depending on how densely packed. On Monday, I fired both kilns at the same time, and they were both glaze loads. I went to the studio on Tuesday at lunch time to check on them, and they were both still firing away, but that is not unnatural. I returned at about 5pm that evening and to my surprise, one kiln had turned off properly, but the other one was still chugging away, and had not reached temperature yet. I freaked out. That kiln had been on for 19.5 hours and was still not to temp. I turned it off, then I said to myself, hold on....turn it back on, see how far it needs to go, call my potter friend Susan and see what she has to say about this. Susan has been potting/sculpting for many more years than I and she worked at Ceramics Canada for 20+ years and has a brain full of knowledge. She talked me down from the ledge, advised me to let it go for a bit longer, watch the colour in the peep hole etc. I ended up letting it go until it was as close to temp as I could let it go before I had to go home for the night. It was only about 5 or 6 degrees away from ^6 at that point (It ended up firing for approximately 24 hours (crazy, I know). I went back to the studio today at noon to check that the inside of the kiln was not a hardened lump of melted glaze. Everything was fine, at least as far as I could tell by only seeing the top shelf results. I have a feeling that this kiln did not fire as quickly due to the fact that I had loaded it quite full, and I know that the elements are getting old, and need replacing, and the thermocouple might need swapping out too.

So, when you do “A”, and the “B” that is supposed to happen, doesn’t, don’t freak out. It’s all just one big learn’in experience.

SIGH!!!

2010-11-02T08:55:00.003-06:00

I unloaded a lustre load on the weekend. I am not happy at all. My lustre is rubbing off! I thought that I would thin it down with some mineral spirits to make it flow a bit better and also to make it go just a little bit further (I had read somewhere that you can do that). I think that was my mistake. Everywhere that it was applied a little thin is rubbing off. I have 2 more 2gram bottles on order, but wouldn’t you know it, I need these fired by the weekend. So, I am hoping that they arrive sometime this week, allowing me to fire them Friday night and have them ready by Sunday.

Aside from my lack lustre lustre, I also have a sale this Sunday that I am NOT prepared for. Nothing is priced or packed. I will have to do it all on Saturday I think. I work that day, but I can pack and price at the studio when I get there in the afternoon.

I am starting to feel like my failed lustre, I am stretched a little thin, and I might start rubbing off soon.

3 down, 7 more to go

2010-10-28T16:13:00.001-06:00

I have 7 more teaching nights to go now. I don’t get home before 10 pm most nights, and that is starting to be a bit of a drag. I had one new student last night; she seemed very thoughtful in how she approached the clay. I helped her make her first bowl, but her second one (without my help) was pretty successful. It may have taken her half an hour to make it, and the walls were a bit on the thick side, but relatively even, and her bottom was not paper thin. She didn’t manage to get anything else thrown, but she also did not struggle with the centering process as much as others do, so that was a bonus.

I loaded a glaze last night as well, and I will load another tonight. I will then hopefully be able to fire a load of lustre on the weekend. I need to get all my pieces ready for the Turning the Tables show, and it is creeping up pretty quick. The gallery is only allowing work to be dropped off on Nov 10^th at 10am. A bit a bit inflexible, but that’s ok, I will get the CCAA president to deliver it for me, but that means I can’t fool around, I will need to get it to her by the 7^th at the latest. Maybe after the CCAA Christmas sale on the 7^th...2 birds, one stone...

Tonight should be a cake walk. Thursday night is pretty much a class of very independent potters that have been coming for quite a while, and most of them leave really early. Last night I didn’t get to leave until 10pm as there were people still there madly attaching handles and glazing. Speaking of cakes, I also going to unload the very first cake stand that I have ever made. I don’t make a lot of cakes, and if I do, I usually eat them before they would ever make it onto a stand :). I was inspired by Kristen Kieffer’s cake stands (kiefferceramics.com). I WILL take pics tonight If I can get a peek into the kiln, it will be too hot to unload tonight, and let you know how it turned out.

I also have 3 pieces loaded that are not mine, but belong to the 2 people that I taught a private pottery class to for their anniversary. It was a one off class, and they really wanted to keep what they made, so I offered to fire and glaze them, I hope they turned out alright.

I need a new profile picture

2010-10-25T15:25:00.003-06:00

I need a new profile pic. This one makes me look way to serious. Not to mention that my hair is different, I probably weigh more now than what this picture appears, and I look way toooo clean...

And now it begins...

2010-10-25T09:12:00.004-06:00

I will be teaching every night now for the next 2 weeks and two days. The only days I won’t be teaching are Friday nights, as that is my own time in the studio and there are no classes that day, and the weekends. I will be dropping the key to the studio off during my lunch hour on weekdays, as that is way easier than getting up early to drop it off in the morning. I will also drop the key off on Saturday morning before I go to work at Ceramics Canada. Of course, I will be bringing the key home every night as well. I have a feeling that I will be very tired by the time Dave gets back from Kansas. However, this will allow me to get things fired. I usually only fire on the weekends so that I don’t interfere with Dave’s firing of student work.

Firstly, I will be firing a load of my dinner ware set that needs to be complete soon for the turning the table show on November 13. As soon as I get it glaze fired, I will turn right around and lustre fire it. Then, I need to get the work that will be going into the two pottery sales I have coming up. I never know what I have ready until the last second it seems. I need to provide an inventory sheet for the CCAA sale on Nov 7^th so perhaps this will make me more organized. The Fairview sale is never that demanding. So long as my pots are priced and packed by the night before, I am in good shape.

I keep saying that I will post pictures of what I am up to, and every time I go to the studio, I leave at the end of the day without having taken a single shot. Perhaps I will manage to take some pictures while I am glazing etc...

I had booked a few days off from my day job near the end of November so that I could go to Medicine Hat and fire in the Medalta salt kiln, but as I mentioned before, that is on hold. I was considering not taking those days off, but now, I think I might just need them after all this. Maybe I will book a massage for that weekend.....

This is why I make pottery, and other ramblings...

2010-10-21T09:53:00.002-06:00

I stopped by the studio yesterday after work. I was on my way out with a few friends, but I needed to kill a few minutes, and I needed to let the air get to a few pieces that I had sitting under plastic. Anyway, as I was coming in the door, one of my new students was coming out and she had a huge grin on her face. She had just popped in to pick up her very first pieces to come out of the kiln. She was soooo pleased with them and with herself. I am pretty sure that if she had just popped into Walmart to pick up some bowls, she wouldn’t be as happy!

The act of making something yourself is very fulfilling, and helping people learn to make their own is also quite enjoyable. I like to know that the pieces I make are going to be used and enjoyed and not stuck in a cabinet behind glass, only to be admired from afar. I am a self diagnosed pot fondler, and there is no cure. I need to use the pots I make and the pots I buy from others. One of the things I look for in a pot (esp mugs and cups) is not just how it looks, but how it feels in my hand. What does the glaze feel like on my skin, and is the shape conducive to snuggling up in an afghan while reading a book? I like cups that fit the shape of my hand so that I don’t have to use the handle if I don’t want to, and I want the surface to be soft but somewhat textural to provide a pleasant tactile experience.

Teaching people to throw pottery can be frustrating. It is not that I get frustrated with the students, I get frustrated with the fact that the English language was not designed to verbalize what is a very tactile process, and the fact that there isn’t just one way to do it. That said, I really enjoy teaching and witnessing that “AHA/eureka!” moment that students have when the planets align just so and everything clicks into place and they just get it.

What's coming up, or not...

2010-10-19T15:04:00.007-06:00

Ok, so a while back I mentioned that I was heading off to Medalta in November for a soda/salt firing weekend. Well, as things usually do, this has changed. We are putting it off until January. The person I know that began all of this went to Italy for a couple of weeks, and when she got back, I think reality hit, and she realized that she wouldn’t have enough stuff to make it worthwhile for her and wanted to put it off. That was OK with me. I was awfully eager to go in November though, but I have coped, and am now eagerly awaiting January (not sure I will ever say that again, given that January involves frigid sub arctic temperatures and snow).

Now that I am not consumed with throwing stuff for that little adventure, I can focus on the more immediate concerns of getting ready for 3 sales/shows.

First:

Calgary Clay Arts Association Christmas Pottery Sale will run for 2 days (Nov 6-7). I will be there with all of my pots on the 7^th.

Second:

Fairview Studios Christmas Pottery Sale. This one runs one day from 9-12 on November 13th.

Third:

Turning the Table. This show focuses on dinner and table ware created by Calgary Clay Arts Association members, and will be at the Arts on Atlantic gallery in Inglewood. This show opens on Saturday November 13^th and I will be there, after the Fairview Sale, and after I work a couple hours at Ceramics Canada)

In preparation for these events, I will need to fire at least one more bisque load, at least a couple more glaze loads, and at the very least, one more load of lustre. Then I need to price it, create an inventory sheet for the CCAA Christmas Sale, wrap it and pack it. In order to get the wrapping and packing done, I will need to clean out my car – haul out the containers that are in there with unsold pottery, clean out my back bedroom and sort through any old pots that can either go to the dumpster, or back into the mix for these sales. Then wash the table coverings, or at least iron and hem them. I bought 13 meters of dark blue denim one year at a fabric store that went out of business, and it was a deal, 13 bucks for 13 meters. I never hemmed them though, so they are looking a bit frayed after a few washes. Me thinks I am going to be busy for the next little while.

PS, I apologize for the extreme run on sentences in my last post. I just re read it and there are way too many comma splices in there.

i think i pulled something...

2010-10-19T09:18:00.006-06:00

And it wasn’t a handle. Everything aches from the base of my skull to the tip of my tail bone. I was at my Jazzercise class last night, and I must not have stretched well enough. Oh well, I took a couple vitamin I’s (Ibuprophin), and that should work the kinks out. I am teaching tonight, so the kinks better be gone. I think I will demo bottles tonight. Someone at the studio has given an assignment to himself, and it is to make a tall, very bulbous narrow necked bottle (almost closed in). So, thought I would see if I could impart any gems for him tonight to set him on the right path. I think, and this is just my personal opinion, but I think the bottle is the toughest shape to make.

I worked on some bottles over the weekend to get me warmed up, as I never make them very often (not big sellers) and I needed to refresh my muscle memory. I will see if I can remember to take some pics tonight.

Next week I will be teaching every night (Mon-Thurs) for 2 weeks. Dave is driving down to Kansas to visit him family etc and I will be holding down the fort for him. I have done this before, but usually only a week at a time. Two weeks might just kill me. I have offered to fire the kilns for him while he is gone. He didn't want me to have to do this, as he doesn't pay me to do that, but really, I am going to be there anyway, so I may as well do it, especially since there is a student sale coming up on November 13th, and I know that most people will want to get some last minute stuff finished. I will also have some pots to fire, so I may as well load the other students work as well

Catching up

2010-10-15T13:37:00.008-06:00

Well, this past week has gone by in a flurry of activity, and I have not been able to even check what all the other bloggers have been up to (until today). My job has changed a wee bit. I now have walls and a door, and I am not sitting up at the front as a receptionist. I have been thrust into the role of project assistant (of which I know nothing). This is in an attempt to help lighten the workload on the project managers shoulders. This new position is going to be interesting, but the learning curve is going to be very steep.

In terms of pottery, I was pretty industrious on the long weekend, even though there was a Turkey dinner to attend, yams to make etc...

I got back into some slip work, , but it is very different from what I have done in the past. I also managed to fire a bisque, but not a glaze. In terms of what I made, I managed to throw the rest of the Dove. I made some more cups for the dinner ware show, some salad bowls, and a cake stand. These are all Dove and are in the “mountain” theme that the rest of the dinner ware is in. I then threw 4 large platters that I went a little berserk with the slip on. I used to apply a very thick layer of slip onto a freshly thrown bowl or platter and then comb through it with a cake decorating edging tool. Now I have just used my slip trailer to apply the slip. I never used to put the decoration in the centre, only the rim, but this time, it is everywhere. I am concerned that the extra water content that I added to them may induce cracking, but I will dry them very very slowly, and hopefully everything will equalize and be ok.

Just a random shot of some of what I was up to

The first slip trailed platter

A close up of the platter

When worlds collide....you get messy hair

2010-10-07T15:12:00.001-06:00

I am going to get a haircut tonight. I also got a phone call from Dave this morning asking if I could teach tonight. So I will be in the salon at 5pm, and then I will be off to the studio with my new coif. I am sure I will get clay in it. Kinda like when you wear white to the office, you just know that you will spill coffee on it right away so that you have to go the whole day looking like you can’t feed yourself.

Gobble Gobble!

2010-10-06T11:32:00.004-06:00

It’s Turkey day on Sunday! My family will be gathering at my parent’s house this Sunday for Thanks Giving (above the 49^th parallel here). I have been tasked to bring a vegetable dish (after I made gagging sounds when asked to bring the tomato aspic). I am trying to think of something interesting that doesn’t come out of a can or bag and that I can make really quickly, or even just throw together once I get there. I will of course be at the studio right up until 3pm, so I need to think ahead. Maybe I could turn the kiln on low and cook up some veg there (just kidding...maybe). I only have one day to get what I need once I figure it out, and that would be today, after work. I will be gettin a hair cut on Thursday and I don’t want to muss my new do peeling yams or something (nah, just lazy). Although, now that I think about it, Ceramics Canada is closed this weekend, so I will not be workin and I could procrastinate ‘til then.

Some of you (if anyone other than my parents reads this) may be wondering what the heck tomato aspic is. Others of you will know, and agree with my extreme reaction. A very small number of you will say yum, who doesn’t like aspic?

Tomato aspic is a 1950’s jellied salad made from canned tomato soup, lemon jello, assorted savoury ingredients like cheese, celery, peas, carrots etc...and then chilled in a fancy mould or a nice bowl. If you are feeling elegant, you can decorate it with a dollop of mayonnaise and chives....every child’s nightmare. I learned at an early age how to suppress my gag reflex and swallow it without chewing (or hopefully tasting). I adapted this technique for lima beans too..., but alas, brussel sprouts are too big to swallow whole.

I hope all you Canadians out there have a good Turkey Day too! I am going to try and fire off a bisque this weekend, and maybe a glaze if I am feeling really ambitious, and I will have more pics this weekend if I can remember to take a moment and shoot some.

How do we come up with NEW ideas? Where do we get our inspiration?

2010-09-30T11:43:00.002-06:00

I had another pottery/design related dream the other night. Many of my ideas (good and BAD) seem to come to me in this way. Sounds sort of “Hand of God ish” (but if you know me, that is not it at all, it’s just random neurons firing). These “dreams” usually come around the time that my mind finally starts to drift off into unconsciousness, but before I fall completely down the rabbit hole, I will get a flash out of nowhere, usually an image, of a new way to possibly approach a problem I have been mulling over in the very deep dark recesses of my mind, or even just something completely new that I have not even been considering. I am not one for sketching, never have been, so sometimes these ideas get lost for a couple of days until my brain unearths them again. I do try to sketch them occasionally, but I can never seem to get down in 2D what my inner eye clearly sees in 3D. Anyway, back to the dream the other night. My sister asked me a while ago if I would make the centre pieces for her wedding next year, and being the best big sister in the world, I said sure, no problem, what do you want? She wants a simple single stem vase out of white white white porcelain, approximately 9 or so inches high. Not being one to do things the easy way, I don’t want to just extrude hollow cylinders and glaze them clear....how boring. I got her to accept a little blue (not much), and perhaps a little lustre. My vision was that of a very narrow cylinder, maybe 2 inches wide, 9 inches tall, thrown without a base, and perhaps a little wonky (not dead straight). The base of the vase will be a circular slab slightly wider than the cylinder. The top is a thrown, shallow domed cap with a narrow neck just wide enough for a single flower stem. I will attempt to make a few variations for her to have a look at and make her decision.
I have had a few of these dreams, and they don’t always work out, but the ideas linger and will sometimes morph into something completely different once I get to the studio and start trying to flesh it out in clay.
I often wonder how different artists get fresh ideas for their work. I am lazy, and I don’t like doing the boring stuff like research (I do surf the web, but that is pretty passive research, and can be done when you don’t want to do something even more tedious, like laundry or dishes). Some authors say that they feel like they are just a conduit for a “higher power” that is writing through them. That sounds to me like they have no talent except for typing, I think that is a lame answer. But how does everyone else create something completely new from nothing? I guess my work is pretty internal, I don’t seek a lot of outside inspiration for what I do (unless I am ripping something off that I saw on YouTube for a pottery demo).

Oh my aching back!

2010-09-29T09:24:00.005-06:00

I was teaching again last night, and all of the newbies came back (good sign). I ended up demonstrating how to throw several different forms off the hump, like mugs, bowls, bud vases, little closed in orbs that could be turned into lidded jars etc. Wouldn’t you know it, the first piece that I cut off went flying off the mound. I must have been distracted as the wheel was definitely going way too fast for safe removal :)

I ended up spending quite a lot of time with a couple of them, working on coning up, getting the feel for when it is centred, and just generally trouble shooting their problems. It seems to be mostly hand position, and not utilizing the geometry of your body to assist you instead of working against you. Essentially just small adjustments here and there and they were on their way. I am sure it will click sometime next week, or if they manage to get into the studio for practice time on the weekend. After all this crouching down my back is a wee bit touchy this morning, but I will work the kinks out I am sure.

Here are a few filler pics of some of the stuff I am working on

The weekend

2010-09-27T11:36:00.006-06:00

I was able to get into the studio for my Me Time on Friday. It was just me, Lorraine (another self directed student on Friday nights), and another student named Dave who does quite well on his own, and doesn’t ask too many questions unless he is stumped.

I was able to get my dinner plates, side plates, and salad bowls thrown, but not much else. I always go to the studio full of ideas, but I seem to always lose steam at about 7:30. Not surprising as I get up at 7am and work a full 8 hours in the office.

I did my usual 5 hours on Saturday at Ceramics Canada. I was actually kinda productive there, in that I was able to resurrect a painting of mine from near death. Amazing what you can do when you slap another coat of thick modeling paste on and obliterate the nastiness from previous attempts at artfulness...I left it to dry there, so still not sure what it looks like, but It looked 1000 times better than before. I should say that I have absolutely no painting skills, so I create according to my abilities. My paintings are purely abstract, and I work primarily in goo. That is, I use a lot (I do mean a lot) of modeling pastes, acrylic gels etc to build up texture. Then, I use the squirt method. I use acrylic inks and they come in little glass bottles with eye droppers and I just squirt away. I do use a brush, but that is used mostly to move the ink around and add water to help it flow. We (the potters that work at CC) formed a little painting group that meets the 1^st Sunday of every month, so my work this Saturday was in preparation for next weekend.

After my 5 hours at CC I went to the studio and put in some more time there, approx. 4 hours. I trimmed, and finished off some of my boat forms. I will try to take some pics tomorrow night. I do like the form, so I picked up some ^10 Bmix to make some for the salt kiln.

I went back to the studio first thing on Sunday morning and worked from about 9am-2:30. I managed to get a few things done in that time. I made some dinner plates for the salt kiln out of Plainsman P700 porcelain (I may do some carving on them, not sure), as well as 9 or so tall drinking vessels (haven’t decided if I will handle them or not). I am slowly trying to get enough high temp stuff made for this salt firing, and I am, my problem is that it is taking up all my shelf space for my other works that I have on the go, like the turning the table show, the Fairview sale, and now this CCAA Christmas sale.

Tomorrow, I will be teaching, and I have 4 newbies to think about, but now that I have done 1 basic bowl demo for them, I will jump back to more complex forms. I may introduce the boat shape. It is pretty simple to make, but requires patience. You have to let it get to the right state of leather hard before you start using the clay shredder to pare away the extra clay and smooth over the seam on the bottom, or I might do a covered jar for them. It requires patience as well, as I use the clay shredder to true up the corners and straighten out any unwanted curves. I’m trying to keep the demos interesting for everyone every week, so they don’t get bored. I did see 2 of the newbies on Sunday, it is always good to see them coming in to the open studio time right off the bat.

Oh, and my tea service was delivered in one piece and they apparently really liked it, so I can stop sweating over it.

I will be sweating enough tonight anyway, as it is my Jazzercise night. I only get one a week now, as the other class available to me is on Friday nights, and as we all know, mistress clay is a task master and I am chained to a potters wheel every Friday night. When I say chained, I really mean a daisy chain of puppy dogs and rainbows :)

This is a picture of one of my paintings taken last winter. It is a bit dim, but you can see the painting on the wall behind my television and all my plants.

Me time?

2010-09-24T11:57:00.003-06:00

Finally, I might get some me time in the studio tonight. I always go to the studio on Friday night, but sometimes there are other students there, and that kinda cramps my style. One, as I am a part time teacher there, I do get quite a lot of questions (I don’t mind, but it can eat up the time); Two, I like to spread out when working, and if there is more than just the 2 of us that are usually there on Friday nights, it can get quite crowded, and I am a space hog.

I am going to continue exploring the canoe form that I saw on Mandy’s page. I was going to work in some high temp porcelain, but apparently I can’t read and when I was working at Ceramics Canada last Saturday, I put a box of Plainsman H550 Stoneware in my car instead of the P700 porcelain.

Oh well, I will correct that error tomorrow. So right now, I am working with the last of my Laguna cone 5 bmix and Dove Porcelain. The Dove is going to be my dinner ware set for the Table Ware show (assuming I am in). I was not having much success with it last week, and I think I was just over tired and not reading the clay very well. My issues were when I would cut it off the wheel, the rim would flop down. I was thinking about the WHY WHY WHY, and I came to the conclusion that this clay is very thixotropic, and as soon as I add any force to the finished piece (in this case it was the centripetal force of the wheel, and the opposing force of the cutting wire) the clay transformed from a “solid” to a “liquid” (like quicksand) and the rim would become unstable and flop. So, to correct this, I think throwing the rim a little less flat will help with the removal. My other option would be to throw on plaster bats, but I don’t have room to store them. I use ¼ inch thick hard plastic bats, and they are fantastic bats, they just don’t release the ware if you don’t cut it off right away. I need to make a few more dinner plates, side plates, mugs etc..

On newbies

2010-09-22T10:30:00.002-06:00

I had 4 new students in class last night. I always find it challenging to teach 4 newbies at the same time. It is hard on the mind and body, and you are always keeping an eye on 3 of them while you spend your time with the 4^th. Essentially, I made 3 bowls with them (for them) so they could have them to trim next week. There is always at least one that sort of gives up half way through the class. You can see it in their eyes. They want to excel right away and think that they just can’t do it. I reassure them that this is normal, and that they will not be making casseroles and teapots the first night, or the next....more like cat dishes. They always ask the same question too, “what is the trick to centering?”. My answer to that is “practice”. They don’t always like that answer. The problem with pottery is that it just looks so darn easy, but it is so difficult to verbalize how to do it.

I teach the “Dave Settles Method” (If you can call it a method). Essentially, I start the newbies off with a run down on wedging, let them work on that for a bit, and then I do my demo. I usually keep it simple for them on the first night and throw a bowl or two. Here is where the Settles method comes in. I set them loose on the wheel with what they wedged up earlier and I walk away. I leave the room. I don’t even look to see what they are doing for about 10 minutes. Then I come back and see what they have done. Usually I come back to a lump of shmeered clay all over the wheel, or a tortured looking object that could have been a bowl, but it looks like it went through a wood chipper.

I tell them to start again, but this time I will be there to walk them through it. It is kind of like the laying on of hands at a holy roller tent revival, except I am not “curing” the sick and infirm or casting out demons, I am trying to show them what the proper pressure feels like, what it means when I say this is or is not centred, etc. And so on down the line until they all have at least 1 pot made.

So today my back aches, and I slept in and was 15 minutes late for my non clay job (oops).

Life is funny

2010-09-21T11:58:00.003-06:00

I was just thinking about the paths that we follow in our lives, and how we end up on these journeys. I remember reading an article about how human beings are wired to make our own paths instead of following the ones laid out for us. The article used a university campus as an example. The designers of the university grounds laid out carefully thought out pathways to connect each of the buildings on campus, but the students and faculty seemed to always avoid using the nicely paved sidewalks and paths and instead would pave their own way and the results could be seen in the aerial photograph of the grounds. The lawns were criss-crossed with trails made by all these people who refused to use the sidewalks. I think life is kinda like this university. It seems that there are those that like to limit us by delineating where we should and shouldn’t go, and then there are the rest of us who seem to always walk on the lawn.

I tend to work like this too. I enter the studio with a fixed idea of what I need to do, and then I start walking on the “lawn” and end up doing something completely different. It is almost as if the second someone asks for something specific, I don’t want to make it, and I will wander off on unrelated tangents until the time crunch hits and I have to knuckle down and just do it.

On the road...

2010-09-20T11:07:00.005-06:00

At least my pots are on the road and on the way to Comox. I finally got the glaze loaded and fired on Friday night. I was able to unload Saturday evening as it was not packed very tight.

I have mixed feelings about this last glaze. The tea set worked out, but I am personally not happy with the glaze. It looks fine to the casual observer, but to me, knowing what I was going for, it gets a passing grade, but no gold stars...

I was however pleasantly surprised by the tall handled urn that I threw a while back in 2 parts for a demo. I was not sure if I was going to keep it, but I bisqued it and finally managed to fit it into a glaze firing. I just did some wax resist stripes over a clear glaze, and scratched lines through the wax and then dipped it again in a blue hares fur glaze . The result is quite funky (in a good way).

On Sunday, I went for brunch with the parental units and my sister and her fiancé (man it sounds weird saying that) at Diner Deluxe (excellent food btw). After brunch, mum and dad were off to the coast with my fresh out of the fire tea set, and I was back to the studio for more throwing. I am currently working with Dove porcelain, and I gotta say (again), I don’t like working with it. It does some specific things really well, but the sound of dinner plates flopping was deafening. I did manage to get 4 proper plates thrown, and then a large plate that flopped, I just flipped it upside down between 2 buckets and let it dry all wobbly.

I also began investigating a new form for me. I give 100% of the credit for this form to Mandy Parslow, an Irish salt firer. I was looking at her website and at her new work and this elongated form filled 2 gallery pages on her site. I love them. I love them so much that I am going to see what I can do with it. Essentially it is a collar of clay opened clear down to the wheel head and then smooshed together to make an oval boat shape. The rim must be narrower than the base so that when you smoosh, the rim doesn’t take a nose dive and hit the deck.

I never seem to learn my lessons

2010-09-15T11:40:00.003-06:00

My demo for last night’s class should have been titled “how to make mud pies”. I was roving around on the interweb yesterday and came across some nifty neato altered vases. I thought to myself “Hey, those would make great teaching demos, I can do that”. Yeah right. I know that I should never attempt a new form (to me) for the first time in front of an audience. I threw the body of the vase too wide, and the neck too narrow so when I started pushing out the ribs with my finger, the shoulder collapsed and that was good by vase. It still demonstrated the essentials of throwing, ie, centre, open, collar, raise, collar, raise, raise, shape etc... but the “wow” factor was definitely not there. They all gasped when it collapsed, and they all made helpful suggestions on how it could be saved, but it was also a lesson for them on when to just throw in the towel and start again, learn from your mistakes and make the next one better.

While I was in the studio last night I was also attempting to glaze what I bisque fired on Sunday. I know I should never attempt to glaze during a class night. One, the time to do it is not enough; and two, there are constant interruptions from students. So, in an attempt to get a jump on glazing, I think I just made more work for me on Friday when I will be in the studio again. Another lesson left unlearned.

One time only please

2010-09-14T15:47:00.002-06:00

I taught a beginners throwing class on Saturday evening. “Saturday evening?” you say. “But the studio doesn’t offer weekend classes, let alone evening weekend classes!” you exclaim. Well, I got an e-mail from Dave (studio owner), asking if I would like to teach a beginners class for 2, and if I wanted to, to contact the lady herself and work out the details etc... Not being one to turn down a possible money making venture, I said yes. Well, about a month goes by between my initial e-mail to her, and our finally managing to work a date out that worked for all of us.
Turns out that it was something she wanted to do with her husband for their wedding anniversary. I guess the traditional gift you give for a 9th wedding anniversary is pottery. Both she and her husband thought up this idea independently and searched out where to do pottery classes (neither knew what the other was doing I guess). They actually both called Dave asking about one time only classes. It seems they ran the gamut of places that they thought would offer classes, called everyone they could think of looking for this type of thing, as it turns out one or both of them even called Ceramics Canada, who in turn (I think) referred them to Fairview Studios. Personally, I would have bought a mug and called it a day.
Anyway, I guess the point to all this verbage is this. Why would you torture yourself and your mate with learning how to throw pottery, to commemorate what was supposed to have been the “happiest day of your life”? Don’t get me wrong, I love throwing on the wheel. It is quite soothing and meditative. However, the soothing and the meditative doesn’t come the first time you sit down to a lump of clay on the wheel. I could see the frustration building with the husband. He was good natured about it all, but he just wasn’t getting it. The wife on the other hand had done this before (albeit a long time ago), and so already had a bit of a feel for it. They did manage to get 3 or 4 small pots off the wheel (with some help from me), and I offered to finish them up and let them know when they were ready. We usually don’t do that for a one off type class, it is just a make it and trash it kind of class to get the feel of what wheel throwing is like without committing to a full 4 weeks of classes. When they left, they were still smiling, so I guess this didn’t break up the marriage (would have made for a more interesting story if there had been a potential divorce), so I guess all’s well that ends well.
Tonight I teach my regular class, and hopefully I will come up with something more inspiring than a bowl to throw.
I will be waxing (not poetically or lyrically) feet tonight, when not instructing, as my tea set is waiting for glazing and the clients are getting anxious. I too am anxious, I may have thrown the mugs “too well”. They are very light and thin walled, so I hope the glaze sticks. Sometimes I have crawling issues with things that are too thin as the glaze does not dry properly and can sometimes start to slide/fold over on itself down the pot. It’s that darn Bmix, it is so good, you can throw things super thin and before you know it you have thrown it tooooo thin.

Getting to know your new co-workers and friends thru acts of humiliation

2010-09-09T15:36:00.004-06:00

I wrote this post, e-mailed it to blogger, and then forgot to post it. Here it is, a little late, but better than never. I have updated it at the bottom.

I signed up for the company golf tournament. Most people wouldn’t have a problem with this. I on the other hand am widely known for my lack of coordination and really bizarre acts of klutziness. In fact, my friend Christy (whom I only ever get to see once or twice a year now), instead of a normal greeting of hi, hello, how ya doing, usually just starts laughing when she sees me as she is probably remembering some of my more memorable moments of ego bruising.

I have been watching the forecast, and I am pretty sure it is gonna be cold and wet tomorrow. This will greatly increase the rate at which I humiliate myself (slipping in mud while thrashing away in a sand bunker or the rough will be a foregone conclusion). I guess it is a good thing that only 4 people make up a group of golfers. I don’t need a bigger audience. I will just have to think of something really good to explain why my A?@#$ is all muddy etcetera.

This golfing thing is going to impinge on my studio time though. I really need to get the 100 pounds of pots that I threw last weekend trimmed, dried and bisque fired so that I can finish my tea service that is on order.

I have mentioned before that I will be trekking down to Medalta to fire up the salt kiln in November, and in preparation for that, I picked up 100 pounds of ^10 BMix throw. I managed to throw it all this past long weekend (except for the little lump left over that I will use to handle 2 small teapots). Several small bowls (300g) perfect for ice cream, nuts, fruit etc, a dozen or so small mugs (200g), 8 tall 800g mugs(attempting to recreate some of the wonderfulness that was my favourite mug from another potter that I broke, doh!), Several square plate/bowls graduated in size from small to large, tea bowls of varying sizes, shapes and textures. I can’t seem to remember what else there was. There must be more, it was 100 lbs, and I am sure that what I have listed does not equal 100 lbs. Anyway, I should have enough green ware dried and ready to bisque by next weekend at the very latest. I need to get that tea set glazed and shipped out of here by the 20^th or so, just to give it enough time to get there in one piece (crossing fingers and toes).

Just looked at a calendar, and guess what, the 20^th is only 11 days away. I might be shipping warm pots :) That reminds me, I once received something in the mail at the last office I worked at that was burnt. It was a large package of paperwork, and the envelope and the top right hand corner of every page was burnt to a crisp. I wonder if some other last minute potter unloaded a kiln and wrapped their pots up and mailed them before they cooled
Here is a picture of one of the pieces I am taking to Medalta if all goes well.

I am hoping that all of the angles, texture and additions pick up all that salty goodness...

Golfing update:
It was nice before we started, it got windier and started to rain by the 4th hole. As we started the last 9 the weather was perfect. Not too much sun, and no wind or rain. I did manage to trip over a very low rope fence, right in front of all the golfers....see, I told you so. I managed to wrench all the muscles on the left side of my ribs, and I came down pretty hard on my right knee, but my pride was the most burised.

New Dinner set

2010-09-07T09:56:00.003-06:00

This is the place setting I am submitting to the Turning the Tables show. I used a lustre for the first time on these pieces, and man, it sure is more difficult to use than I had anticipated. Perhaps my brush was not the propper type, as the flow was not very good, however, I did achieve the look I was after, and was very happy when I opened the kiln to have a peek.

There's snow in them thar mountains

2010-09-01T11:49:00.001-06:00

Well, it looks like summer is quickly coming to a close. I noticed yesterday that there was a dusting of snow in the mountains, and now today they are shrouded in clouds (I am assuming more white stuff will be on them tomorrow).

I had a fairly successful firing on Sunday. I emptied the kiln yesterday, and everything except one large bowl, 2 small cruets and, and one side plate worked. The bowl and the cruets crawled, and the side plate had a small little spider web of cracks right in the middle. Now I can start applying the lustre to these plates and cups and bowls to get them ready for the big shoe. I was also really pleased with the teapot I did for the custom order I am working on. Now I just need to get the rest of the set done. I did another serving tray just in case the first one doesn’t make it, and everything is now drying, awaiting a bisque load.

I fired the tests I did for printing on clay. I used some scanned images of my Grandparents, and it looks like I just need to work on my inking technique. Some areas are too black, and others are too light. But, I can see the mountains and glaciers in the background of the one where they are standing in front of Lake Louise, and I can make out their faces in another, not just black blobs. I had originally envisioned mugs with their pictures on them and then giving them away as christmas gifts to all the family members. I have since revised that plan, and I will do small hanging plaques or xmas tree ornaments.

Yikes!!

2010-08-30T16:30:00.004-06:00

I was just thinking about everything that I have coming up deadline wise. I might be making a mountain out of this molehill, but given that I cannot dedicate every waking moment to the kiln and clay gods, I think I might be biting off more than I can stuff into my mouth and chew.

First – Must get all the dinnerware fired for the “Turning the Tables” show. Think this is now complete, as I just fired it last night...Now I must fire the lustre. I need to have it completed this weekend coming up (Thank goodness it is a long weekend) so that I can take some good pics and get my submission in for the show/sale. The deadline for this is looming...September 13^th me thinks. I should probably check, just in case I have it wrong, wouldn’t it suck if I missed the deadline by a day.

Second – I really need to get the tea set that was ordered done. The teapot has been glaze fired, but the cups, saucers, creamer and sugar are all in various stages of incompleteness (either just thrown, green and untrimmed, or trimmed and handled but not dry yet.) I am crossing my fingers for the teapot, I am worried about the spout, as lately I have had nothing but glaze crawls just inside my spout openings (glaze too thick?, spout too thin?) This set needs to be completed by the middle of September, as I need to get it shipped out in time for a Sept 25^th wedding.

Third – I have 3, count ‘em Three, winter sales this year, and not a whole lot of anything really nice. The first show is November 7^th, and I don’t know what to expect. It is at Mount Royal Station (??) and is being put on by the CCAA.

The next 2 shows are on the same date, November 13^th. The Fairview Studios Pottery sale is in the morning from 9-12, and then the Turning the Tables show (if I get selected via the jury) will be opening that day as well. I have most of everything needed for this, except for most of the dinner plates and cups. I have enough for the photo shoot, but not enough for sale if I actually get selected.

The studio sale is a bit different, I will probably put most of my “seconds” in, and by second, I mean the stuff I don’t especially like that much, not stuff with defects. The defects go in the circular file.

Fourthly – I need to get cracking on my cone 10 stuff so that I can have a nice selection to take down to Medicine Hat for the salt firing on November 18, just a few short days after the Studio Sale. I think that by the time Christmas hits, I will be exhausted, and looking forward to a little break.

On top of all this, I will probably be teaching for 2 weeks straight sometime in the next month, as Dave is driving down to Kansas to take care of some family stuff (He just hasn’t said when). I will surely be dragging my butt by the time he gets back.

Sometimes I just want to look at pretty pictures

2010-08-25T16:14:00.003-06:00

I have been slowly developing a reading list of blogs. I enjoy starting my day by logging onto Google Reader and perusing the daily posts. Some bloggers put something out into the bloggosphere at least once a day, if not more, and others are more measured if not sporadic in their blogging, only disseminating their thoughts once a week or longer in between posts. Lately, there seems to be a recurring theme, sparked by a post discussing the severe lack of deep thinking and pith in the pottery blog world. This author felt (forgive me if I miss interpret this) that there were way too many people out there just posting about what they ate for breakfast, saw in a magazine, how many birds were on their window sill while throwing etc...and not enough critical writing going on.

What do I think about this? Well, sometimes I just want to look at pretty pictures, imagine what it would be like to live in another city, town or country and be exposed to totally different pottery cultures, or just get a little glimpse into the lives of other potters. I am sure that my blog weighs in a little on the light side of things, but I do try to keep my posts somewhat related to my life in the studio. I always feel a bit hesitant when putting my thoughts out there. I don't know if anyone actually reads this or cares about what I have to say, but I as I am exposed to the pottery community face to face on a weekly basis (teaching students and working at the only local pottery supply store in town) I don't want to tick anyone off and jeopardize my and my employers reputation. So, if you want deep thoughts, I might not be the blog for u, but if u want impromptu posts that may include the odd pretty picture, then u have come to the right spot.

More on Medalta Salt Firing

2010-08-24T14:11:00.004-06:00

Things are looking good for a salt firing in November! The cost is $185 per firing and if you have not used Medalta's kilns before, they require that for your first firing, you pay the tech fee so that you have some help learning to fire their kilns (understandable). That fee is $300. So, $485 for one firing, split that in about 4, and you are looking at $121 each. If we squeezed 2 firings in, it would cost $670 ($168 each). I wonder if we could do it. Let’s see...get there really early on Thursday, load and begin firing. Unload Saturday, load again Saturday, unload Monday....hmmmm I wonder, it would be totally worth it to do 2 firings.....I need to get throwing. My brain is all a jumble with ideas now.....

Speaking of firing, I am teaching tonight and will be doing a horse hair firing for those students that want to give it a go. I will also be doing a throwing and a glazing demo as well. I might demo an upside down bowl. There are people in class that are struggling with throwing large bowls, and as this is a recreational class for them, frustration is not good. So, if they can get something large with little or no struggle, they will be happy. I think I will give them 2 options. Throw the bowl upside down and leave the bottom open, and then add a slab bottom later, OR, completely close the bottom in and then continue to shape that into a foot (I will take a picture and post later)

I checked the latest AKAR show out called “The Northerners”. Can I say I LOOOOVVVVE it. Cathi Jefferson is in it, and most of her stuff is sold already. I took a workshop with Cathi a couple of years ago, and I cannot express how much I learned in that short space of time. I absolutely love her work. So simple but they demand your attention.

Very excited!!!

2010-08-17T22:44:00.001-06:00

I was teaching this evening and a student came in that had participated in the salt and soda workshop with Cathi Jefferson In Medicine Hat and she asked me if I would be interested in going Down to Medicine Hat in November and renting the salt kiln and firing it up one weekend. I believe she said it would cost about 130 bucks and if we got 4 or 5 people together to share the cost, it would be totally affordable. So right now, I am totally in. I just need to get the time off...if it works out, we would go down Thursday, load and fire it Friday and unload Sunday. I can't wait :)

Sent from my super cool iPhone

Throwing bowls off the hump

2010-08-17T15:09:00.002-06:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qui1kH1xeY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sent from my super cool iPhone

Throwing tall mugs

2010-08-17T15:09:00.000-06:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrJWZEzLoug&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sent from my super cool iPhone

Can I make it in time?

2010-08-17T15:08:00.002-06:00

I have an order for a tea set (tea pot, creamer, sugar, 4 cups and saucers, serving tray). It is for a wedding present and needs to be delivered to Vancouver Island before September 25^th. I only just got the notice on Sunday. The people that have ordered it are friends of my parents, and I have known them since I was knee high to a grasshopper. They ordered a tea service last year for a wedding as well, and I was able to get my parents to drive it out to them, as the wedding was in Canmore, and they were able to have a visit. This time, the wedding is on the island, and this will be a test of my pottery packing skills. I will just Fed Ex it I think. Might be expensive, but I will work it into the cost. I will probably do it in the same colours that I did the last one. They were very rich. A nice matt dark toasty brown on the outsides of everything, and the liner glaze will be a translucent celadon green. It reminds me of chocolate mint wafers....mmmmm.

I will be working on it tonight, and hopefully I can have it bisqued and glazed in time to ship to arrive with time to spare.

On a slightly different note, I have signed myself up for a new show this fall. The Calgary Clay Arts Association is putting on a sale at Mount Royal Station. It will take place on the 6^th and 7^th of November. I will do the Sunday, as I work at Ceramics Canada on Saturday, and you know what they say, a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush. I will of course be participating in the Fairview Studios Sale on November 13^th, as this sale is definitely a must. I net most of my yearly pottery revenue from this one sale, and it is only 3 hours long, that is amazing. So, 2 winter sales is a bit scary for me, I never know if I have enough “good” stuff for one sale, let alone 2. I know that this would be no sweat for most professional potters, but truth be told, I am lazy, and oh yeah, I also work 2 other jobs (not including teaching at the studio once a week). But I work slowly when I am in the studio, I usually only make a few things at a time, and I take lots of breaks in between each piece. I walk around, look at what others are doing, read a book etc...I can make myself throw lots, but I know when I am getting tired, I get sloppy, things don’t work out properly or not at all. It’s funny, because I like throwing. On the other hand, I really hate glazing, but I can make myself work long stretches without a break. Maybe it is just the desire to be done with it and not drag the process out forever.

I’ll see if I can find a picture of that tea set I did last year. I fear it may be on my computer at home that is now more paper weight than computer :(

In case you are interested, I posted a couple of videos on Youtube this past weekend. I will put them on the blog in a minute...

raku

2010-08-11T15:14:00.003-06:00

I was teaching last night (as usual), but I was also doing a raku firing at the same time. We started at 6:30 or so, and finished at about 9:15 pm. The 06 cone did not bend, but the glazes were definitely mature. I only had 2 small pieces (a tea bowl, and a small bottle vase), and they turned out “OK”. The white crackle glaze did not crackle as much as I would have liked, and the glaze on the inside of the tea bowl feels a bit thin, so I will know for next time to apply a thicker coat. My terra sig blackened quite nicely on the outside of the tea bowl, but the little bottle vase didn’t get enough reduction, but it still looks quite nice. I will take some pics on Friday when I am doing another raku firing. It just got too dark out for really nice pictures (I think summer is over, it is getting darker earlier and earlier now)

catching up

2010-08-09T10:34:00.002-06:00

I ache all over. I went for a therapeutic massage yesterday, and man did she ever do a number on my back. I was in a car accident in 2002, and my back has never been the same (pelvis is torqued to the right and is a bit higher on the right than on the left, so my back is constantly in some kind of pain). When I went to bed last night I could feel every spot she had spent extra time on releasing knots. Oh well, I have 2 more sessions booked for this month, so I should be in good working order by September.

As for pottery, I finally got my palladium lustre. Now I just need to bisque fire what I have, glaze it, and then fire the lustre.

We are doing raku this week at the pottery, and I have a few things that I would like to get done. I am a white crackle kinda girl, and I especially like it against a nicely blackened terra sig background. I fooled around with naked raku last year, but way too much work for very little pay off. I could never seem to get the slip/glaze layer to release nicely from the pot. It should peel off like the shell of a hardboiled egg. I ended up bleeding from the knuckles as I scrubbed and scraped the sandy slip and glaze off the pots. I did get the nice naked raku look, but I found that with the extra scrubbing and careful scraping, my terra sig layer would start to peel off as well. So white crackle it is, for me at least, until some kind soul gives me the fool proof naked raku for dummies recipe.

2010-08-03T11:41:00.008-06:00

This is a vase that was thrown in 2 parts, it was never very tall to begin with, but was thrown to demonstrate sectional throwing in my Tuesday night class.

I am guilty of pottery plagiarism. This is my version of a bird house that I saw Hsin-Chuen Lin throw on You Tube. I have since altered this one a bit and have done some bas relief shingles on the roof using wax resist. In the background you can see some of my pots that are ready for some raku firing. I have just used Plainsman M370 porcelaineous stoneware and have covered in Terra Sigilatta.

This is just a very large bowl. I have not measured, but I think it is about 17 or 18 inches in diameter, and about 10 inches tall?

Hmmm, I can't change the orientation of my pictures when I send them from my phone...just tilt your head a little to the right....there you go, it's a casserole done in my red tree design.

I apologise for the poor picture quality, the lighting in the studio is less than stellar.

I need an assistant (or a clone)

2010-07-28T14:26:00.002-06:00

I was driving to Timmy’s at lunch today to grab a coffee and a bagel, and I was thinking that I was going to have a long overdue and well deserved night out tonight. Dinner and a movie with a friend, how nice. While I was at the drive thru window, I get a call from Dave “the task master (not)” Settles to see if I would be able to teach for him tonight as well as tomorrow and Monday. He is leaving on holidays tomorrow morning (must be nice), but his travel insurance didn’t arrive in the mail today, and I guess he has to do a lot of last minute running around. So, I cancelled my night out, and will be teaching tonight, tomorrow night, closing up on Friday, opening up and closing on Saturday, and Sunday, teaching again on Monday, and then teaching my regular class on Tuesday....whew, not much time off for me this long weekend I guess.

On another note, I really wish taking pictures while driving was easier. I was on my way home from class last night (I was teaching), and the sun was setting behind a bank of stormy looking clouds. They were all tinted the most beautiful pinks and purples. I tried taking pictures with my phone while driving (I was being safe, and only doing so at lights, or when no one was looking). They all came out blurry, or dark, and did not capture the true beauty. Oh well, I guess you had to be there...

So back to the title of this mini rant/post, I need an assistant cause there is so much that I HAVE to do, and twice as much that I WANT to do (rarely do the haves and wants ever overlap). I wish I could clone myself so that I could be in two places at once...

all fired up

2010-07-26T14:29:00.003-06:00

I managed to get a kiln load fired on the weekend. It was OK. Nothing jumped out and said “woo hoo!, look at me!”, there were some pretty major problems with some of my pieces. It seemed that every teapot had some glaze crawling in spots, and one pitcher stuck itself to the shelf. Otherwise, everything else was ok, but nothing super spectacular.

I still have some of the backlog left to fire, but it will have to wait until I fire a bisque load before I can fire another glaze load. No pictures this time. It was just too hot, and I was getting tired and sweaty by the time I had unloaded the kiln. It is finally summer time here in Calgary. I think it got up to about 30 Celsius on the weekend, and combine that with a cooling kiln, it was pretty toasty in the studio on Saturday. I might take some pics tonight, I am taking a few things over to my parent’s house for them to pick from. They need a gift for somebody out in Vancouver when they go out next month.

One last thing....it’s my birthday today. One last year before 40....