Fairview Pottery Sale - Fall 2015 - NEW LOCATION, NEW DAY, NEW TIME!!!

In case you were wondering, the sale info is below. Note that the location has changed, as has the day and time.

Floors and doors

The early morning progress meeting went well and things are moving along. The hardwood floors are all in and the doors are mostly all hung or at least in the space waiting to be hung. Bathtub is next (today) and then tile starts tomorrow. Cabinets are still a bit of a jumble and I have yet to pick the cabinet door fronts and counter top laminate. Not sure if I will be in by the 11th, but I am hoping it will be that week... The Fairview Pottery sale was this past Saturday and although there were only 9 of us in the sale this time, I think our individual sale numbers were good. The turn out for the spring sale is always a bit on the slow side compared to the Christmas sale, but with less participants, we don't have to spread the dollars as thinly. After the expenses were accounted for, it looks like I cleared more than double what I did at the last Christmas sale. That kind of tells you how much that last sale sucked (I blame the polar vortex). Every time I think I have this pottery selling thing figured out, the game changes, the people change, the market changes, mugs become either the hot new craze or you can't give them away because everyone wants goblets or have stopped drinking liquids or something silly like that.

Reminder - Fairview Studios Spring Pottery Sale - May 31st, 2014

I just wanted to send out a reminder that the much anticipated Fairview Studios Spring Pottery sale is on May 31st this year. If you have never attended one of our sales, you should come and check it out.
The atmosphere at the spring sale is pretty laid back (in stark contrast to the organized chaos of our Christmas sale). There will be coffee and snacks for you to enjoy while you peruse the selection of pottery. We will also be drawing for 2 door prizes (gift certificates towards your next purchase)
So if you are looking for that one of a kind wedding or shower gift or just a little something for yourself like a fantastic teapot or a large coffee mug, you really should come by and have a look.

No entry fee, no pressure, just pots, lots and lots of pots.

Pass the Salt Please!

Well, we had our open house this past Saturday and considering that we only relied on word of mouth, social media and a free listing in Swerve, we were pretty successful. I can't say for certain how many people showed up, but we had left over tea bowls and I only fired 23 of them. We did manage to get several people to consider signing up for classes, and since that was the whole point of this exercise, I would have to say it was a success. There were a few of us throwing, trimming and glazing pots. I threw a large vase in 3 sections as well as a tea pot. I was also firing the raku kiln, so that kept me pretty busy.

I have also scheduled another trip down to Medicine Hat to fire the salt and soda kilns. A fellow potter/instructor from the studio and I are going to head down near the end of August. I have a feeling that firing atmospheric kilns is somewhat akin to child birth (from what I have heard as I do not have first hand experience in that particular area) in that you quickly forget the pain of the event and are more than willing to take on the challenge again. I do remember the “pain” of the marathon glazing session, and the tears of joy/anguish when unloading, but am more than willing to give it as many goes as possible. This time we are going to head down the afternoon before after I get off work and get up bright an early to get all the deco done in a more civilized manner, which would allow us to finish loading well before 11pm (i hope). When I was down there in April, Susan and I almost killed ourselves trying to get it all done, but we did take in a bit of the farmers market that the Medalta Museum puts on every Thursday. We bought a couple of curry meat pies for dinner. I am not sure if it was the hunger and exhaustion, of if they really did taste that good. Either way, they were yummy. So was the mini saskatoon pie that I scarfed down. I am looking forward to partaking of the pies again.

OPEN HOUSE UPDATE!!

As you may be aware, the instructors and students at Fairview Studios are having an OPEN HOUSE on Saturday, June 8^th. I was speaking with our fearless leader (Dave) and he would like to offer a bit of a deal to any new students that sign up for classes on Saturday.

Classes at Fairview Studios run on a 4 week cycle and they normally cost $100 plus the cost of clay. This one day offer will drop the price of the classes to $90. What will your $90 get you? Well, it will get you 3 hours of instruction a week for 4 weeks. PLUS a ton of extra studio time that is FREE. To make great pots, you need to practice and the extra studio time will allow you to get really muddy, get your creative juices flowing and get the right side of your brain working.

So there it is, if you are looking for a new thing to try, or are just interested in learning a bit about how pottery is made, come out and see us on Saturday, June 8^th from 11am to 3pm. We would love to see you!

Spring has sprung....a leak

I am going to develop webbed feet if this rain keeps up. I think we have had ~100mm over the last week or so, and if that keeps up, along with the spring runoff from the mountains, we are all going to be learning how to quack pretty soon.

In non soggy news, the studio has been scrubbed down. Well, not precisely scrubbed, but wiped, swept, stacked and tidied in preparations for the OPEN HOUSE this weekend.

We will have 2 out of 3 instructors there as well as an assortment of students. We will all be ready and willing to talk pots, throwing, classes, etc. Ellen's famous carrot cake will be on the menu, as well as coffee. I will be firing up the raku kiln at 12:30 into which I will attempt to fit as many tea bowls as possible (if you come, you might just get to take one home with you as a THANK YOU for coming. I anticipate the firing to be over around 2:30, and the pots should be ready to take home around 3 ish.

So, if you are in the area and are looking for a fun and informative afternoon out, swing by the studio. You might just find the hobby/passion/obsession you have been looking for. The weather is supposed to be nice  (little to no rain) so the big door will be open wide. Come on in and check it out.

OPEN HOUSE - Fairview Studios

If you have ever wondered how pottery was made and that you might like to give it a whirl, come to the Fairview Studios Open House. You can check out the studio, meet the instructors, watch throwing demonstrations and partake in a raku firing and you might even get to take a little treasure home with you. If you missed the Spring Sale, there will also be a selection of work for sale made by the instructors and various students.

It's all relative I'm afraid (AKA - I wish I had a Tardis)

This year is speeding by quite quickly, more quickly than I would like in fact. I think that the perceived speed that time passes is inversely related to the speed you wish it was going. If you want it to go quickly, it drags by and then when you really want time to slow down a little, it whizzes past you. There should be a button you can push for that...but now that I think of it, if everyone was pushing the speed up/slow down time button, things would get very confusing.

Anyway, it is almost time for the Fairview Studios Spring Pottery Sale. As previously mentioned, it will be on Saturday, May 4^th from 9am to Noon at the Canyon Meadows Community Centre (848 Cantabrian Dr. SW). I will have lots of salty pots as well as the regular cone 6 fare, including my new black and white sgrafitto work, among others.

Fairview Studios is also planning an OPEN HOUSE on June 8^th. More details will follow, but if you have ever wanted to see how pottery is made on a potters wheel, or wondered just what exactly a glaze is, then mark this date in your calendar. We will have lots going on, and you might just be able to take a little something home with you. I will provide more info after the sale.

Biding my time

As of yesterday there are only 4 more weeks to go until I pack it all up to go to Medalta for a salt and soda firing and I have 1 more load to bisque before then. I am also still teaching on Thursday nights, in addition to my regular Tuesday nights. I have been doing so since mid February and will be until April 18th. As yesterday was Thursday, I was teaching, but only 3 students showed, so I did manage to get some work done. I have been fooling around with hand build platters made on an oval hump mold. I have been extruding long fat coils of clay and creating abstract patterns on the mold and then smoothing the backside with ribs and or paddling with sticks. I took down the first one I made as it was the driest of the 2 that I have made so far and began slathering on some underglazes. As these are very experimental for me, I thought what the heck, I will throw some caution up into the wind and see where the pieces fall. My plan was to apply different layers of colour and then erode through them once dry to reveal the different layers as I artificially weather the piece. Like layers of paint on old furniture, or those gobstopper candy's with the multi-coloured layers that slowly reveal themselves as you suck on them. I do remember trying to fit one of those into my 6 year old mouth once and it got kinda stuck. I had to suck my way to freedom or risk suffocation by choking the stupid thing.


Anyway, back to the pot. I opened up my pint of red velvet underglaze that I had purchased in Lexington back in October and to my horror, there was a big glob of green mold sitting on top. And the smell....it was definitely gag inducing. Seeing as how it cost me a bit of money, and I can't readily acquire these underglazes here, I used it, but man was it stinky. The other colours were OK. The yellow had a mild fishy smell, but no mold.

In other studio related news, the Fairview Spring Sale is swiftly approaching. It is on Saturday, May 4th this year and as always, it runs from 9am to Noon at the Canyon Meadows Community Centre. Fairview Studios is also going to have it's first ever (that I know of) Open House. I think I somehow got elected leader for this one. I will be sending out more information as it becomes available, but I can tell you that if you show up on Saturday, June 8th between 11am and 3pm (5650 C Burbank Rd. S.E.), the studio will be open to the public to check it out and see what we do. There will be a raku firing with little take away tea bowls for those that show (first come first served), coffee and snacks will also be available. The volunteer students for this event will also be selling a few pieces of their work. The idea behind this event is to make more people aware of our existence and hopefully attract new students. It is tucked away in a little industrial area and doesn't get any foot traffic. So if you have ever wanted to try pottery but did not know where to go, or if you would even enjoy it, this would be the perfect opportunity to see the studio, meet the instructors and students and ask questions. Any and all are welcome to attend this event. More deets to follow.   It has been snowing on and off for the past 2 days. We reached 12 above on Tuesday, but then plumeted down to -11 on Wednesday. I will be really glad with spring finally takes hold and doesn't let go. Hopefully before I go to the Hat.

Wants, Wishes & Dreams

How does one achieve their dream(s)? I really have not got a clue. I have a vague, fluffy, romanticized dream which I can not see coming to reality. In this dream, I kinda know what I want, or sort of., these wants change regularly, but the core wants remain the same (mostly). The conflict within me is that the dream, to ever become a reality, does not dovetail well with my personality. I like the idea of the dream, but to get there I would need to change (I think). I think I need constancy and reliability (who doesn't?), but my dream, if it were to ever come to this side of the looking glass, would probably entail a certain element of uncertainty.

So let's lay it out.

My airy fairy, pie in the sky dream is this. I want to have my own personal studio (& show room?). I don't think I would want it in my home though. Right now, I couldn't do that due to space limitations. But I also know that if I did, I don't think I would have the self discipline to put the time in and not get distracted by household matters (ie: a good movie on tv, food, sleeping etc). So, this imaginary studio would have to be at least a few minutes away from my house where the temptations of being a sloth were not temptingly nearby. Once I get stuck in, I'm good to go as long as there is some music playing in the back ground. Often, as I drive around town, or walk around my neighbourhood, I try to envision myself in some of the retail spaces. I would need to be in a trendy part of town, not too industrial, and definitely not residential, unless there was some element of artsyness and had a good “cool” quotient. Also in this dream I would have a gas kiln dedicated to salt or soda firing (this would probably never happen what with the city bylaw restrictions on things like air pollution etc (I know city hall employees wouldn't understand the need to have one)) and at least 2 electric kilns (front loaders would be nice, but not necessary). I already own 1 electric wheel, but hey, I could always use another, or even 3. Maybe even a Leach treadle wheel for fun, but probably just a show room vase holder. This space would be (in my minds eye anyway) split front to back. The back would be the making area with a ground level loading door for easy unloading of clay and other materials. The front 1/3 to 1/2 would be a show room with a bit sectioned off for the packing etc, but there would be easy access to the back so that the “hoards” of customers would be able to watch me throw if they wanted. I have not cloned myself though, so this would require some thoughts on how to run a show room and an operating pottery by myself. I don't think I could deal with an assistant, that would require paying them and then all the associated headaches like payroll deductions etc. In the back there would be dedicated areas for wedging, throwing, glazing, glaze mixing & ware storage (ie pots waiting to bisque & glaze fire). The floors would be concrete, but sealed for easy clean up. Counter tops would be stainless steel and there would be a good sized sink with a clay trap. If enough room was available, then I could even think about a plaster room for mixing and making plaster molds, but I know nothing about mold making, so that would be a tentative want.

Now that I have laid bare my secret dream, the things holding me back are these:

I like a steady income – not so sure that a pottery in the inner city of Calgary would or could turn a profit, or even break even for that matter. My mortgage company also likes it if I have a steady income, not to mention the bank where my car loan is, my credit cards, and other things like that.

There is also the fear of failure and filing for bankruptcy. It is kind of funny though. I have known or heard of so many people who take the plunge into large projects or owning their own business without thinking farther than the end of next week and then of course fail when reality steps in and throws it's weight around. I on the other hand probably think too far into the future. All the “what if's” are imagined. Like “what if no one likes my work?”, or “What if I can't pay the bills?” etc.

It appears that I am an artist trapped in a practical person's body. I am fairly sure that this dream will never come to fruition unless I were to inherit gobs of money from a long lost relative (all the not lost relatives are poor), or win the lottery and my chances of that are less than being hit by lightning.

I could also look at it this way. I work so that I can pot. I pot in a place that is almost like a private studio except for the 50 or so people that also use the space and that I don't own it. I am there when I am not working or sleeping. In fact, I spend about 18 hours a week at the studio, 15 of which are dedicated to my own work. I would get a whole lot more done if I didn't also work 40 hours per week at my regular job. I might also get a bit more sleep, but probably not.
I know it's silly, but a dream is a dream, and if I can't dream, then what's the point? Also, if I don't put it out there, then how will my long lost relative with lots of spare cash know where I am and how to find me?

Back to reality. I unloaded the kiln on Tuesday, took a bunch of pictures last night and took a few pots down the Centennial Gallery. I will take more pictures tonight and hopefully get some of the ones I kept out of Centennial onto Etsy as that particular shop is bare. So maybe some pictures tomorrow?

One more thing - As I wrote this, I envisioned my realtor/mother (one and the same) reading this. So before you ask Mum, no, I do not want to move.

That Was Exhausting

I taught my regular Tuesday class last night and it was jam packed (14 people I think?) In contrast, I taught on Monday night, and there were only 5 people there, 2 of which are taking some time off to have a baby and were only there to finish glazing their pots. I like teaching smaller classes, but of course, that doesn't keep the studio doors open. Fairview Studios is in fact looking for more students as enrolment has been down for quite a while. This past summer we dropped the Wednesday night class as nobody was showing up. I know we would like to bring it back on line, but the demand has just not been there. Hint - if you are looking for classes and you live in Calgary, check Fairview out.

I can usually deal with large classes, but I had a couple of fairly new students, and I had to do 3 demonstrations when normally it is usually just 1. First the throwing demo (normal), then I had 2 new students from last week that needed a trimming demonstration, and finally I had students that had yet to glaze anything so they needed a glazing demonstration. I usually arrive at the studio at 5:30pm right after work so that I can get a few of my own things done before class begins at 6:30, and then I can usually continue to work on my own stuff throughout the class in between the odd question. Not so much last night. I was going to load a bisque last night, but that definitely did not happen. I will see if I can load it on Friday and glaze on Sunday. I really need to get some work finished to take to the galleries and complete commission work etc.

doldrums and other stuff

I'm feeling like I'm at a creative loss right now (bored?). The summer is half over and I don't have any pending projects, except the redo of the 2 mugs for the custom order that did not turn out properly, and the fire bowl that is waiting for a bisque (plan is for this weekend). I'm not working on Saturdays, so that leaves a lot of extra time in the studio, but without a clear direction, I end up aimlessly puttering around. Perhaps I should use this “down” time to clean up my storage areas, wipe down shelves, throw crap out, reclaim clay....but it has been too hot to contemplate that kind of activity. The doors were all wide open on Friday night and all the fans were on full blast, but the kiln that was cooling off was impeding the cooling of the studio as well as my motivation level. I should note that the heat was last week and weekend, but this week is much cooler now, but still quite humid. Instead of 30 degrees (celcius) and feeling like 33 with the humidity, it is 23 and feels like 30. So a bit more bearable. It still feels like a pool locker room outside though. Just a bit moist out.


Things are changing a little at the studio. We finally got rid of the 40 cu.ft. gas kiln that had been hogging space at the front by the big loading door. When we moved to this new location, we had to give up high fired reduction :( and move to cone 6 electric. The cost of hooking up the gas in this location was insane, mostly due to the number of inspections required (civic, Provincial & Federal.due to the number of burners and the btu's involved) Anyway, for the past 3 years the “beast” has been sitting at the front of the shop waiting for someone to take it to a new home. Well, someone took it last week, and it is off to a better, more productive life. We will now have room to get the spray booth operational. We are going to vent it through a contraption that Dave put together consisting of a fan, a compressor and a block of a half dozen or so furnace filters. The filters will be removable so that as they begin to get clogged, they can be pulled out singly and replaced with fresh ones. It's not as “cool” as the waterfall booth at Medalta, but then for the amount of spraying we will be doing, this is more than adequate. What else am I up to? Well, I am cleaning my condo and then organizing my back bedroom/storage room/photography area/catch all room. I really really really need to get some photographs taken of my more recent work so that I can upload it to Etsy (currently the shelves are bare there). The cleaning bug was begun in response to the condo board needing access to my water shut off valves to ensure that they are up to code. This requires a plumber coming in to look at them. My momma done taught me to always have a clean home when there are visitors, and right now it is not fit for neither man nor beast, good thing I'm not a man, or a beast. It should be noted that my momma also done taught me how to clean, but I am never home very much and very lazy, so this is a sporadic, once in a blue moon thing for me. However, if you ever come to visit, rest assured that I will clean before you come, just give me a little notice ;). Mum, if you are reading this, just close your eyes and pretend you didn't.

I also read this today on Carole Epp's blog Musing About Mud
It is about a new venture that Feedlot Studios and Black Bird Studios are working on together. They want to start a ceramic decal printing business and are asking for donations to help get it underway. There is a Calgary connection with Feedlot and I might just give them a few bucks to help out.

Carole also posted this, and I might just have to buy it too. A book on ceramics design, perhaps it will help with my loss of the creative juicy stuff and help me focus my energy for good not evil.

Maybe I should stop reading blogs for a while, I seem to spend money when I do...But then, it is my birthday next week, and what better way to spend your money could there be than on yourself?
 
Enough, I am off to the studio to teach a class tonight, and then home to wash floors. Sounds like fun hey.