I might be jinxing this by posting about it, but what the heck

I have been told that my condo will be done and ready for me to walk through with the contractor on FRIDAY. This Friday, not some random Friday in a month or 2 or next year. If everything goes well, I can start moving this weekend. To say that I am ready to move is an understatement. I will get to live in the condo I have been paying mortgage payments and condo fees on for the last year, 3 months and 5 days.

This whole thing has been stressful to say the least, but I would not have gotten through it without the support of my family. I was able to stay with my parent's rent free during this time, so that took a huge load off of my shoulders. My friends and even people I don't even know were super helpful and supportive and helpful during this time from the mucking out of my apartment and all the other units in my building to just listening to me moan about the delays and issues with the rebuild.

Once I can get my head wrapped around my new home and get everything just the way I want it, there WILL be a PARTY. 

New porcelain

I was not in the studio much over the weekend. I had a wedding to attend and was staying at the bride's house overnight on Friday to help set up her back yard on Saturday before the wedding. So Sunday was my only day to get muddy. I picked up a box of the new Polar Ice that is still the first formulation that does not throw well. (the new and improved batch will be coming soon). Regardless, I was able to throw a few bowls of a reasonable size. The biggest is shown above and measures about 14.5 inches in diameter. It got a bit wonky when I accidentally stopped the wheel just a little too fast and it was jerked out of round. I managed to "correct" it so that at least visually, it does not appear to bad. The others were of varying sizes ad I attempted to trim a couple after they had stiffened up a bit. This clay is deceiving in that when you think it is dry, it is NOT. I will be letting the remainder dry very slowly and will try not to get too impatient and attempt any more trimming until they are just right. I was supposed to move back into my condo this week, but that did not happen. They were installing carpet in the common hallways and stairs and that took up 3 whole days. The kitchens for all 4 units are supposed to be going in this week starting today, so I really really hope that next week will be the week. My fingers are crossed, but I'm not holding my breath.

Delinquent Blogger

Ok, so I have been a bit tardy. It has been a while since my last post, and a few things have happened.
We had our Fairview Studios Pottery sale, and even with the “recession” our sales were still quite robust. Not a record breaker, but not the worst either. We made $8302 in 3 hours, not bad for a Saturday mornings work. I managed to sleep in, and arrived at the venue with 10 minutes to spare. Everyone helped me set up, but as I did not have very much this year, it went quite smoothly. I usually pack my tables to the gills, and then only sell half. This year, I sold almost everything, but then again, I probably had half of what I normally do.
Another recent event, Fairview Studios is going to be moving. The lease was not renewed, as the owners want to expand their business into the studio’s bay. The good news is that they helped Dave find a new space, are going to pay the expenses of the move etc. The only glitch was that they had to increase the gas pressure in the new space to accommodate the large gas kiln we use. The new space is a Quonset, well lit, very well insulated (so we wont freeze our fingers off in the winter, and will stay cool in the summer). It has a gated yard and is located in a purely industrial location so we can do all kinds of alternative firings year round (unless a fire ban is on in the summer), so we can do mid winter raku etc…maybe I can perfect my naked raku process.

A few weeks ago, I fired the kiln solo. Dave was going to Kansas, and in order for one more glaze to get fired before the sale, I volunteered to learn how to fire it and then fire it on my own the Sunday before the sale. It went well, it is a bit tricky during the reduction, as you have to keep the back pressure up just enough, but not too much so you don’t fill the studio with stinky fumes, and then again, during the rest of the firing, you want to keep the back pressure up just enough so that the flame is just licking out the peep hole, but have the air intakes open all the way, and the dampers slightly closed. That night, I had nightmares of under fired ware, ware that had stuck to the UNDERSIDE of all the kiln shelves, over fired ware, etc…but it all worked out fine. No disasters, and it all looked good.

it's been two weeks since I last posted an entry, and a little bit has happened since then.The Art Market opportunity for the CCAA did not happen. Probably for various reasons such as not enough notice. I only got a couple of replies, and that would not have been enough people.Second, the Centennial Gallery will be moving its location in August. Our current location is in a section of the Palliser Square that will be undergoing radical renovations. The space they are in now is going to become escalators. So...we will be moving down the hall to a smaller space, but one that hopefully will allow for more off the street foot traffic. The only really big issue with the space right now is that in order to maintain our current level of rent (ie: really really cheap), the management will not be responsible for much in the way of renovations or getting the space ready for us to move in. The big problem that we are facing is that the last tenant was a jewelry store / diamond cutting school, and they did a midnight run and took all the keys to the space. When we finally got in there to have a looks, it was discovered that there were 15 concrete pillars that the diamond cutting machines were mounted on, and then behind that, there are the same number of concrete posts for what purpose I have no idea. So, we have to find a way to remove these GD pillars and posts, without it costing too much. Personally, I think that is our main concern, and the other renos are cosmetic at the most, ie: washing walls, carpet cleaning, painting, lighting etc. This work can be done by members, or the on site electrician (donated to us by the management). The pillars need to be contracted out to a cutting and coring company. The funny thing is that this has to be done in July, as the space is directly over Vertigo theatre, and they are currently closed, but will begin rehearsals during the day in August, and we can't make any noise.
Thirdly, I will be in the last group show for Centennial (no group shows after we move, due to lack of space), only individual shows. The show will be running from July 18-Aug 15, and the Official Opening is July 20th noon to 3pm.
Lastly, I may, if Dave chooses to pick me, be his studio tech/cleaner. In exchange, I would get free classes, a private(ish) studio space, a reduction in firing fees, and 24/7 access.