Category Archives: Uncategorized

Open Studio April 7th

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I’m getting ready for another First Saturday on the Art Trail Open Studio.  Spring is always a great time to do some cleaning and open the doors for visitors.  I’m excited to have new pots available from my recent earthenware wood firing,

along with a nice selection of  spring vases and baskets.

Please join me in celebrating Spring!  Saturday April 7th from 10am-2pm at my studio in Mecklenburg.

I am also happy to announce that 10% of the proceeds from this sale will go to benefit the Food is Elementary program which is currently taking place in the Trumansburg Central School district.  ”Food is Elementary is a unique and vibrant curriculum introduced into schools and communities that teach children about food, nutrition, culture and healthy living.”  The program is run by Antonia Demas, founder of the Food Studies Institute.  I believe this a crucial program that needs much support.  To learn more please visit the website www.foodstudies.org.  Donations can also be made directly through the website.

An Experiment with Wood Fired Earthenware

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I am excited about the results from a recent, experimental wood firing.  My friend Renata Wadsworth and I collaborated to do an earthenware firing in her fast fire wood kiln. The kiln was perfect for an experiment such as this.  It is small enough that it didn’t take long to fill and fires in about half a day.  I have worked with earthenware occasionally and have been curious about how it would look in a wood fired atmosphere. I love the richness of the clay while working with it. When electric fired to cone one (about 2077 degrees), a little hotter than traditional earthenware temperatures, the color is a beautiful, deep orange.  We fired the wood kiln to cone one as well, to give the clay more density and increase durability. With some reduction from the wood and the addition of a little soda ash, the clay color ranged from deep, rusty orange to dark chocolate brown.  I used a white slip and white glaze on the insides of cups and some bowls, which contrasted nicely with the dark clay. Overall I think the results from this experiment have a lot of potential. There is very subtle variation in the surfaces without much wood ash sticking to the pots. I have noticed that my favorite pieces from my kiln are those that have the quietest surfaces. We’ll see where this goes, but I hope to do an earthenware firing in my kiln in the near future.

Historical Influence

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It is necessary to get out of the studio and look at things.  Diverging from the daily routine can be difficult, but I was reminded of the importance of doing so on a recent visit to our local art museum.  The Herbert F. Johnson Museum at Cornell University has an incredible collection of Asian and Pacific art.  A large segment of the collection includes pottery from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand and West and Central Asia. Thanks to the expansion of their Asian galleries that took place last year, there are many more pieces on display.  Included in the new visible storage gallery is this grouping of Korean pots from the Silla Dynasty.  I admire these strong forms and the direct, intentional way the cut outs were made.  Leaving the Museum, I was left with this series of questions that went through my mind as I walked through the peaceful rooms.  How did they do that and why?  What was the world of this maker like?  What inspired these forms?  It seems the best thing I can do to understand these mysteries is to take the same questions and ask them of my own work.

Open Studio Saturday February 4th

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New! First Saturdays on the Art Trail!

Being a member of the Greater Ithaca Art Trail has many benefits, including being able to participate in the open studio weekends in October.  Since my studio is off the beaten path many people would not know I was out here, were it not for my presence on the Art Trail.  Now, the great folks at CAP are launching the First Saturdays on the Art Trail to give artists more exposure AND to give the public more opportunities to meet local artists and see their work.

My studio, along with eleven others, will be open this Saturday February 4th from 10am-2pm.  Come on by to see what I’m working on and check out the variety of pots I have in stock!

To see the list of other participating artists check out this flyer. First Saturday Flyer A

 

Center, open, pull, rib, cut off. Repeat.

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To start off a series of pots for the wood kiln I usually begin with cups or mugs.  The cup form is a good way to get warmed up and will often spark ideas for what to make next.  Going through the repetition of steps is a revitalizing exercise after a hiatus from making.  I enjoy seeing freshly thrown cylinders lined up on a board.  When placed close together the forms create soft, repetitive lines, each one slightly different from the next.  This series of mugs will be larger than my usual large mug.  Sometimes changing the scale of a familiar form, even slightly, will help push me to make it better. The challenge to find the right proportions of visual weight and handle placement will keep my mind and hands tuned up for the next series of forms.

Photography 101

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I am stepping out of my comfort zone here with my first real blog post having to do with photography, not clay necessarily.  Although I am taking pictures of my pots, which I know pretty well, the act of photographing them has landed me in unknown territory.  I know what I want to see.  Making the camera understand that is like, well, trying to talk to an inanimate object.  After many days of shooting at different times of day for the right natural light and re-reading the camera manual and calling my trusted professional photographer friend (who happens to be responsible for almost all of the high quality images on my site), I am beginning to get images I feel good about.  I feel like I just might pass this self imposed photography 101 crash course.  The real test will come when I try to repeat what I did today. 

You can see here some of what I think of as successful images.  Not professional by any means, but not too shabby either.  What sparked this attempt to take on such a beast?  My new etsy shop.  In order to keep my shop current, I have to learn to take my own good images.   You can see my earlier tries by visiting my etsy site, clicking on any of the thumbnails to the right will take you there, and hopefully you’ll see my progress. 

Now, since I am really a potter, this week will be spent cleaning the studio and making new pots.  Unless the light is just right, I may have to wash my hands and click a few clicks.