My First Teapot

I have been intimidated by the teapot form, so before today I hadn't attempted it.  There are a lot of steps to it.  First you make what could just be a canister, then you make the spout on the wheel.  You start with a bottomless column and taper it.  Once it is close to being leather-hard, you cut off part of the  bottom of the column at a diagonal so that it can be attached to the canister.  This took me a number of tries, but in the end it worked out.  I cut a number of holes in the side of the canister before adhering the spout. Next I attached the handle, then turned my attention to the lid.  The knob is attached to the lid once it is also close to being leather-hard.  I also put a small hole in the lid to allow air to enter the teapot as the tea is being poured.  Sound like a lot of work?  It is, but I'm happy with my first attempt.  I can't say that for many of the things I've made on a first try.

Back to Work

White stoneware clay from NM Clay

I headed down to the studio last weekend with hopes of working, but it was just too cold.  I tried again this weekend and finally made a few things, in spite of the cold weather.  Cold weather does not make for inviting working conditions in a potter's studio.  Your hands are constantly submerged in water, and even when it starts out as warm water it will never last long.  You'll laugh at this, but there is actually a little wind that comes off of the rotation of the wheel.  You put that together with cold clay and you have some miserable working conditions.  I do a number of things to combat these factors, such as storing a few bags of clay in the warmest room of my house.  This means that I am constantly hauling 25 pound bags of clay up and down my driveway, but it helps.  I'll spare you with the specifics of trying to get my side of the studio warm enough from the wood stove that lives in the other room of our studio.  Let's just say that it is a trial.

So, I made a few pieces with some new clay that I am trying out.  I am trying a white clay body from New Mexico Clay.  I have steered clear of white clays in the past because I haven't liked the way some glazes look on them.  I am curious how this clay will work on my current palette of colors.  I am always experimenting, but I'm also looking for a clay that warps a little less.  Some clays warp more than others.  I have stopped using a particular clay that feels so good to work with, yet warps terribly.  I am finishing up a commission of large plates and that has led me to this experiment.

Now that the plates are complete, I will finish up another small commission next week.  Then I will turn my attention to all of the many items I sold out of in the past few months.  I will be making more butter dishes, pie plates, casserole dishes, and plates of assorted sizes.  I currently have none of these items available in my studio, but I do have lots of other items.  You can still find mugs, bowls of all sizes, platters, vases, pitchers, cups, lidded jars, salt pigs, masks, raku pieces, and various other items that I am sure I left out.  I am around most days, just let me know before you head over my way.  If you can't make it, I can always ship it to you.

Pottery in Use

Someone bought this soup bowl set from me and presented it as a gift to their parents this past holiday season. They took a picture of it and sent it along.  I love to see my pottery in use  along with the fact that someone is enjoying it enough to take a picture.

My studio is closed right now, but I will return to my work in February.  The clay is awfully cold in January and I need a break after the holidays. Please check back in and I'll post some of my new work when it starts happening.

Holiday Gift Bazaar

This weekend and next, the Espresso Gallery in Embudo will be holding its third annual Holiday Gift Bazaar.  My pottery will be available there along with Ellen Joseph's Ethereal Glass Design, Cindy Stone's Wild Earth Remedies, Kay Johnson's jewelry, and Melanie Kirby's High Road Honeys and Beeswax Arts.  We will be open from 12-5 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday both this weekend and next.  Please join us on Saturday at noon for our Open House.  There will be drinks and appetizers for you to enjoy along with meeting the artists.  I will be working on Sunday the 16th if you would like to stop in and say 'hi!'  The Espresso Gallery is located right next to the Embudo Post Office on Hwy 68.

Thank You

I just wanted to thank all of the many people that ventured up to my studio this past weekend for the Dixon Studio Tour.  Although I had a booth last year at the Mission, this was my first official year on the tour and the response was tremendous.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, so I was a little surprised.  Pleasantly surprised.  Sunday had a little slower pace which allowed for a series of very interesting conversations with a number of people.  What sets a studio tour apart from your run-of-the-mill art show is that there is intimacy in the very nature of the show.  You are stepping into my personal space where I do my work.  I must have showed dozens of people my handmade raku kiln and stepped them through the process.  That isn't mundane small talk, it's real.  The minute you step into my studio you can see that my husband and I are musicians from the piano, to the drum cases, to the shells of instruments hanging on the walls.  It instantly creates a common ground with so many people.  I'm an introvert, probably part of the reason I am drawn to the lone art of pottery, so I'm not one for small talk. I actually find it somewhat painful, but I didn't feel any of that this weekend--another pleasant surprise.

Aside from the great conversations about completely unrelated topics, I had a real support for the work that I am doing.  There was an appreciation for the glazes I make and the unusual forms I come up with.  I certainly enjoy altering wheel-thrown pieces, so it's nice when someone connects with that.  Raku is new to me, but so many people really responded to it.  I was happy to send quite a few of my raku pieces home with people and to share this new fascination of mine.  Thank you to everyone that made this weekend so very special to me.

Firings from the Past Week

Altered Raku Vase

As the Dixon Studio Tour nears, my firing schedule has accelerated.  I've fired up the raku kiln the past two Saturdays for these large vases below and to the right.  I also unloaded a glaze firing from my electric kiln this past week.  There were plenty of mugs and french butter dishes, my best sellers.  I am making a few extra chip and dip platters like the one below because I sold out last year. I was especially happy with the way the glaze turned out on that one.  These platters take up a lot of room in my kiln, so I usually only put one or two in a load.  Hopefully I will have two more firings before the Tour and I'll be sure to stick another one or two in those.

I am also working on special order Christmas gifts.  I am firing lots of small mugs with children's names carved into them.  I finished up one commission this week, and hope to finish another with my next firing.  If you have a special item in mind that you would like before Christmas, please let me know right away.  I will probably have just one more round of firings after Tour and before Christmas to round out the year.

Chip and Dip Platter

Fall is in the Air

The view from behind our property

   What does this cute family have to do with pottery?  Well, not much, but this is my family on a walk out behind our house.  We are definitely enjoying the fall colors around here.  There is a chill in the air and a buzz around town that can only mean the Dixon Studio Tour is right around the corner.  We mailed out just under 6,000 maps this past week.  It was no small task, but an enjoyable one with a sense of camaraderie as close to a dozen of the artists pitched in and made it happen.  Now that the maps are out, there is much to talk about.  People are stopping to tell me that they saw I would be on the tour this year and promise to stop by.  My neighbor picked up the phone to wish me well and tell me how excited she is for me.  This is an amazing community that we live in and I feel like the tour really brings it out.

   So, I've been working hard trying to get ready.  Yesterday I made a few of these soup mugs and plates to have available.  I like the idea of this set and it fits right in with the season.  I also made a few more of my whimsical masks.  I can't help but smile when I look at them.  I hope that these new items may entice you to stop by my studio, but if not, surely the view alone will bring you up my way.  I'm only a half mile off of the main road, but certainly on the edge of the wilderness surrounded by public BLM land.  I happen to think that it is one of the most scenic spots in Dixon.