A Study in Leaves...

When I first walked into the local pottery studio 7 years ago, I had an idea of what I wanted to create, already in mind.  I have come to learn that sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes it only provides fuel to my frustration.  But on that day, I had a thought and wanted to see if I could make it happen in clay.  I had collected pottery from various artist in North Carolina's Seagrove community for about 25 years.  During my many trips to Seagrove, I was exposed to many different artistic interpretations of leaves.  What I was trying to achieve was something more real, or at least realistic in its finished presentation.
Over the past 7 years, I have developed my own "secret" methods to create pieces that use real leaves, and yet allow for glaze and the pottery firing process to alter their appearance.  Here are the basic steps in my process and some pictures to lead you through how I create them.

First, finding the "right" leaf.  After many attempts, what I have found that works best, for my application are leaves that have deep veins.  These are the types of leaves that will leave the best impression, and allow for the most interesting applications with glaze.  I have used Wild Fern, Sycamore, Fig, Grape, Hosta, Hydrangea, and many others.  For this blog, I will show you a recent piece I created with a Fig leaf.  I saw a Fig tree last year outside of a restaurant we enjoy locally, and I thought, "hmmm, I could grow my own Fig tree and then use those leaves!" And so I did.

Once I find the right size leaf, I look for consistency in appearance.  Not necessarily symmetry, but consistency.  This is a subjective aspect of the creation process, but one I find interesting nonetheless.

With the leaf in hand, I then apply it to the raw clay.  In this instance, I have rolled out a slab of clay to make a circular serving dish.  After cutting out the initial circle for the piece, I transfer the slab of clay to my work table and visualize the finished piece.  Then apply the leaf to the raw clay and use a pony roller to impress it.  I let the leaf set up for a while so that when I go to remove the leaf, the clay underneath has had a chance to dry.

Then the piece is dried, and fired to Cone 06.  Once it is bisqued, it is ready for glazing.  This particular piece is being glazed in various shades of blue.  But first, I need to get the glazing onto the leaf impression.  Using ultra-fine brushes, I carefully apply glaze to the edges of the leaf.   This is the hardest area to work with as glaze has the consistency of thick yogurt, and dries very quickly. Once the outside edges are done, I fill in the remainder of the leaf and then let it dry for a period to allow the glaze the "settle."  Once it has dried completely, I apply wax resist to the leaf area so that when I apply glaze to the remainder of the dish it will not be absorbed by the area where the leaf is located.  I use various wax resist products, and there are any number that you can create from scratch, but I do not use a lot of wax resist in my work, so I just purchase mine commercially.  One thing that I have found quite useful is to set aside specific brushes for just my wax resist work.  I keep these brushes in water that I have added a small about of dish washing liquid to in order to keep the brushes soft and allow for the wax not to build up on them.  The brush container is messy, but it does the trick and keeps all of my wax brushes in one place.

 Once the wax resist is on the leaf, I can then apply glaze to the remainder of the piece.  The wax resist will leave a glossy appearance on the glaze once it has dried.  For this particular piece I have layered 3 different types and colors of glaze.  The end result is a speckled appearance which I think adds some depth to the piece.  I was pleased with how these turned out, and have created additional layered glaze combinations the latest of which is in shades of green.  But I think that will be saved for another blog post :).

Coming Back Down to Earth.....or MUD!

It has been an exciting time here for sure.  With the purchase of our new studio property and renovations getting ready to begin, I have returned to the studio, and returned to the mud.

When I first started with pottery, the clay that I used was a warm red brown.  Clay is found in many different types, colors, and consistencies and all of these work in different ways depending upon your application.

It happened that the first bag of clay available to me at the time was red brown, and so that is what I started with.

As I begin my pieces in clay, I visualize the end result.  So that when I begin, I know what clay I want to use.  Clay responds differently all along the process.  Some clay is more malleable and as such may not be good for hand building projects, some clay has more grog (sediment) in it and may just work wonders for particular throwing applications or three dimensional projects.  But all clay respond differently to glazes.  I made this little informational reference for my customers so that they could visualize how their clay choice would impact the end result of their custom pieces.  I learned a long time ago that it is always easier to start with a draft, this visual has been quite helpful.

I received a new custom order just yesterday, and seeing as the wedding is just around the corner, I decided to go ahead and get these trays underway.  They are going to be Wedding Thank You gifts from the bride and groom to their parents, and the wedding with be at a beach venue.  The bride and groom picked red brown clay, and a wonderful crab impression at the center piece.  These trays are still wet, but are well on their way to becoming a family keepsake.  They are a joy to make and I am looking forward to how these will come out.  The bride and groom have not decided on their glazes just yet, and that is part of the fun of custom orders, I get to create someone else's vision.

Come In, We're AWESOME !!!!

Setting the tone.....When I think about the new studio, I think relaxed FUN, with a little attitude!  I found this great sign, and yes, I bought it to hang in the window.  I just couldn't resist the overall sense of FUN it projects to the world!

The studio will be geared toward beginners.  As I am self taught, I know how it feels to be trying something you have never done before, and not be able to get it right.  But with a bit of old fashioned perseverance, it is indeed possible.  I have been told that I have a very laid back teaching style. I present information visually, as well as verbally, so my students find it easy to absorb what I am trying to show them.  When all else fails, the good old hand on hand method can also be remarkable helpful in teaching pottery.

I have been in classes where the teachers are too far "above" beginner students, and that not only frustrates the students, it inhibits them from returning to use the studio once they are working more independently.  I really hope this studio will be a relaxed, welcoming environment where ALL the artists, novice or expert, will come in, and leave, feeling AWESOME!!!!

Swimming Into Fall....

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.....

I love living in a place where the seasons change.  It is so inspirational to see the world change its color palate every 3 months.  So surprising to watch the subtle changes of emerging plants from year to year.
Even the wind gives me ideas....

The movement of fish through the water is so interesting.  How certain species move, glide, sprint, or jump!  It is all interesting for me to observe and I find that ideas about pieces I would like to make can be attached to how my senses react to changes in the environment.  This piece is my "fall fish."  I make a lot of beach/nautical themed pieces during the summer months, but this fish seemed to want to belong in a deeper, richer setting.  Playing with the scales, and various inscribed patterns on the fins was an interesting contemplation of both movement, and providing surfaces for reflective relief.

Without, getting to "deep," I think this guy came out quite nicely, and I am thinking about trying another fall themed piece with perhaps splashes of purple.....

Sometimes, less is more. Sometimes, less is less.

 Displaying items, whether it is pottery, or thimbles, takes some thought.  While there are as many thoughts and ideas to fill the universe, a display says something about you, and also about what you are displaying. Displays have been a learning process for me over the years.  I started doing commercial displays when I was a manager of a jewelry store at an east coast mall.  There were jewelry case displays, wall displays, and window displays.  All had to be done, and all had to be changed regularly.

     Here are some of my thoughts on displaying items.  I do not put myself out as an expert on this topic, why there are even entire degrees of higher learning in displaying items. I am not a recipient of such a degree, but I don't mind sharing some of the things I have learned along the way.

Sometimes, less is more.  Sometimes, less is less.  

One of the things I look for when I walk into a store is the overall "feel" and the intuitive response it generates in me as a shopper.

Is it cluttered? If yes, my internal response is: "Wow, there is so much here I will never see it all, and it will take too much energy to go through all of this, so I think I will just turn around and leave."

Are they really in business, there is hardly anything here?  If yes, my internal response is: "Gee, maybe they are not open yet and I missed an announcement, maybe I should leave, quietly?"

Does it "flow" and make sense to me the shopper?  If not, then my internal response is: "Hmm, that doesn't make sense, why would they have the boiled peanuts in with the spices?  Shouldn't these have been with the rest of the nuts?"

Finally, in my most unprofessional way of sizing a place up, is it pleasing to my eye?  If it is, then I normally feel calm, comfortable, and ready to SHOP!

In finding my own way to actually opening a bricks and mortar store, with displays, I have decided to err on the side of "simple."  To start off this store, I am going to go with white on white so that hopefully the displays themselves will not over take the pieces, and will not overwhelm the senses.

To Studio Cat or NOT to Studio Cat????

I have talked and blogged and posted a lot about my animals, but I have never really gone into how Sneakers came to be a part of our family.  A few years back we lost our last dog of the two that we had had, and that same week Sneakers appeared at our back door.

Now for some folks, a stray showing up may be a fairly normal occurrence,  but out here, surrounded by cow farms and woods and mountains, (and normally dogs), we had never had a stray show up.

 It was a first in nearly 22 years!

When he first arrived, he was hungry and wary, but still obviously wanted to be petted.  So, we set him up on our front porch and he snuggled right in.  A few weeks went by and he came indoors and all seemed to be just fine.  Our 3 other cats accepted him, or so we thought.  Then, about a year after Sneakers became a member of the clan, our female alpha cat Sammie decided Sneakers was not welcome.  And, well... it has been a rough go ever since.  At this point, both Sneakers and Sammie have been living outside on our porch. They are doing just fine, but they miss us :(, and we miss them.

I am considering moving Sneakers to the Studio once we are open.  He is an incredibly laid back dude. Loves to be held and petted and tolerates being hugged and nuzzled.  I have always liked when I go to a studio and there is an animal lazing around, and I think Sneakers might fit right in :).

UNDER CONTRACT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are moving ahead.  Still keeping the exact property under wraps, for now.  But things are definitely moving along.

We plan to settle in the next few weeks.  Then the property will need some much needed repairs, new equipment will be arriving and we hope to move in during November.

Sammie and Sneakers Help with Refinishing a Chest of Drawers

Hopefully, Saturdays in December, we will be open for Holiday shopping.

Then in the first week in January we will begin classes for pottery and other art forms (HINT)!

LOTS going on....in the mean time we are working behind the scenes getting fixtures and other pieces built and/or refinished so that they will be ready to move in when we are.

I have accumulated a number of displays during my 7 years on the show circuit, my theme for the gallery is going to be white on white so that the pottery and other unique items (HINT) will display well. 

I hope to create an inviting, uplifting, and comfortable place where children and adults can immerse themselves in pottery and other art forms (HINT.....yes AGAIN).

These first steps toward making that a reality for my hometown are really very exciting.  Stay tuned as more information rolls out over the next few weeks and months.