Month: October 2010

Back to the studio!  Among all of the other projects I am working on in the studio, (Julia Skops plates, Temi’s serving bowls, and Michelle’s gold pedestal cups, all of which are made, but still drying), I am going to get started on another one.
  Last March I started making cuckoo clocks out of clay.  I never actually completed any of them, but I was able to work through some ideas, and resolve problems that I ran into while I was making them. And now I think it is time to make a few, but it will be my version of the old classic.

  To be honest, I really don’t know why I feel like I need to make this type of clock.  Or why I am interested in clocks in general.  I suppose the reason could be as simple as, the fact that I think clock hands can be very ornate and beautiful, and I like the imagery of deer, leaves, birds.  They have a rustic sophistication to them that I find appealing.  And, I may shamefully say, trendy. I will post some pictures of my progress soon!
  

  Whenever I travel to a city, one of the first things I notice, of course, is what people are wearing.  In May of 2007 I traveled to Paris with my husband.  One of the major trends, specifically with the younger generation (those in their mid twenties) was wearing black and white horizontal striped, over sized tops, with skinny jeans and ballet flats.  Two to three years later, you see everyone sporting the striped tops and skinny jeans here in the states.

 This weekend my husband, son, and I are in the South End of Boston, looking at potential places to live.  Yes, we are moving.  (I will post more about it, once we get closer to the actual move.) We are sad to leave Rochester, NY, but are really excited about living in Boston.  I am especially excited about living in an area of Boston that has so many opportunities for me to exhibit and sell my work.
  One area that we looked at this afternoon was the SOWA artist studios http://www.sowaartistsguild.com/index.html.  We didn’t have time to look at the studios or meet any artists yet, but plan to get more familiar with the area within the next few visits.   Every Sunday from May to October, the SOWA neighborhood has an open market, with local artists selling their work.  There is also a juried Holiday Sale that Bob and I will check out in December that artists from all over New England come and sell work at http://www.sowaholidaymarket.com/. Hopefully next year, I will be one of the artists at the Holiday sale.

  My parents will be traveling to Italy, Greece and Turkey next week, and I wish that I was going with them.   I had the opportunity to travel to Turkey two and a half years ago, and promised myself that I would go back, someday.  (Later this week I will post some pictures from that trip.)
   So, to send my parents off on their European adventure, I thought I would post some pictures of my ceramics from my Nautical series.  Although they will be flying to their destination and not sailing, I think that the imagery is still relevant to their upcoming travels abroad.

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  Often people will ask me. “how long does it take to make a plate, or a cup?  That is a hard question to answer, because the answer really is: “It depends”.
  I usually don’t make one cup at a time.  I will make 8 or more cups at a time, and then wait for them to dry (1 week or more), then I put them in the kiln to bisque fire them. (Bisque firing removes the water content in the clay, so that the water in the glaze will penetrate the clay wall and adhere to the surface of the pot allowing for a water tight surface.  The entire bisque firing, from beginning to end, takes 2.5 to 3 days).  Next, I wash them off, wax the bottom, and glaze them.  And finally they go into the glaze kiln for another 3 days.
  So to answer that question, whether I make 1 cup or 8 cups, it will take about 2 or more weeks.

  My teaching and “mommy” schedule is keeping me pretty busy, which means my studio time takes a back seat.  I did manage to get a few things made in the studio the other day, while Henri was napping.  Love nap time!  I am posting a couple of images of some plates and two pitchers that are drying and awaiting the first kiln firing.