Christmas sales over but am working hard to get some last minute pieces finished that I should have done last month!  Oh well, I wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't scrambling madly to catch up all the things I need to do so I can get to the multitude of things I want to do.
I'm going to the Saturday morning Art of Living yoga and meditation, then 2 Clay Art Association meetings this afternoon (had to skip a rock club meeting last night), then I can spend the remainder of today and most of tomorrow in my studio.
There is a shape I have been working with that I find intriguing and for the first time I am working in series to really explore this form, work out all of the technical problems with it and take it as far as I can.  So far it has been successful as different variations and sizes of urns/lidded containers, and not quite so successful as small bottles.  I experimented with tall bottles and vases and I think with some tweaking it might be great for that.  Currently I am making graceful 4 sides pieces but with a little twist here, an addition or deletion there something new may emerge.  Whatever happens with it, I have discovered a wonderful new (for me) way to work and the possibilities are very exiting.  

Beyond Show

My kiln is doing overtime getting ready for Beyond Artisans Maketplace at Deerfoot Inn in Calgary on October 28, 29, &30.  This is the first show I've participated in that is more than a day and I am feeling very excited for the challenge!  Here a few photos of some of the new work that I will have at the show and as you can see mugs are my staple lately

Ah, summer!

The longer days and warmer weather are so wonderful but our summers are so short that we have to get everything packed into them before winter comes, sometime around the end of August!!  This year we really didn't get summer until the end of July, making it an extra short one.  In among touring BC looking for extra long term and permanent stay RV parks, processing the lovely fruit and veg of summer and trying to fit in visits to the Zoo, Heritage Park, etc I am finding a frustratingly small bit of time to work on my pottery.

A definite style is emerging and an aesthetic that thoroughly enjoys and employs fabric, fabric construction, soft curves, texture, nature and a more polished appearance for my work.  The work that I am producing is something I am very proud of, and can be much more confidant in offering it up for sale.

My sister, Janet and I will be offering our work for sale at Beyond And Artisan Marketplace on October 28-30, 2011 (Friday 2pm-9pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-5pm) at the Blackfoot Inn (5940 Blackfoot Trail SE, Calgary, AB)  There will be many other artists there as well with offerings for sale of jewelry, glass, pottery, paintings, photographs, etc.  This is the link to the show's website where you can learn more about the show and the artists featured http://www.beyondmarketplace.com/  This link will take you to their facebook page with more photos of the work available http://www.facebook.com/BEYONDMarketplace and this is to their twitter page https://twitter.com/#!/beyondmarket This would be a perfect opportunity to hang out and relax in Calgary as well as do some Christmas shopping for one-of-a-kind gifts.

Re-visiting dinnerware set, again!

I thought I was on my way to coming up with a workable dinnerware idea but it's not quite right.  A form that moves from square to round almost always yields something very interesting and I've used this idea in some bowls I am pretty fond of.  They are going so well that I charged in and made 4 plates to go with them but although they are OK, they aren't great and should make good salad plates.  Hopefully I will be able to fire a load+ of greenware and glazing will be shortly behind.

This isn't a pic of the dinnerware but is a photo of a wonderful glaze called frogskin that will go on a lot of my work, in fact I find I am making work with this glaze specifically in mind because I like it so much!

Back to work!

After 10 wonderful days of camping in British Columbia, I am full of great ideas and have had my  hands deep in the mud, barely venturing from my studio since arriving home. It does feel wonderful to be creating in clay again and with my glaze palette growing, my imagination is filled with mental pictures of beautifully glazed and perfectly fired pieces.  Whether they live up to my mental images is a matter of some luck and (hopefully) great skill!

The Caribbean ocean is so beautiful and I am on my 3rd incarnation of a wall platter that encapsulates some of that beauty.

The shape and movement of the waves is good but there is too much powder blue, not enough green and I would like to see more crystals in this glaze.  Although I really like the shells, I want them to look only partially submerged in the water.  Rather than scrap this idea as I would have a while ago, taking away only the things I like about this piece and using those components to create a new wall piece, is taking me in an exciting direction I would have missed out on before.

My studio is calling me back, not to mention the 2 shows I've signed up to do this fall so this will be short and sweet.

Summer is finally here!

Summer is supposed to be hot and dry so I hope it gets started soon!  I am going to  be selling my work at the Art Walk on Stephen Avenue Mall on July 7, 2011 along with the awesome work of my sister.  With the weather we've had I am a little worried that we will need to take rain gear along but we have a pop-up market tent so should be great not matter what the weather does.