Magazine Article, February 2012

Here is a link to a small article about my work that was just published in a local magazine (“She” magazine out of Kenosha, WI).  I was surprised when they called to do an interview…someone knew someone who had come to my holiday open studio.  The photographer was the nicest person and took quite a bit of time getting some photos of what few pieces I had left after the studio sale in December.  It was a fun experience, and it’s always great to get free advertising!

http://she-magazine.com/main/she3.php

January classes are off to a great start!

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to make regular entries to this blog.  Well, semi-regular.  Okay, at least once a week.  Gee whiz, that is how my other resolutions are doing as well.

January is at an end and classes have begun again.  Whoo-hoo!  It’s great to see old friends after the winter break, and to meet new and wonderful students who will become old friends. 

We started right off with centering and making cylinders, and I’m stunned with the success of my first-timers!  Beautiful cylinders with solid “mug” potential are sitting upon their shelves right now, and every person learned to center in about 15 minutes.  I think that is a record!  I can’t wait to see how they decide to finish and glaze them.

Student work on the shelves.

As for myself, I’ve begun an ambitious self-imposed project:  “One hundred teapots in one hundred days”.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  I’ve already gotten distracted and need to start over.  Can I count the teapots I’ve already made when I start over?  Is that cheating?

What distracted me was worthy, though.  The whales in my head are singing again.  (…that sounded a little more nuts when printed out loud than it did in my thoughts….)  This week I’ve made a gray whale sculpture (and a deer as well), and more whales are on the way in the coming weeks.  I’m working out how to support one in the breaching  pose.  I hope that I’m coming somewhere close to the correct anatomy on the whales.  Being a farm girl from the midwest, I don’t have much to draw upon.  I wish that I could touch one, just once.  Then, I’m sure, I’d understand them…or at least have a memory in my hands.

student shelves

Student work on the shelves, January, 2012

New Work in the Summer Heat

The heat and humidity have been horrible out in my shop this summer, with temps near 100 degrees some days, and sometimes the added heat after a kiln has finished firing. But I’ve been working anyway…slowly. Lots of breaks. And lots of water. One of the latest pieces I’ve finished is a large carved jug and sculpture of a Humpback Whale and her calf. It is stoneware, with carved slip and sprayed glazes, hand-sculpted whales with poured glazes. It is around 30 inches tall. The whales came out extremely well, though they were nearly lost in the firing when their supports gave way. Thanks to friend and fellow potter David Rench for the great photo.

Large Stoneware Jug; Humpback Whale and Calf

Did you Find a Traveling Rabbit???

Okay, I’m launching a new project called the “Share A Hare” project, which begins the week of June 14th, 2011, and will continue for one year.

I will be leaving small porcelain rabbits, made by me, in random places thoughout the world (with the help of friends from other countries). The first several will be going out in the beautiful city of Prague, in the Czech Republic, from June 14th to June 27th!

The idea is for people to find them, pick them up (because who wouldn’t pick up a bunny…), and go to my website (the address is written on the bottoms of the hares) to let me know they are a “finder” and to say hello. I hope they will tell me something about themselves, about their home, and maybe even take a photo of the hare in their corner of the world.

Then, it would be great if they could leave the hare somewhere for another person to find… and hopefully they will check in, too…and so on it goes.

Why? It is an international interactive art project…a way of saying “hello”, reaching out, seeing that the world is actually a small place. It is a little piece of artwork that people may respond to or not…that is to be seen.

Why rabbits? 2011 is the Chinese Year of the Hare (Rabbit), with portents of peace, diplomacy, cooperation and harmony. Rabbits are gentle and unassuming creatures, and I felt they would best take my message of friendship into the world.

So, if you have found one of the fourteen rabbits that will be released in the next two weeks, please accept one potter’s welcome and good wishes. My fingerprints are in the clay…when you hold my work, you hold the hand that made it. May peace and kindness find you..and all of us..in the coming year.

(For now, you may post to my blog…if you would like to send me a photo on email I will try to post it. Soon I will have a dedicated web site for the Share a Hare project, and will transfer the blog entries over to that).

First Show of the Season

Last weekend was my first show of the season, the Madison Weavers’ Guild invitational show in Madison, WI. Had a great time, though the crowd seemed a little thin. I think everyone was down at the protests in Madison, with Michael Moore coming in to give a speech (over 50,000 in attendance!). Still, I had a good show and lots of support and interest in my new porcelain work! In fact, I sold out of it by the end of the show. yay! Made some new friends among the wonderful artists there with me. Many people I spoke with were interested in learning more about the sprayed glaze techniques I apply to my porcelain. As I told them, I’m strongly influenced by the guidance and teaching of Steven Hill, my current mentor. He has really pioneered the new movement in mid-fire oxidation firing, and is a master of sprayed glaze techniques. For those who are interested, here is a link to his site so you can view some of his wonderful work: http://www.stevenhillpottery.com/StevenHillPottery/Home.html

Now it’s back to the studio to make more work for this summer’s shows. I have 1500 pounds of porcelain to pick up this week, glazes to mix, and pots to make! I’m motivated and excited about some new ideas that are bumping around in my head. I think 2011 is going to be the year of the gray whale for me…I’ve done rabbits and deer, and crows and birds and fish…the whales are calling.  I was in Alaska several years ago and got to watch a pod of them feeding up close…so incredible!!!  Can’t wait to try their images on some carved and sculptural pieces.   They’re gonna’ be awesome! I love my job!!!

New Work in the Studio

Okay, I really am a slacker when it comes to web sites! But, thought I’d give it another go. Wanted to post some photos of things I’m working on…mostly sgraffito carved work.

Bob has developed a couple of really nice slips that give great results in oxidation. The brown, and my favorite, the green flashing blue. These are fired to cone nine in oxidation. We are going to be working on an iron blue slip in the next few weeks…have a recipe we want to play around with.

Classes are in session again, and I’m really enjoying the students! So much positive energy and creativity, and just such nice people. Maybe I’ll post some of their work in the coming weeks. Most are beginning students, and their first pieces will be coming out of the kilns soon. It’s so exciting!

The snow and ice seems like it will never end here in Wisconsin. But I found inspiration in some really awesome snow drifts with beautiful lines…even though they were three quarters of the way up the studio door! I want to play with manipulating some slip, like the wind forms the snow drifts.

Meanwhile, gotta’ make pots to pay for the heating bill in the studio. Back to work.

Iron saturated slip, hand-carved foliage and birds.

 

Green flashing blue slip, cone nine oxidation.

Ready, set, go!

Throwing a big pot at our November open house.

Okay, here we go.  Welcome to Stone Forest Pottery online!  I’ve started this new blog with the resolution that I will make frequent posts and updates in the coming year to let friends and customers know what I’m up to.  I’ll include photos of current projects, news about upcoming shows and sales, photos of inspiration and works in progress, and examples of my techniques.  We will see how it goes…the road to being a slacker is paved with good intentions.