Colleen McCall Ceramics

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

2011-09-08T09:56:00.001-04:00

http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-doughnut-muffins-martha-stewart-441904
Hopefully, my image gets matched with the recipe at food.com. I wonder what other recipes need to be displayed on my dishes. I picked up this recipe last fall when we were growing a pumpkin. The prolific mystery squash in the garden this year turns out to be butternut.

The muffins were still good despite forgetting the buttermilk. They're best warm. The doughnut part happens to be the melted butter drenching post baking and roll through cinnamon sugar.

First Day of School

2011-09-07T21:56:00.001-04:00

Pretty excited to get the kids off to school today. I have a cupboard full of pots to decorate. They are staying quite damp with all this rain. I guess I should have taken a picture of the bottoms too! It's like having decorated 8 pots instead of four.

Still playing with the ikat pattern. It's really fun to paint so that it has a tromp l'oeil woven texture. Thinking I should spend more time in the fabric store. A trip to Mood in NYC would be excellent. Perhaps I have been watching too much Project Runway when I start to think of my pots as fashion models while designing the pattern to compliment the form.

The leaf pattern when fired should reveal a layer of leaves below the sponged straw surface. I had to force myself to give up the tulip pattern for now. I guess I'm not ready for the seasons to change. For someone who paints lots of flowers it's hard to get all wintry in September. After the kids got home I finished one more piece. Wheat is a happy compromise from this Kansas girl.

Gargoyles at the Art Barn

2011-07-20T17:28:00.000-04:00

Delivered two fish, a bear, a pig, a toad, and a bunny downspout cover to Skyland Farms today in Burdett, NY. There's one bird house as well, a guilty kitty! Barbara will take good care of them until they find a new home. Some rain would be nice too!

If you haven't been, it's an experience and you can stop in while visiting some wineries along the way. The gelato looked especially good with this heat wave. I regret not getting some before heading home. The air conditioned car ride was wonderful and luckily the neighbor kids were selling ice cold lemonade. The rest of the evening I can chill in my subterranean studio.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

2011-07-07T17:44:00.000-04:00

My parents had the awesome foresight to rent a minivan when they came to visit so we could tool around the finger lakes in one vehicle. Of course anytime I have access to that much cargo space I jump on the opportunity. We hit the ReStore in Corning and found two excellent lower cupboards for next to nothing. They are nicer than my kitchen cupboards. The thought did cross my mind to do an IKEA kitchen makeover and salvage the old kitchen cupboards for the studio. If only there was a store nearby. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a complete kitchen at the ReStore. Now I have a beautiful ten foot counter which holds exactly a kiln load of work or thirty gargoyle masks. My parents enjoyed the temperate climate so much in the basement they purchased and put in more lighting. Had they stayed a few more days I think I could have gotten them to plumb a sink as well.

Second Firing Better Than the First

2011-06-17T09:41:00.000-04:00

I guess I got spoiled having my kilns loaded and fired for me at the arts center. It's been years since I've fired my own kilns. Let alone any kiln with brand new elements. My first firing in the new kiln went horribly awry. All the work bloated. Rich dark clay bodies like mine will do that since they are full of organic impurities. My strategy for this batch of pots was to bisque fire hotter and slower to get all the volatile gases out before the clay begins to vitrify.

I never paid too much attention to Val Cushing's lectures during graduate school since at the time I was making sculptures. The technical information pertained to crafting pristine glazes for functional pottery. Often if I did the reverse of what was said making glazes pit, crawl and penetrate the surface. Thankfully I kept good notes and reviewing them was like taking the course for the second time.

When I was in Alfred last summer I discovered Val still sells his orange spiral bound lecture book at the local grocer, Kinfolk. We were his last class before retiring in 1997. It was difficult to imagine who could fill his "clogs." Since then glaze testing at Alfred has greatly expanded from low fire to mid range incorporating much more color than back in 1996. Look at an old Nelson book of ceramics and you will see the most uninspiring collection of brown pots. It's hard to believe that was my undergraduate textbook. Of course back then there weren't encapsulated pigments like those I use today to safely create bright red and orange. And I would not have fathomed becoming a potter myself.

Nine rolls

2011-06-15T18:08:00.000-04:00

This is what 9 rolls of toilet paper and 200 pounds of clay will make. Not pictured: a dragon skull, a toucan on a branch, two otters swimming in sea weed, a baby seal, the almost life-size torso of a deer, a fruit platter, three hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil monkeys and another veiled figure. Did you catch all that? Am I missing anything? Oh yes! We dipped, dunked, and schmeared paper clay on an assortment of leaves, feathers, egg cartons, pasta and even a loaf of bread.

The students of 171 Cedar Arts Center had free reign since I knew a little secret. The center would soon be getting a new kiln with a grant from the Community Foundation. So why not fire anything and everything under the sun.

The addition of paper pulp makes a very sturdy clay which builds quickly and thinly. If it wasn't possible with regular clay, paper clay could do it. Wings, single strands of hair, standing soft slabs, twisted kelp, a hollow branch, skinny giraffe legs, nothing could defeat the power of pulp. We attached to fired bisque ware and bone dry paper clay. We patched cracked or broken pottery with it. The clay fired up fabulously and took glaze like regular clay.

In the fall we'll do it again with porcelain paper clay. There is always plenty of clay to reclaim and I saved the toilet paper from the mummy wrapping contest at the library. I can't imagine what people were thinking when I asked to have it.

Hook up woes

2011-03-23T15:00:00.001-04:00

On my blog bio I joke about voltage. But seriously I had no idea it was going to be this complicated. The kiln is 208 volt not 240 volt. I can replace all the heating elements or see what happens. The electrician hopefully has a magic wand.

Well Coiffed Fish

2011-03-22T21:24:00.001-04:00

Abel is usually the first one down to my studio after the bus drops them off from school. There's always some new clay critter in the works to visit and his belly needs a snack asap. Today he agreed to snap a quick pic before claiming the last Irish Cream Brownie. It's amazing how he can keep his hair so fresh and perky all day. He had a similar profile for his President's Day portrait silhouette.

I am currently in gargoyle mode making down spout covers for spring showers (not the 5-8 inches of snow predicted tonight). I have the corner window display at Handwork for the first two weeks of April. It will be jammed full of bunnies, frogs, fish, astro turf and fake rain. Any ideas how to make fake rain...

Phase 2 complete

2011-02-28T21:53:00.002-05:00

Before

After

While I was away picking up the kiln, Adam and Richard were installing my new studio floor. The old floor I imagine was much like the surface of the moon. It was a composite of undulating cement and river rock. The new plywood floor is cushy on the feet and my fake laminate flooring makes it easy to mop. I can even still wear my clogs in the studio despite having lost two inches of head space under my feet. The next project or phase 3 is setting up the kiln and kiln vent. Phase 4, lady sculpture storage...and some day a dreamy slate work top like those in grad school. Abel is shown here at my old drafting table from high school. Sad to say there will be no fall studio tour to show off my fabulous new space. Maybe it will become a spring tour in 2012!

The Kiln Arrives, Potter Still Alive

2011-02-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

Honestly, when I left Boston I had no idea we were getting blasted in New York. As soon as I hit the tolls at the state border the first flurries appeared. It took eight hours to get home. The worst part was stopping in Owego (about 40 minutes from Elmira) for a celebratory box of fried cheese curds only to discover they were way undercooked. Totally not worth the effort of leaving the interstate. The best part: Olive shoveled out the driveway for me. Thanks Jaime for setting me up with a beautiful kiln.

In the window

2011-02-06T22:23:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty sure Bryan Adams saw my work when it was in the window at Handwork. I saw his tour bus parked out front of the State Theater in Ithaca which is right across the street.

After my exhibit in Corning I brought my work home for a week until Lise suggested I put it up at the store where I sell my pottery. Many people have never seen my sculptural work so it was great exposure. The members of the artist cooperative got to know me better too.

And I got a candid view of people's expressions as they looked at the work while I dusted the glass ware just inside the store behind the window. The relationship between the store window and a temple frieze is remarkably similar. I wish I had had a web cam for those first few days the pieces went up. Maybe a grant funded project has just been conceived. Crossroads deadline here I come...

Seconds For Sale

2011-01-13T22:57:00.000-05:00

The semi annual second sale starts Friday morning, January 14, 10am at Handwork in Ithaca. I helped set up three tables full of coop members cast offs. It's really fun to glimpse into the artist's process by picking through their not-so-good work. Naturally, I had many pieces to contribute (three bins full). I had almost one whole kiln load that I didn't like. I also still have three circus teapot sets left from when we lived in Green Bay. Every time I see those monkeys, lions and bears (oh my) I can't believe I made them. First, my son was about 8 weeks old when I began sneaking off to the studio in the evening to have clay time. That I could be as productive as I was that year is truly amazing. Second, I am really not a big fan of circuses, however, I did feel like I needed a reason to use color. Of course now that doesn't stop me. It's surprising how quickly the pieces fly out the door. Never fear there is always more so stop by often if you can.

Precious Melon Photo

2011-01-10T23:27:00.000-05:00

I took this when I was consumed with blogging. I should really show all three shots so you can get the full effect. There must be a genre for these artful yet practical visuals. You should see what I can do with a recycled cereal box when I'm not getting enough studio time.

What's Cooking

2010-12-14T22:25:00.002-05:00

During the last class of teen wheel we baked sugar cookies in the test kiln. I have always wanted to roll out dough in the studio slab roller for cut out cookies. I used silicone baking liners to sandwich the dough before steam rolling it as thin as possible. They then cooked two at a time on a sheet of parchment. The kiln seemed to only cook the top surface which turned brown and crisp but very gooey underneath. Some we flipped over to cook the other side and some we took our chances and just ate raw.

I think next session we'll go back to making s'mores. The marshmallows get obscenely large in the kiln and I miss the chocolate! Sign up for class at 171 Cedar Arts. We start up again on January 3rd for 7 weeks of sculpting mayhem.

Sticker Risks

2010-12-07T12:37:00.006-05:00

For weeks I have been in overdrive producing Christmas wares. Every time I enter this zone of mass production or hyper output my mind wanders and I actually become more creative. Just today, while shopping at Big Lots the creative force lured me into the craft aisle where what to my wondering eyes do appear but Thickers, thick stickers. They remind me of the puffy stickers from my youth. I had a whole sheet of Ziggy stickers with quote bubbles. Ziggy is a little like Dilbert and Maxine. He's definitely got a chip. By the way I also purchased Thickers in chip board and foil covered chipboard as shown.

I am going to attempt to use them with clay. If you have seen my pottery each piece is quite unique in part due to my creative A.D.D. It is impossible for me to let myself make the same thing twice. I need to learn something new each time I make a piece or I get bored. And if I am bored chances are you will be too.

So we'll see what comes of my new tools. I can add them to a plaster mold before I cast it with a soft slab or lay out a design to impress on a flattened slab before constructing it into a cylinder to create the body of a mug or vase. The decorative corner pieces are going to become feet for my square dishes. Oh, if only I had bought another package I could use them on my hexagonal and octagonal dishes as well. Yikes, I may have to go back to the store which means I may find more toys to play with.

I'll try real hard to focus and keep to my studio for the next couple of days.

Needs More Cow Bell

2010-12-02T13:16:00.001-05:00

It's nice to be back in the studio after the holiday break. I actually got an early Christmas gift (or a late birthday present). I have been rockin out all morning to Pandora on my new Sony Dash. It came yesterday in the mail and my husband and I stayed up late creating different stations.

I'm a little disappointed with my Eye of the Tiger Station. I was counting on it to wake me up and get me moving in the studio. It's one of my favorite tunes on Just Dance. For those of you who play my high score is 11,476. That song is a huge confidence booster and a great warm up (the dance version) when I get a little chilled in my subterranean studio. I frequently take warm up breaks making a cup of tea, checking email or playing Wii. However, I skipped so many of the preselected Pandora tunes that I ran out of skips. It kept playing John Lee Hooker type songs. Go figure. I was sure to thumbs up my favorite tunes, Police, Foreigner, Guns n'Roses, then I noticed how much I really like the cow bell. I wish there was a way to create a station around this instrument. It is perfect for getting in the decorating rhythm. And I was doing a lot of decorating this morning. My shelves are filling up fast for another pre- Christmas firing but not quite as fast as if I had more cow bell. Now I know what to ask Santa for!

Sweet Beast

2010-11-03T22:41:00.021-04:00

Here's the little beastie himself
at the show posing with his finished
piece. I never saw this piece truly
vertical until it was hung on the
pristine gallery wall the night before
the opening. As you'll see below the
piece was built on a giant easel which
was slightly tilted.

I actually built this to look more hefty
and solid than the other two mural
pieces in the show. However, the
weightiness contradicts the tone of the
subject which is why I chose to paint it
like a cloud alternating layers of
translucent blues and yellows.

The detail to the left is an earlier blue layer.
The thick french cleat adhered to the back
of the piece suspends it from the wall so it
floats about an inch off the surface.

I love the depth within the image, the
vulnerability of the dangling arm and the
intrusive high relief of the wild boar.
Many of the Greek metopes are miniature
scenic sculptures with figures carved in full
dimension on a shallow plane rather than
contrived relief. It was somewhat difficult
to stay true to this method of composing.
I made many small clay sketches to visualize
and correct the proper pose and tension.

The easel is still flat while the clay sets up. Once firm it can be tilted almost vertical. I started modeling from a thick slab slicing through and stuffing with shredded paper to plump out the figures. The arm was coiled from the shoulder down to the hand. When dry it was fired flat in one piece in an electric car kiln (my dream kiln) which happens to be the same identical size as the trunk of my car.

Pieces Parts

2010-10-10T00:15:00.000-04:00

Had to look at my photos from Greece as I contemplate my new figurative work. I'm still hooked on the fragment although I've added a narrative element. My son has inspired a new take on the Centaurmachy. I'm having some trouble finishing up the series I started in July since my muse has been behaving. Of course we have taken actions to curb his appetite for sugar by providing lots of fruit and implementing a ban on all frozen treats. If given the opportunity, he is weak. Halloween will be here but not soon enough my show opens October 29th!

These images depicting the 12 Labours of Herakeles are metopes from the Temple of Zeus in Olympia. Their display is amazing mounted at eye level. The Parthenon metopes depicting the centaurmachy are in situ and are difficult to see. Perhaps the new museum displays them up close and personal. It hadn't openend yet when I visited in the spring of 2009.

The modeling of the figures has a strange completeness about it despite the obvious missing pieces. The roundness of the form in a protruding limb combined with the dynamism of the gesture really captures the essence of the narrative despite the very literal original composition.

The Cupboard Is Bare

2010-10-04T07:59:00.002-04:00

This is all that's left after a great studio tour weekend. On Wednesday I'll back it up to deliver to Handwork in Ithaca so if you see anything you like let me know before then. Below are the remaining gargoyles, downspout covers, and bird houses.

Today's Paper

2010-10-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

Check out a few photos of my studio courtesy of the Star Gazette. Great camera and good eye Jeff Richards! You made my studio look so spacious.

I also have to thank my friend and professional photographer, Ann Cady of ARC Photographic Images, for the excellent head shot. The local papers used it often. See the Corning Leader Article. She also does an amazing job capturing the true color, surface and form of my ceramics.

Ready for another great day on the tour. It's been a lot of fun seeing everyone.

Tour Guide Flair

2010-10-02T09:38:00.002-04:00

Abel had a lot of fun rounding up visitors on his bike for the studio tour today. He gives a great tour! I think he picked up some skills this summer when we toured Laura Ingalls Wilder's Home. He's also a big fan of my pins and magnets. You'd think he worked on commission. They're pretty flowery but if you poke them through Spiderman's eyeballs it's all boy.

www.colleenmccallceramics.com

2010-09-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

Check out my new website! It's very exciting to have it out there. Hopefully, a few people begin to follow the blog besides my bestest friend in the whole fourth grade, Faith Pray.

Besides activating my site today I finished up decorating some leatherhard work. Of course, I was thinking I would slop on some clear glaze and still get it in the kiln, once-fired, for the studio tour this Saturday. We'll see. Not only are they covered in wax, it is raining outside. Tomorrow I will madly glaze after unloading a warm bisque kiln. Darn that dentist appointment in the middle of the day. If only I could glaze in my basement at least I would be in the same town as the dentist office. Soon enough!

A Studio of My Own

2010-09-16T22:10:00.010-04:00

I can't believe it's done! I mean constructed. My deadline was the upcoming Elmira Studio Tour on October 2nd and 3rd. I promise the paint won't be wet but the smell may linger. It's all good. We'll toast some s'mores in the kiln and let the sweet scent of marshmallows and chocolate take over. I'm itching to finish up the painting and move in. Of course, I am still on the hunt for a mid-size electric kiln. Perhaps, if you build it, the kiln will come.

Adam cleared his schedule and got down to work a day after I called. He, along with occasional help from my fellow potter and teaching accomplice, Christian, built me two walls, installed seven new basement windows and two doors as well as wired in six lights and ten outlets. The walls required some creative rerouting of duct work which also left me with more head room and heat in my studio.

Working conditions were not optimal since the old windows had been nailed shut and there was only one outlet to begin with. Did I mention we live near the river? Yes, the one that flooded our neighborhood in 1972. As the walls were hammered into place thick chunks of flood mud would bounce out of the joists. It coated the walls as well. I briefly considered firing a piece in the kiln to see if it had any potential as a glaze but soon concluded I just wanted it gone. I know there is plenty more in the rafters of the garage if I really want to try it one of these days.

I'll post some finish photos soon when I stop blogging and get back to painting.

What's in your trunk?

2010-09-10T23:00:00.005-04:00

The morning sun shines into my trunk as I collect my wet sculptures for their trip to the kiln in Corning. I love these guys. They're so fun to make.

The kids want to put more downspouts on the house so we can have one of each animal. Usually our frog is under the Hydrangea and the fish is on the street side of the house where he does double duty as a chipmunk home when it's not raining. In the winter the fish is very cute too with a drool icicle and a snow mohawk on his fin.

These first two were sculpted from a solid block of clay for a Gargoyle class I taught. The best part is scooping out the guts. I should have a good collection of critters available at the studio tour and again in the spring time at Handwork in Ithaca, NY.

Working with the Figure

2010-07-30T23:26:00.002-04:00

Spent the month in Alfred working on figure pieces for an October show in Corning. It was beyond amazing. A little weird at first to be back at my alma mater and such a time warp when you see old colleagues there in that tiny little town who look almost younger. Then once you get back into your work you forget the past 12 years of your life and it's like you never graduated. I guess that's why I started sculpting my children. Maybe I missed them a little too.

Olive is a life-size kore figure complete with archaic smile and Abel is a trophy bust. The two of them set the scene for our family's real life centaurmachy which is captured in a series of ceramic tiles in the style of the Hellenistic temple metopes. I'll post more on the exhibition as the date gets closer.

Think Spring

2010-02-26T19:57:00.000-05:00

Despite the foot of snow outside, our biggest storm of the year, it is spring in the studio. I am soaking up the extra hours of daylight and slathering on a thick coat of porcealin slip to brighten up my floral designs. The colors are cheerful and the patterns are lush. If you look closely you'll even notice a new and improved clear glaze! Now my greens are fresh and vivid.

New work is available at Handwork in Ithaca and Cappy's in Elmira.

Still trying to launch a web page so I can show more of my work. How is it that I can sit for hours in the studio tediously painting layers of colors but get anxious and overwhelmed the moment I sit in front of the computer.

Kiln vs. Furnace

2009-11-15T21:48:00.000-05:00

I lost. Surely the Olympic Oval Kiln Model No. 2527 with max. 2300 degrees firing capacity and programmable computer could just as efficiently heat our modest home as our new Ducane Furnace. The Federal Tax Credit and the rebate from NYSEG save us a lot of money but put my plans on hold a while longer.

My daughter also reminded me we NEED to go to Florida for Auntie's wedding in April before I may buy a kiln.

The upside is that the new duct work in the basement will provide more head clearance when and if I do begin working down there.

New Gallery

2009-11-04T13:01:00.002-05:00

Handwork Gallery in Ithaca, New York is an artist owned cooperative of which I have recently been approved for membership. All high quality handmade goods, pottery, stained glass, knits, jewelry, watercolors, weavings, wood work and more. Convenient location too, just off the commons on State Street.

I am looking forward to selling lots, meeting the other member artists and getting out of Elmira twice per month. Actually, my first day in the store I sold two of my own pieces. What a thrill! Not to mention I'm learning retail and picking up some real job skills.

A Better Way to Wax

2009-11-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

Discovered a better way to wax. As I combine more decorating effects I've had to create a wax boundary between hand painted elements and the dipped glaze. The peony flowers on these vases were painted with clay slip and under glaze when the vessel was still green or leather hard. The petals have a dimensional texture that was created by impressing into the wet slab while it was flat. The clay is then rolled into a cylinder and more volume is given to the flower head with gentle pressure from the inside out. The decorative trim at the bottom employs wax to resist areas of glaze.

That reminds me I should try to find a source for Forbes wax. It is different than the wax I use pre-firing. Thinner in consistency and very fluid for brushing on bisqued clay. Currently, there is a half full jug at the arts center.

Second Open Studio Tour

2009-10-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who stopped by on a rainy then sunny Columbus Day weekend for the Elmira Open Studio Tour. It was my second year on the tour. And while attendance was lower than last year I did manage to do better in sales. My work is definitely more focused this year and I have been able to meet the needs of my customers better. It's a nice challenge to bring together function and form as there is always room for improvement. I also enjoyed making pots on my dining room table. Click here to see the interview on News10 Now.

Many of you asked about where you can find my work outside of my private residence and beyond the studio tour. In Elmira shop Cappy's a locally owned gift shop on the corner of Main and Clinton Street. In Corning, The Tea Chest on Market Street is another locally owned business that sells my mugs as well as great loose teas. And in Ithaca, Handwork Gallery, possibly...I am currently in the jury process for membership. I will keep you posted on how that goes.

If all goes well it will only take a few months to adjust to a new level of production. I have set a goal to begin online sales in February.

First Day

2009-09-15T22:59:00.002-04:00

On September 14, 2009 I put my son on the school bus and spent the whole day in the studio. We're both exhausted by 3 o'clock but oh so happy. So Abel isn't actually getting on the bus. We did drop him off the first day of school but in my rush to get to the studio I forgot to take a picture. This will have to make up for my selfish ways. I have to pinch myself sometimes as I roll a slab, stir a glaze, or slice off another hunk of clay. My dream has come true. I'm a working artist!

Well, almost.

I feel exceptionally fortunate to have been able to stay home the past eight years (who's counting?) with my utterly adorable and perfect children. And while I enjoyed witnessing every milestone I had to stay connected to my creativity. My hands stayed relatively dirty as I continued to work on a few figure sculptures then less sculptures and more pots over the years. Cute little pinch pots with pink elephants for snacking on Cheerios. Actually our bunny uses that bowl now, since the kids make their own dishes. My life has taken me far from where I left off modeling hollow clay figures. Even after unpacking 20 sculptures this summer to make room in the basement for a studio. I haven't given much thought to what I will be making next.

For now I would like to claim a space of my own. I am fixated on getting a kiln and then I'll have a long think about what to put in it.

2nd Annual Street Painting Festival

2009-07-13T15:02:00.001-04:00

I had a great weekend playing Michelangelo and making "good painting the kind that looks like sculpture." Pictured here with two of my three apprentices, Wesline and Kyra.
Bottega di Michelangelo crafted an 18 foot tall David using homemade pastels and a little marble dust. David's real size is 14 feet. However, he needed the extra length to recreate his true to life presence horizontally.

He's holding up well even after Monday morning traffic. If you're in Elmira, take the Main Street bridge from the North across the Chemung River.

Pop-a-Daisy

2008-12-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

Today flowers popped out of the clay. I'm not sure where I am going with this motif. I honestly make it up as I go along. Flowers are great for exploring color. There is also something very simple and naive about the act of making flowers. In contrast to my life-size nude ceramic torsos there is really no comparison.

Because I am working on vases and boxes (less functional forms) I am allowed be more liberal about the size, scale and dimension of my decorative elements. They will not interfere with the function of the piece. Yet, my plan was to make simple bud vases, lots of them and quickly for the upcoming holiday sales. The form is an extruded oval about 7 inches tall. I made a template to efficiently cut out and join a base to the tube. Then I began layering on the porcelain slip in the areas I wanted to decorate.

At first, I just made thick white circles maybe two or three per vase. These would become flowers almost instantaneously with a swipe of red or yellow. Next, I add leaves to unify the grouping of buds. When one circle accidentally extended to the lip of the vase I added a set of clay leaves on the edge of the rim. I tried this on another vase bringing the clay out horizontally adding leaf lumps to the sides of the vase. Sometimes the wad of clay would take the form of a flower breaking the plane of the vase. After a dozen or more such varied revelations I created my favorite motif.

The daffodil has petals subtracted from the surface. The flower cup is added so as to expand the dimension of the motif. The stem and leaf are painted flat to the surface and deeply outlined to allow the dipping glaze to pool. Finally, a design worth repeating if only to then dip into a variety of different glaze colors...

Shortly after I ran out of vases to decorate, I eyed two oval shaped casseroles long forgotten under plastic. An assortment of roses and daisies soon sprung from the narrow curves to create lush handles. Their leaves to be drawn in wax on the once fired surface.

Elmira Open Studio Tour

2008-10-13T10:04:00.001-04:00

Despite not having a studio of my own yet, I made it my goal to participate in the Elmira Open Studio Tour this year. It was well worth it. I had about 100 visitors over the weekend. The weather was amazing so I was able to set up some works in progress on the front porch. I essentially brought all my work home, a couple thrown vases, leatherhard lucky dishes, mugs in need of handles, jars of underglazes, tools, brushes as well as a fish looking for a few scaly details. In the end I did a lot more talking than demonstrating. Bringing it all together in one place took a lot of effort. Normally, when I shuttle work between studios and home again it is over a month or two as I commute to teach at the arts center or take my daughter to dance class. Preparing for the tour gave me a glimpse of how luxurious it would be to set up shop in one location. Another outcome of the tour was meeting up with a handy (construction-wise) colleague. I was on the fence about converting the garage into a studio especially with energy costs on the rise. We both agreed the basement was my best bet in the short term. I've got a year to level the floor, lay down linoleum, put up a few walls,replace the windows, install a dust barrier and wire a kiln in. My goal for the 2009 open studio tour is to have an actual studio to tour!

Virtual Perceptions

2008-09-27T22:17:00.006-04:00

My postcards arrived. I ordered them Monday and received them Friday. Quite impressive! However, the color is not true. I've been working very hard to use vibrant colors on a rich chocolate brown clay. I generously slather on layers of porcelain slip to prevent the clay from obscuring the brightness of the colored underglaze and then I pick and choose where to reveal the clay again.

There is clearly a visual barrier when using the internet to make color specific choices. My postcard pot looks like gray stoneware. I was hoping for something a little more intriguing, seductive if you dare. The dish on the left is actually blue. It appears true on my computer. Maybe I should have known better. I once ordered a purple bedspread online and was terribly disappointed how dull the actual color was. I can't fathom buying art online and being satisfied unless I had previous knowledge of the artist's work in person.

Besides color I also wonder how one adapts to sensing the work physically in its pixilated form. Clay is inherently a tactile medium. It requires physical contact to assess craftsmanship. What is the scale and heft of this dish? Aesthetically and functionally, it is my favorite serving dish for steamed broccoli. Holding four ample servings it is the perfect size for my family.

Over the next week I will post more images of my work. For those of you who can visit during the open studio tour please share with me how your virtual perceptions wage in as you see and touch the actual thing. Your comments can be posted directly on location for those folks who haven't met my pottery yet.

Kiln Opening

2008-09-21T18:26:00.004-04:00

Abel and I unloaded the top layer of the kiln Friday while Olive was at tap dance. The temperature was nice and toasty. Everything so far has worked out surprisingly well. Ann's cake stand didn't resist well on the chip and dip side but I think she will like it anyway. I was hoping for precise pink polka dots in a sea of boo boo blue. It's shown here in the center of the photograph cake side up. Sized to fit the small carrot cakes at Wegman's for which Ann has a weakness. Maybe she'll test drive it this weekend when she hosts knitting. The wheat vase is a keeper. Inspired by a set of wheat tiles made by my high school clay teacher Greg Brantman. I'm really happy with the way the mottled straw glaze plays over these rich textures. Coming soon... the bottom of the kiln!

Abel in the Studio

2008-09-15T10:35:00.002-04:00

It is very rare that I work with my children in the studio. Occasionally, we have to stop by and unload a kiln or check on a drying pot.

Both Olive and Abel are fluent in clay speak and really good about letting me make my work alone. My husband also has a "studio" as the kids call it. He's a college professor and often retreats to his office to write.

I don't know if I would be able to keep a home studio. For now I like the separation.

Next...

2008-09-14T22:43:00.002-04:00

Two kids in bed and two hours later I have a site for my first blog. I hope it works since I am about to order business cards. Next is a face book account to hook up my friends. Do I have friends online? I guess we'll see. Order postcards too just in case. Four weeks until the Elmira Open Studio Tour. Mark your calendars or wait for a postcard.