Two Steps Back...

Ok, not really two steps back but the house isn't quite painted yet. When you live in a very small town you must be sure to advise the paint stores of your imminent paint puchase. Otherwise you must wait 5 days while they order in the proper paint. So, in liu of beautiful yellow house pictures I will leave you with pictures of my beautiful garden, peonies and cat.

One step closer...

I have prioritized the house renos. So, my new studio space doesn't really get to be mine until Matt moves his stuff into the other space, this doesn't happen until after the house is painted. That should happen this weekend. Here are the photos of the house before. I LOVE turquoise but this is not working on this house. I will hopefully be posting the after photos or work in progress photos next week. While Matt paints, I am going to design business cards, brochures, studio layout, and colour scheme. I still need to have signs made, get permission from the town for my home business and get the website up and running. Oh yeah and then clean, paint and build display shelves for the new studio. Somewhere in there I have to find time to actually make some new stuff. I think the opening will be in October, fingers crossed.

My Studio

I love pictures, photography is also a passion, I love the window into other people's lives. So I will endeavor to include photos with each post. I love my little studio. It is sunny and bright and clean and in the middle of the flower garden. I am moving into a larger space at the front of the house which will eventually be open to the public as my gallery and I will miss my little studio amongst the flowers. Matt will be taking it over as his (much, much smaller) woodworking space. You know someone loves you when they are willing to give you their beautiful giant studio space so that you can follow your dream (and cover your financial butt should it all go to hell). He is a good man, I am a lucky woman.

My Work - non functional

2004 - Written on the Body - solo show
Art Gallery of Golden - 250-344-6186
A research project which culminated in a figurative sculptural exploration of the role and influence of the mass media on women’s body image. Hand-built stoneware, photocopy transfer technique, electric firing, smoke firing, raku firing.



2007 - We’ve Come A Long Way Baby? - solo show
Art Gallery of Golden - 250-344-6186
A ceramic exploration of common advertising images of women from
1920 through 2000 investigating the role of media and gender stereotyping.
Hand-built stoneware, glaze, underglaze, lazertrans decals.

Why?

Matt, my SO, asked me why I was keeping a blog. I find it always helps to clarify my ideas when someone questions what I am doing. So here are some of the reasons: I love reading ceramic and art blogs, I can't get enough and am always hoping that I will find a new one that I like. Hopefully, this blog will be enjoyed by someone other than myself. It is incredibly helpful to read that someone, somewhere is thinking in a similar fashion, that other people are having similar experiences. I am also posting all the inanities of my daily ceramic life to this blog to take some of the pressure off of my family and friends who don't necessarily want to hear about how many pot bottoms I've sanded, or how much I detest making handles. Finally I am writing this to have the process documented. In the rush and flurry of daily life I get lost in all the little details that happen. I want to be able to go back to the beginning of this all and see what it was like in the moment.

Leaping

New studio space, business cards, a blog and a website to come, makes me feel almost real. This is my attempt at following my dream. All income derived from ceramics and ceramic-based activities. Working in a production pottery, starting out with my own studio/gallery, teaching hand-building workshops and giving lessons in my studio. I hope it works, I'll keep you posted...

Photos to follow when I get it all figured out.