non-ceramics Christmas post

My father sent me a mystery present. All it said on the card was "Luv Dad, I didn't know." I couldn't figure it out until I opened it. My electric train set.


My electric train set, it was worth the 29 year wait, now all I need is a special room to build tunnels and villages...


Sexy working man in his new sexy work overalls. Mmmmmm, carhartts.


Matthew practicing his baby holding with one of the cutest babies in the world.


Christmas Eve dinner with friends. It was fun and we all had to head home at 11pm because NORAD told us that Santa was on his way to BC.

pricing conundrum

I'm pretty comfortable with the pricing on my functional pieces. I could raise the prices a bit, but now doesn't seem to be the time. I am making quite a few smaller pieces for this show as the smaller pieces seem to be the ones that people purchase. I have a really hard time pricing my art pieces. A lot of work goes into them and a lot of me personally goes into them. They are so much more than production pieces. So my question for you guys: Do you have any formulas or systems that you use to arrive at prices for your pieces? Either functional or non-functional pricing schemes. Help!

frost porcelain lantern forms

I started to work on the vessel portion of my upcoming show this week. I am happy with these lantern forms. The Frost porcelain is beautifully translucent when lit.


The text and image portion of the show is a little more challenging. There is so much I want to say and so many different aspects of woman as vessel that I can explore. I think I will spend next week researching more and letting ideas float around in my head.

Happy Holidays everyone!

pondering new forms, thinking warmth and light

It seems like quite a break to be in my studio only. I have been working full time in the schools again. I love it, but find it tiring when I return to my studio each evening and weekend to catch up for Christmas orders. Now it is holiday time. My only responsibility is to be in my studio until Christmas day. All of the orders are out, all of the extra pieces placed in the galleries and shops and I am just sitting in my gallery waiting for last minute shoppers. It is -30 outside so I am quite happy to be inside. I spent yesterday catching up on bookeeping and organizating the paperwork portion of my studio. Today is all about thinking. Thinking about my upcoming show which I need to finalize forms for. I am still floating around a lot of ideas. I start building the show pieces tomorrow so I have to come to some kind of a conclusion. With all the cold and dark around me I am leaning toward porcelain vessels that contain candles. I like the idea of the warmth and glow coming forth in a darkened room. Now I need to decide on the text and images to have on the cylinders. Hmmmmm

christmas meme

This meme comes from Gary Rith, a fabulous and friendly fellow potter.

1. What was the best present you've ever received?

A ride-on yellow duckie that my sister actually got. I, being the bigger (and apparently meaner) sister, pushed her off and rode it around myself. My family still mocks me about this...

2. What was the worst?

A barbie camper when what I really wanted was an electric train set. A great present, just not the train set I was dreaming about. Still have never received a train set (but I'm over it now).

3. What is something you really want this year for yourself?

A new camera body. To be specific a Pentax K200D digital SLR body that will fit all of my beautiful and unsurpassed by modern techonology lenses of old.

4. What is something you really want this year for someone else?

I would like little fairies to come and finish building my husband's workshop so that he can start his business.

5. What's your favorite Christmas memory?

This would be an amalgam of all of the Christmas's spent with my family at either my Grandma Kate and Grandpa Vic's farm in Vancouver, or at my Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Roy's beautiful brick house in Winnipeg. All of my family together, eating and playing games. Magical.

What are your answers?

new pots and new stamps

I opened the last kiln load before Christmas today and was very happy with the results. Here are the porcelain vases with the plant decals in matte copper.


Porcelain plant vases in Gary Cranberry (what a nice ring).


Large bowl (16 inch) in matte copper. I have a plant series going now. I have however run out of decals. This is a good thing as I need to start working on my show that is coming up. No production decals means that I shoud focus my energy on creating forms and text for May.

Squidly the bowl.

Some lovely new stamps from my friend Vanessa. Who knew that befriending a scrapbooker would have such great results? (Just kidding Vanessa, scrapbooking is totally cool, I mean it...really). I just mock it because I am no good at it.

winter wonderland (aka - no one can make it to Calgary)

The snow has been falling for two days steady now. It is beautiful and deep and means that a lot of people will be town doing their Christmas shopping this weekend...


I finally have something with a dragonfly on it. I get a lot of requests and had yet to find the perfect image. This one is it!


Spring flower decal mugs. I sold a lot of decalled ware at the last two craft faires. I am going to spend tomorrow scanning and printing new images.

The shelves are full but with no back up pieces. My best hope is that I will sell it all in the next month and can then get started working on my upcoming show and a new body of studio work.

Waiting for decals and then waiting for a place in the kiln.

revelstoke craft faire

When you can't afford to go to Hawaii, you go to Revelstoke. At least that's what we kept telling ourselves last weekend. Picture the above, but with a lot of snow...


Here is my sweetie, faithfully manning the display and spending the entire weekend with me, indoors, selling pots. He is a good man.


It was a good weekend, a lot slower than the Golden Craft Faire, and not nearly as warm as Hawaii. But good in it's own way.

oh it's been so long...

Much silliness ensued during the last weekend in November. My girlfriends and I met in Calgary for our annual weekend of debauchery. My girlfriends all debauched and I behaved myself...


This photo illustrates the reason for my good behaviour. In case you don't notice the bump, Tracy's finger is directing you to it.


However, the rest of the gang had no problems making up for my lack of craziness.

See, no silly face making this time.

I have a confession to make. I am no longer solely running my studio. I have taken a position with the School District again. So Monday to Friday I am in the schools full-time (self-employment doesn't offer maternity leave...). This would be the biggest reason for the lack of posts lately. Running a studio during the busiest time of the year AND a full-time job haven't left me a lot of time for posting. I will back at it on the weekends and as soon as the position ends.

crafty goodness part two

Holly Drage and Gray Johnson of Crimson Cat Creations. Holly makes beautiful lampwork and fused glass work. Her son Gray paints some extremely interesting paintings.


Sharma and Jane and their leather and felt creations.


And of course, a whole lot of cute baby hugging. Babies were everywhere at this craft faire.

crafty goodness

The craft faire was a success! Here is Miss Suzanne Cooper of Sexpots with her stunning display of sexy pottery.


The lovely Miss Tammy Castonguey of Rainbow Threads. She had a tent sent up and was busy stitching as people shopped.


The ever enthusiastic Misses Risa and Jada with their collection of jewelry, vessels and Christmas ornaments.

My display was two tables long, so it neede to be shot in parts.

The turquoise mugs and most of the decal bowls went right away. Sales were somewhat down from last year although still worth spending the weekend. Everyone seemed happy with the weekend. I am tired and will save my energy for another two weeks before we hit the Revelstoke craft faire.

more pretty things

Risa's vessels.


Turquoise beauties.


Bug bowls.


Jellyfish undersea mugs.

Bulbs.

pretty things

Special order compost jar.


Jug with my new glaze.


Saki set with red glaze and floral decal.


My favorite, undersea squid.


Octopi.

phew

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful things came out of my kiln today. I will take more photos later in the week when I am sanding and pricing.


The second 2/3rds of the ski hill order...


And the rest of them. Yay! Handles and stamping on Tuesday and then they need to dry. Glad that it is (mostly) done.

Christmas Craft Faire

The craft faire begins this Friday at noon. I am mostly ready. I need to do one more bisque, 3 more glaze and 1 more decal firings. I will not have enough days, so some stuff will just have to be sold out of the studio or at the Revelstoke Hand Made Parade at the end of November. I will spend all of Thursday night packing and boxing up all the pieces.


My daughter's beautiful vases waiting to go in the glaze kiln. She made, glazed and decorated these herself. I am excited!


The first third of the ski hill mug order was glazed today and will go in the kiln next week. Tomorrow the other 2/3rds will be thrown and then stamped/handled on Monday or Tuesday. The studio is starting to get really chilly now and we are supposed to have snow by Thursday.