I so fail at internets

Well now... again it has been ages, again I am sorry, and again I promise to try and be here more often.

I hope that everyone out there is having a lovely Winter-Holiday-of-choice. I am making quite a few of my own presents, as I do most years. This time however I'm not also at Uni full time so I have the luxury of time in the making of them.

I have some exciting new years news, But I think I'll leave it till then. Merry New Year everyone!

Back from the Dead! well sort of...

Hello again old friend, I think I really owe you an apology. It has been a long time since I have been here. In the seven months since my last post I have moved to the beautiful Annapolis valley, mended a crushed soul, and realized that some promises are better broken .

I am currently drawing and painting fairly consistantly, still aching for a ceramic studio... but everything in time.
I have also finally made the leap into Etsy, and am working on a business plan for a studio of my own.

Things are rolling again, and I promise to do my best to keep them that way from now on.

Dont tempt me Etsy.

Are you familiar with Etsy? If not please go check it out here
They run a regular feature on their blog entitled Quit your Day Job. Every time I read one of these articles I am liking the idea more and more.
I've spent all morning designing a theoretical studio space and I have shelves full of ceramic work that I would love to sell, with more being produced every week. I dream of ceramics all day while I am at work, and my day job is looking pracariously close to the edge of no longer exhisting.

So what is stopping me from setting up shop? I've had a website "in development" for months now, and I've got hundreds of pages of notes and lists, books, advice etc.

I am afraid of failing to make money, or making enough money, and it hurts to admit that this is what is holding me back from being truely happy. Slow little steps that I am taking today will get me to running my own business someday, I just wish I had the guts to make the leap, instead of climbing all the way there petrified.

Spring ahead

I'm still procrastinating on putting up my website, I'm still fussing around with the forms of my cup line, and I'm still looking for another day job. But you know what? Spring is so close I can taste it.

The birds are back and singing in the mornings, the sun has woken from its hibernation and a deluge of ideas, excitement and energy is upon me. I'm making lists of little things that I can do to move things forward, small manageable steps towards a focused business plan in the creative and the logical/finacial sense.
This lovely vase is from Jasna Sokolovic
who has a great illustration / ceramic surface thing happening.

Have a lovely day!

Spring pots

This has been an exciting and productive couple of weeks. I've decided on a few forms and started producing cups. I still have to pin down loads of details, but cups are great for that, quick, small three dimensional and functional. They will point out any faults in the clay, glaze or firing process without eating up huge amounts of time.

I am also working out a series of visuals that will appear on this functional series, I find the most difficult part is to decide on what I want and then to produce it in a consistant way. That is my goal for the next two months. I will try and reign in the creative outburst of spring to get me closer to my goals.

I'll leave you with a photo from Bibbi Forsman's blog that has been tempting me from my pots towards mosaic work. Lovely lovely

Where did February go?

I cannot believe that this month is almost over, February always seems so short, though really it is only a few days under a "real" month. My tendency to hibernate in the winter does not help matters I am sure.

There has been some slow progress in the studio, I am hopeful that this next kiln load will have some real winners that I am proud to start selling. I've got my eyes on a few "bricks and mortar" shops as well as some online venues. I am still honing my skill at repeating the same form and having consistent wall thickness etc. and would like to have that as well as glaze fit fully under control before I let these little cups out into the world. I am getting close, but I won't quit my day job just yet.

Until next time blogland!

Inklings of illustrated ceramics

One of the major ideas bouncing around in my brain at the moment is a dinner service that tells a story when presented together. Not with words, but with images, Scraffito drawings mostly and maybe some simple drawing transfers. I'm thinking that the back of each piece may have some text, stating the person, object or action on the face side, similar to the way that tarot cards have text, but do not explain fully, and the meaning depends on context and interpretation.

I have been looking at a number of lovely ceramic artists that use the techniques and style that I'm looking for in this project.

Ayumi Horie

Ron Philbeck

Julia Galloway

Diana Fayt

I hope you enjoy them.

Dreaming about the Studio

Not much to report today, I had planned to make some cups to illustrate today, but as I was heading to the bus stop I slipped and fell on some ice into a pile of salt. (Had it been scattered and not dumped in a pile, it would have melted said ice.) I managed to sustain a number of cuts and gashes on my hand, so no clay time for me today. Instead I am dreaming up a huge future project.

Also I am working on a header image. I'm posting the current favorites, one is classy but lacks colour, the other is maybe a little busy, I'll see if anything else pops up tonight.

Brain Storm... its windy in here!

Well the time is upon me to submit photos and information for the NSCAD graduation catalog.
Unfortunately I am having a hard time concentrating on this specific task.

My brain is much too busy dreaming up new methods of displaying my current sculpture work and the design for a functional line of products I would feel good about recreating again and again. That along with drumming up a new source of employment and spontaneous songs (while cooking, doing menial tasks at work) etc..

Conscious thought is one baby step at a time right now as there is such a storm on the back burner. Wish me luck.

Here is a little sketch, I been doing pages of these a day, I can't even finish a thumbnail before some new idea comes barging in. Whew

Feeling good

Nothing all that exciting to say today, except that despite all sorts of factors with huge potential to bring me down, and a few actively pursuing this. I am feeling good about life in general.

Thank you friends, family, husband... and Radio 3

New work is currently setting up in the studio, photos soon.

PS. for some quality tunes, check out The Weakerthans
Virtue the cat explains her departure you save my sanity at least twice a day.

Gradshow Post, better late than never

I'm still trying to get an online album set up. But in the meantime I figure it is a good time to do that blog post that I've been promising myself.

My first solo show, as I am sure many are was a big learning experiance. Trying to figure out timelines and priorities, while making new work and keeping up with school and a day job was too much. If I could do it again I would try and simplify the aspects that were presented and draw more attention to the central idea of the work. Not that I'm sure how that would have worked.

I still have not settled my inner debate about gallery food. Being married to a chef gives me an advantage o great food. But on opening night I feel it really took the focus away from the work I was showing. Plus work on the floor gets lost in a crowded opening, and while that is only one night of the exhibition, many of the people who come to opening night do not come back for a second look.

Also the sound feature I was dreaming of would have added a bigger presence to the work.

Anyway enjoy these few photos and I'll put up a link to the album when it is done.

Decisions, decisions

I've got a big decision looming, ah how to decide, which way to go?

And yet I am hoping that the decision does not get made for me, as either outcome could be equally unplesant.

Wish me luck

Must . not. hibernate...... zzzz

Just the basic task of staying awake seems to be a struggle these days. Winter has always been this way for me.

In other news I made a few cups and bowls this week. I really need to work on consistancy but first I want to find a set of shapes that I like so I can devellop them into a line of work. I've got all sorts of ideas for deco. It is just the forms that I need to decide on.

Also I need to do a gradshow post. But that will wait until tomorrow... I hope to feel more alive then.

nighty night....