Production Mania
In just a few minutes I’m off to raku fire (outside, in the cold :() but before I go, I thought I’d post some pictures of what’s been keeping me busy in the studio lately. It’s been nuts lately with 12-hr days and little time to myself because, in the midst of putting in extra hours at the desk job and the end of basketball season and fundraising sales for Isabella’s school and the truck needing a new alternator AND new battery and a bit of shopping and not getting a live Christmas tree because I’m always so conflicted, I thought it might be nice to have a dozen or so new landscape tiles for my Live Clay Etsy shop as well as something special to list just for the holidays (I tried to do this earlier, like in July, but you just never know when inspiration is going to strike and in this case it struck precisely on December 2 when I realized that I’d forgotten to bring in poor, now-dead Last Year’s Poinsettia which had spent a triumphant summer under the apricot tree, I just can’t bear to throw them away) which turned out to be blossom bowls because I’ll tell you, when it’s cold and dark and December 21 the shortest-day-of-the-year is still off in the distance… I think flowers.
I love looking at work before the final firing because they don’t always make it… cracks, glaze snafus, kiln misfirings, misalignment of the stars. I always thank my equipment and the elements before raku firing.
I wonder how many of these pieces will turn out? Unfortunately, this tiny urn didn’t fare so well due to moisture trapped in the foot. It was an “extra,” in case the first one doesn’t survive the raku firing. Wish me luck.
That’s the thing: for every one piece that makes it to a gallery or store, there was time, effort, and emotion (not to mention 20 years experience) invested in others that didn’t survive one of the many trials and tribulations faced by an emergent piece of ceramic art. I hope people realize that when they wonder why a piece is priced the way it is.
So, here we are. I hope you are having a wonderful and busy That Time of Year Again. I will leave you with my 2011 Christmas card, a picture I took of a painting at the Oloffson Hotel, presumably of The Last Supper (click to enlarge). It’s a perfect example of the way Christian traditions were absorbed into native religion. I especially love the spirits in the trees, cats under the table, and the girl feeding a mango to a bird. Makes for a much more festive Last Supper, don’t you think? The message I wrote inside is, simply, CELEBRATE. Thanks for reading, and see you next year.
Live Clay 
Wow, total wow. I like the wall plaques. They’re beautiful, the shade is beautiful, and the way they are placed. Beautiful art.
Happy New Year! 🙂
Thank you! The colors change quite a bit during firing, so it’s always interesting to see the ‘before & after’. Happy New Year to you as well!