Perfect, pretty, clean, and some new stuff

^5 thrown & sgraffito

Since this is my last week of working in wet clay, I am frantically taking full advantage of the ceramics studio. I heard we are supposed to have a 300-lb. limit of clay. I have no idea how much I've used but I do know it's been a lot. The last class is April 18 so after this week I'll just be glazing and finishing my pieces. This won't require too much of my time so I'll be able to turn my focus on my gardens, catching up with friends and getting set up in my future pottery studio. Perfect timing!

^10 thrown & altered

Last week I broke down and purchased an iPhone4. For someone who never even bothered turning their cell on, this is quite an upgrade. I had been considering an iPod Touch so I could get music and Wi-Fi access but realized I really wanted was anywhere access, iTunes, text messaging, a camera (with optional flash) and a phone. I am now accessible, can make hands-free calls in my car and have an iPod
in my phone. Pretty cool!

Now the downside of this purchase was that my MacBook Pro's operating system was too old to run the newest iTunes which was on the iPhone. This necessitated an installation of the Snow Leopard OS. I had actually installed it before. I had purchased it years ago only to find that the printer-drivers were not yet available for my printer and had to revert to the original OS. So last week I tried to upgrade the system again. Long story short, apparently this caused my hard drive to crash beyond repair losing everything. Aggravation and $230 later, I now have the most current hard drive with about twice the space I had previously. I believe I now have all my apps re-loaded. Clean slate!

^10 thrown & carved

Tim spent today photographing Julie's new wood-fired pots plus a sampling of my latest work done at the art museum. Here's some new stuff of mine.

Is it spring yet?

Who else is ready? Some positive signs—it's finally March and Daylight Savings Time starts in 11 days on March 13, followed by the first day of spring on the 20th. The 577 community gardeners also gathered on Sunday for the annual garden meeting. Although I did not attend, Tim, my favorite garden assistant, attended on our behalf. And where was I? Where else have I been nearly every day for over a month?

Making pots at the museum ceramics studio. Not sure if I have ever been this consumed with an activity before. Definitely being obsessive-compulsive about attempting to perfect this craft. I am also trying to
take advantage of the facility by using the equipment/materials and learning as much as possible while enrolled in this class. I've met some really good and creative people there and I'll miss seeing them when I'm done there.

I still manage to get over to the 577 pottery barn every once in a while. It's always nice to see those friends and getting there is never an issue when the weather is bad. There, I have been exploring different designs and techniques with small wall plaques (tiles). One of these days I'd like Tim to take some photos to document my progress then I'll post them.

Made another visit to the site of my future studio in BG—now named,
the Manabigama Pottery Center. Tiffany and John have accomplished so much in such a short time. Chris J. and I finally found a good day to go down there and we both returned with some great wood-fired pots
of John's.

Vicki's potager class is this month. This should really push me into garden planning and re-directing some of my focus. As of now, I just know I'm growing eggplant (my assignment) for the food bank.

Baby, it's cold outside

In case you missed this photo on Facebook.

We were fortunate and escaped the worst of the snow. It's also a good thing to have a snow blower and a spouse who willingly takes on the job of clearing the driveway, walks and dog paths. Ben and Jerry have become truly house dogs and dislike the snow and cold and really couldn't manage without those paths. They're ready for spring. Something else to be grateful for—not having to get up and drive to work when it's a mess outside!

Ben, the photogenic one.

Just signed up for a potager class in March with Vicki, the 577 horticulturist, and bought tickets to go to Florida in March with Becky for our annual trip. This year we are visiting college friends, Terri and Bob, in Cape Coral, near Fort Myers. It's been about 30 years since I've seen Terri and about 20 since Bob came out this way. It's my year for reunions. These events will be my harbingers of spring.

Love my shelves!

Christopher finished my shelves in record time and I'm thrilled with the way they transform the dining room. More floor space to walk around without the buffet and the wall I never knew how to fill can now hold more than I imagined. Prudent editing will be the key to a good display so I am slowly filling the shelves.

Classes began again at the art museum and I plunged right back into the porcelain clay. It was good to see the same classmates have returned. When I have my own studio space, I will miss the camaraderie here and at 577. I think of that while I ponder on which wheel to buy. I've narrowed it down to 2 brands—Brent or Shimpo. Hmm. Meanwhile, Tiffany and John have been busy building the Manabigama wood kiln at my
future digs.

Never thought the east coast would get more snow than here. My mom says they got 19 inches the other night and I heard more is on the way. Yuk!

It had been 40 years…

My friend Ami

This week I ventured to Chicago to meet a friend I hadn't seen since 1971. Ami had been a really close friend when we were in both junior high and high school in New York. Going away to college and living in different states, we drifted apart only to find each other on Facebook just this past year. Not knowing how much we changed was our only gamble. We each got our own nice rooms at the Knickerbocker Hotel near Water Tower Place. It had been my first trip on the Megabus, which turned out to be the way to go, a cheap and stress-free way to travel. We had a wonderful time catching up, dining, window shopping on Michigan Ave., plus we spent a few hours in the new modern wing of the Chicago Art Institute. We also enjoyed a nice dinner at Carnivale, a Latin American restaurant in the Fulton Market area. It was recommended to us by the grown daughter of one of my college boyfriends (small world stuff). We had a wonderful time and hopefully I will visit her sometime at her home in Madison, Wisc., when the weather is warmer.

A wood-fired pot I bought
from John Thies 

Also this week I got together with Tiffany (a friend and my dogs' vet) to check out the new studio of her and her boyfriend, John. Located just north of Bowling Green on Bishop Rd., they are creating Manabigama Pottery, what will soon be a wonderful ceramics studio complete with wood-fired kilns. John is a great potter and also the designer of the wood kiln at the 577 Foundation. It is my plan to rent a space there starting in sometime in late March or April. I am currently checking out prices and getting ready to purchase by own potter's wheel. Pretty exciting! Meanwhile, my ceramics class at the art museum starts up
 again on the 24th.

Another home improvement is underway in the dining room. Christopher is currently working on a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall built-in bookcase. It is my latest brainstorm that he has been able to bring to fruition in our home. Tim has assisted in painting and I believe is equally excited about the project. Photo to come.

The holidays are here

My hard work is now behind me. This past Saturday we hosted our annual pre-Christmas family get-together. Since we are not going to NY for Christmas, I made brunch instead of the usual dinner because we'll have dinner with the same family members on Christmas day. It came off without a hitch, ham & broccoli strata, sweet potato bisque, pumpkin & chocolate chip mini-muffins, fruit & cheese and a Bob Evans French Silk Chocolate Pie.

This has left this week to gift wrapping, passing out gifts and a little holiday baking. Merry Christmas! The dogs are happy that they are not spending the holidays being boarded.

Ho, ho ho!

Our "Nature's Bounty" tree adorned with vintage Radko
fruit, vegetable and nut ornaments, and glass icicles.

It's finally beginning to look like Christmas in our household. It was a busy weekend. On Saturday, Tim and I went out to buy a Frasier fir tree and had brunch at a new local diner-type place. After that, I was off to a Saturday pottery class, "Slips and Engobes." Then Barb and I snuck out of class a little early to go over to Kelly Savino's Holiday Pottery Sale. That evening Tim and I went over to the mall for a little gift shopping and dinner. When we returned, I then spent five hours getting the tree decorated. I was finally done at 3 a.m.

My nature-themed wreath

On Sunday, a few friends and myself took a holiday wreath class with Vicki Gallagher, the horticulturist at the 577. A fun afternoon and I believe we all went home pleased with our little projects.

Sgraffito sells!

Green and brown sgraffito pots. Photos courtesy of Tim.

Well it couldn't have turned out better! This past Friday and Saturday was the annual holiday pottery sale at the TMA ceramics studio. I wished I had my camera, there was a lot of nice work of fellow potters and decent crowds. This was the first time I tested the market with my pottery. Made $349, all but five pieces sold. Twenty of my pieces were my "signature" sgraffito porcelain pots. Barb says this style is my niche and they all sold the first day. All, except two of them, I considered to be test pieces or "seconds," so many were priced to sell. I am thrilled although I now may be short on pottery gifts this year. This really has given me the confidence to continue in this direction, yes!

New work (not sgraffito).

Girls Night Out

New work: Bunny Hop

After this past week of trying to get some new prints finished and framed for the GNO yesterday and the Holiday Open House at Angelwood Gallery this weekend, my diligence paid off. Yesterday Nicki, a pottery/ vet friend, purchased the print I made after she had provided an inspiration photo of a Great Dane. It's so nice that I receive the support from many of my pottery pals. I had hoped to get two other images finished, however the ink was too slow in drying.

It was a fun night where I got to hang out with Linda S, Bonnie, Barb B, Julie B and Nadia all in one fun spot. The gallery also looked great with lots of nice stuff. We all left with something for ourselves and a few gifts. Linda and I also had a pleasant dinner beforehand at Smedlap Smithy's in Waterville. It seems she's found the perfect flexible job to keep her hands in things.

Now I'm getting ready for the Studio Pottery Sale at the Museum next week on "Black Friday" and Saturday. My dining table is currently covered with pots that I hope will sell. Otherwise, everyone knows what they will be getting for Christmas.

My 4th Wood Kiln Firing

Unloading the kiln on Wednesday evening. Pots still covered with ash.

My bunny and Julie's vase.

This past Saturday we fired up the Manabigama kiln at the 577 Foundation. Despite the cool weather, the kiln, wood firepit, food and camaraderie kept us all content. Turkey breast, Jerusalem artichokes, baked potatoes and bread were all cooked wood coals. It was all good.

My pal Barb with her siren pitcher.

While it might not have been the most successful firing in terms of everyone's results, there were still quite a few beautiful pieces. I believe the kiln did not reach the desired temperature toward the back.  Not a big issue, some of mine I will re-fire in a future firing.

Not the most flattering photo, here are just some of the group with
Julie (in the shark headdress), our fearless leader.

More of the same

Busy, busy, busy—with clay of course. Just found out that next Monday is supposed to be our last day of starting any new wet clay work. This seems a little early considering the last class is Dec. 1. Apparently if it has been started, we can continue finishing, so I will be throwing like a crazy potter this week. At least we're able to get into the studio 6 days a week. I have been throwing so much that the clay has sucked out the oil out of my hands so I have severe dish-pan hands.

My thought is the more I can get done, the more I'll have to sell. I have been somewhat pleased using the museum's glazes, clay bodies and slips. Of course, I'm highly critical of my work and still see much room for improvement and development but I am progressing. Spring museum classes don't begin until Jan. 24.

I'm running out of time in terms of getting new print work done
for the holidays. Perhaps if I get a dehumidifier in my studio the ink
will dry faster on my prints. I have a couple of new promising pieces in the works.

Not sure where all the kids came from on Halloween but we ran out of candy by 6:45. We didn't buy that much but we normally don't get that as many as we had this year. So it was lights out and out for dinner. Looking forward to seeing Elaine and Bonnie tomorrow for a GNO in Perrysburg, dinner at Stella's and some holiday open houses.

Another wood kiln firing this weekend at 577! These are always fun. More pottery I can't sell so hopefully they will make nice gifts.

Life is good…

but it has been very busy since my last posting. There simply aren't enough hours in a day to do all I want to do. Then suddenly it's 3 a.m. and I just make myself go to sleep so I can wake up around 9-ish. This week I put in a lot of hours at the museum (TMA) and a few at 577. I've also been bringing home pots from TMA to sgraffito (scratch designs on) and cutting linoleums for prints late into the night. Both the TMA Pottery Studio Sale and Holiday Angelwood Gallery show dates are looming and I need to get as much new stuff done for them. Being able to sell pottery will be a first for me.

Also next month is another 577 wood kiln firing and I'm almost finished getting things ready for that. This week I also put some pieces in the UT/TMA wood kiln firing at 577 since they had extra space. However I wished I had gotten some new things made, instead I put in things I had made at 577 that I wasn't particularly crazy about. The all-day firing is today. Fortunately I am not required to be there but I'll certainly be there for the unloading next week.

I am feeling obsessed about pottery, it consumes me. There is so much I want to accomplish but there is such a delay (weeks) in knowing if something is working or not because there are so many steps in the process where things can go wrong. So the more I do, my odds improve that there will be some gratification in the end. My results recently were split 50/50 between success/failure. I'm still figuring out what glazes, underglazes and slips will work for my pieces. I need Tim to take some new photos for me.

Last week I enjoyed a pleasant girls night out with Linda S. and Bonnie. We explored a few little shops in BG, Helena and Pemberville. We hope to do something like that again soon.

Nothing could top the time Tim and I had at the Eagles concert this past Wednesday evening. It was a birthday gift for Tim which I got to thoroughly enjoy. They were just fabulous, our seats on the side stage were so close we could see it all and they couldn't have sounded better. Don Henley, who has always been my fave, was perfection and Joe Walsh was the hard rocker of the group was also exceptional. The full-house audience knew every song except for 4 songs off their latest CD. The title track, Long Road Out of Eden was one of the great new Henley songs. They didn't get to sing every one of their hits because there have been so many although they played for 3 hours. Just momentous.