Freedom Fest 2014 - Fort Kent, Maine

In exactly ONE MONTH, you want to make sure you are in Fort Kent, Maine!  For what, you may ask?  Why FREEDOM FEST, of course!  This event holds a near and dear place to my heart.  It is an outdoor concert to raise money for a Veteran Museum and Community Center to be built in Aroostook County, Maine.  This event is a joint project of Martin-Klein American Legion Post 133 and the Fort Kent Historical Society, and has been in the works for nearly a year.  Why should you make the trek out, you ask?  

July 4 2014 - As I Remember It

The day started off quite nicely.  Made some deviled eggs while the hubby prepared the meat for the burgers and we awaited the arrival of a good friend of ours who would be joining us for a small little barbeque.  Dinner went according to plan.  The evening was peaceful...until 2130.  That's when our small little village of a town decided to light off their fireworks display from less than 1/4 mile from our house.  No warning, no little baby fireworks to get the show started...but the big loud BOOM ones.  That is the first time in a LONG time, I've actually jumped up from my chair where I was sitting outside and tried diving for cover.  My heartbeat easily doubled, my chest felt tight, and I remembered the last time in Iraq that my base had been
mortared...

Artist Statement

Regardless of what your artistic medium is...it appears that an "artist statement" is nearly a requirement for every artists' portfolio.  I have been doing lots of reading of various books and articles on what I need to do to get my art out into the world.  I know I have a voice worth hearing; it's just a matter of continuing to hone my skills as a ceramic sculptor and preparing for when the day comes that I feel I am good enough to apply for an exhibition.  

How To Train Your (clay) Dragon

Good morning ladies and gents!  This last week, my studio has been over run by dragons of varying sizes, types, and shapes!  No...I'm not a huge Game of Thrones fan... though I'm looking forward to reading the books before I watch the series...  I DO love the movie How To Train Your Dragon...very cute indeed.  Waiting for the second one to come out on DVD so I can watch it (I can't go to the theaters...I would end up doing the funky chicken in no time).  So what's up with all the dragons, you ask?  WELL...A good friend of mine suggested I sculpt a dragon, to get out of my current comfort zone of where my sculptures have been going.  So, once Lady Liberty was done, I figured I would do just that!  What I discovered is that I really LOVE sculpting these fun little mythical creatures!!!  In the last week, I've created 3, each one quite different from the next.  I've also created a habitat/home for them, which just helps to set the mood, I believe.  Each sculpture has at least one "loose" item, so that the viewer/new owner can set up the habitat/nest anyway they like; an interactive sculpture if you will.  

Lady Liberty

There are days when the creative "mojo" seems to flow from my mind/heart effortlessly.  Then there are other days where I get stuck, can't decide where to go next.  The latter happened on a sculpture I just recently finished.  I refer to it/her as Lady Liberty, because I haven't nailed down a title worthy of the piece.  I started this sculpture way back in September of 2013...Got the head done, and then wrapped her up.  To be finished about a week ago.  I wasn't sure what I wanted her to say.  I had a general idea, but not specifics.  So she sat....and sat....and sat.  Until inspiration re-struck.  She says what my words cannot.  What MANY of my brothers and sisters in arms are unable to say.  Her tears are those for all Soldiers and their loved ones.  She is slowly drowning in the tears she sheds for her country.  I don't want to say too much, as I plan on unveiling the finished sculpture at the Freedom Fest Concert in Fort Kent, Maine, on August 9, 2014.  But I did want to give you all a sneak peak.   So keep scrolling, and follow my "in progress" pictures of how she has evolved.  Would love to hear your thoughts!

Studio Fruit Basket Upset

Yes, you read that right...a fruit basket upset.  It's a term I grew up hearing from my mother.  Anytime the furniture in a room got rearranged, it was a "fruit basket upset".  I've been making due with my old studio set up because I thought we would be moving this summer and didn't want to do the extra work.  The way life has it, we will be staying in our current location for another year, so I decided to better my studio.  It was functional before...but as my sales increased and the business grew...and my health deteriorated, I can no longer throw. 99% of my work is now handbuilt from slabs of clay.  So the wheel (sadly) has just been collecting dust, and the studio was getting cluttered.  It took me 4 days..but I finally have it done...and I love it!  SO much more user friendly!  Here is what it used to look like:

   

Spring Cleaning

FINALLY!!  That white stuff is starting to disappear from this northern Maine woods local.  There are still a few areas where the sun doesn't always hit by the treeline that the snow clings to, but thankfully it looks like Spring is here to stay!! *knock on wood*  That being said...I have been grossly negligent in my blog writing...in studio production.. in quite a few things actually.  I've been preoccupied with medical appointments, disappointing and infuriating doctors, house hunting, disappointment from said house hunting, and of course that strange yellow thing high up in the sky.  The last several days, I've been outside as much as possible, soaking up some vitamin D...neglecting the raw clay in my studio that has been calling out my name.  "Shaaaaawna....cooooome baaaaack"  The more I procrastinate, the longer my to do list gets, the more daunting and overwhelming it seems, and the less I want to do any of it!  AHHHHH  The never ending cycle, right?  haha

So what do YOU do to counteract spring/cabin fever?  How do you motivate yourself to get up and get goin' when it's gorgeous outside?

Looking forward to this, this spring/summer!!!

Darting - The Ceramic Way (tutorial)

Good evening one and all!  I hope you are doing well!  My sleep schedule is all flipped around and I'm up at night while the rest of the US is sleeping (unless of course you're working night shift...).  So last night, I made my first ever video tutorial!  I have been experimenting with darting at the foot/bottom of a ceramic mug and really love the form I've been able to create. I thought I would share with you the video that I published on YouTube for this tutorial. 

...Must Be Nice...

So today's post is a little different than some of my other ones.  More about the "life of" rather than pottery/ceramics.  We meet new people, or even those that have been in our life for a while...and this one comment is almost always muttered, "It must be nice to not have to work and be able to stay home all day."  Or at least something to that extent.  Most people utter it as a result of ignorance - they really have NO idea what my/our day to day life is truly like.  So for those that don't know what it's like, I thought I'd give you an idea.  :)

Dreams, Goals, Ambitions

Hubby and I just got done having a conversation that is rather thought provoking. He asked me what my goals were with my business. Well to make money of course was the first joking remark. But in all actuality...I want to completely move over to sculpting. Still make some of the small odds and ends when I need a break..and they make GREAT kiln fillers so there's no wasted space...but I want to sculpt. I want my sculptures to have meaning and for those messages to be embraced by the world. I want the message that my sculptures emote to be known throughout the world. Quite a lofty goal, no? But that's me...dream big! I know it won't happen over night. And it may not happen in the next 10 years. But by golly...It WILL happen. :)

Horse Treasure Box - Part I

My nieces birthday was last week... she turned 9.  We had a lovely Skype session and I got tell her Happy Birthday from auntie in person.  My sister and I have been conspiring on an ultra special gift for her....thus the horse treasure box was born.  It will be late...but we put the notion in her head that something AMAZING was being made JUST. FOR. HER.  She was pretty excited, and doesn't know I'm the one making it.  As a result...I started playing around with carving relief tiles that are later assembled into a box...O.M.G.  I LOVE it!

Cleaning My Pugmill - Part I

Have you ever cleaned a pugmill?  I hadn't..until tonight.   I can now see why potters will pick a single type/color of clay to work with.  I have a dark brown clay, a speckled buff clay, and a white clay that I work with.  What can I say, I liked diversity...  But I'm finding out it can be a pain in the ass when it comes to wanting to reclaim my scrap clay using my Peter Pugger Pugmill.  Currently, I have a mixture of clay scraps that I've been reclaiming in my pugmill. It's roughly 50/50 of the white stoneware and the buff speckled clay.  BUT...I want to start working more on my sculptures, and through research, have found that paperclay might work best for me.  So I'm going to make some (another blog post to come, detailing that process...so stay tuned!).  But in order to get ready to make said paperclay...I need to clean out the pugmill so I can get all the colored clay out of the hopper, so I can mix some white paperclay.  :)  

Intuit Marketing Contest

I know it's been a while...my health has been kicking my ass.  Sitting here with my TENS unit on, my back is finally starting to feel better, and I just might be able to get my hands in clay before I fall asleep tonight. :)

While I've been sitting here, I found and entered a contest Intuit is having.  It's to win a $5,000 marketing package.  It would help get my name out there and hopefully grow my business.  I would LOVE your support!  If you would be willing to take five minutes to vote for my shop, and spread the word along to your networks, I would GREATLY appreciate it my friends! 

Here is the link:

https://sblb.intuit.com/me/JSB-Arts/5890/us

http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/

2014 Goals - 1 Down, 13 to Go!

At the beginning of the year, I created a page for my 2014 Business Goals, to not only help me keep track of the goals I set for myself; but also so ya'll can help keep me accountable.  One way to almost always achieve your goals, regardless of what they are, is to share it with loved ones, friends, and/or the public.  Once you've put anything out there for the public to see...there is an innate pressure to uphold your end of the bargain.

Energy Drought

For the last month, my energy reserves have been non existent.  It seems like fatigue has been my middle name, AND the name of the game.  I just cannot seem to get out of my own way.  Which is proving to be a problem.  I haven't been in the studio to create in well over a week. :(  I yearn to have my hands in clay... my soul cries out for the release.  
  

Floorplan Dilema

A very early mornin to ya!  :)  Wide awake at 0300 in the morning, so I've been working on my book.  Debbie Appleby of Appleby Pottery was one of the first potters to respond to my request of information.  So I've used her questionnaire and photos to piece together her home/garage studio.  Tonight, I've spent the time playin' with a new program (that's FREE) called Sweet Home 3D to work on the blueprints and/or floor plans of the example studios that will be included in my book.  But here is my quandary... I'm not sure which version/style to include in the book...

Still Writing...

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned I was writing a book (You can read up on it HERE- Crafting Your Creative Space)  Well, I'm still writing. :-)  I know that's not abnormal by any stretch of the imagination...but I'm learning that it is MUCH more involved than I initially thought.  I want to do it RIGHT.  so I'm doing lots of research and less writing at the moment.  Connecting with other ceramic artists/potters, health care professionals, and colleagues.  

 

Finding the Light

 I know a lot of people have been struggling with personal issues.  Be it health, financial, occupational, or all of the above; it can be difficult to believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.  A colleague shared this saying with a group of us, and I found it quite fitting.  I hope it offers you the ability to look inside yourself and embrace the simplicity of it.

Working Together

I know I talk rather frequently about the Etsy Maine Team, but it is full of some really amazing folks.  The artists and crafts people that are members of the Etsy Maine Team really exhibit what we believe a person from Maine should be like.  Kind, caring, hard working, and willing to help out your neighbor.  This mentality has led to several collaborations between myself and two other very talented women:  Sue from Country Folk Soap, and Alicia from Sally Bateau.

Crafting Your Creative Space...Almost

Hey there!  I have been looking high and low for a book to help me better set up my home pottery studio.  I have unique needs, and was hoping someone out there had written about how to alter your space to accommodate for a variety of disabilities...Guess what...they haven't!  Crazy, I know...So guess what that means?  I have taken on the project.  

I'M WRITING A BOOK!!!