Shoutout to Kerin of Pipsqueaks!

I know I've said it before...but I'll say it again... I really LOVE the Etsy Maine Team.  Why, you may ask?  Because I have the opportunity to "meet" (even if just virtually for the near future) so many wonderfully talented individuals!  We are all crafty in our own way, and seeing others' artistic/creative expressions has always been an inspiration for me.  We all have our back story.. and if you "listen" closely, you can decipher some of it in by the quality of craftsmanship in our wares.  

 Without further adieu....meet Kerin!

Tuesday Tips - Pushing Through the Pain

Good morning! And yes, it's technically morning at 12:45 am on Tuesday.  Currently, I am laying in bed with my legs up, my heating pad on my back turned on, listening to the clicking sounds of my kiln running.  Today started out a little later than it probably should have..

For the last week, to be perfectly honest, I have felt like shit.  I haven't been able to do a whole lot in the studio which has significantly set me back.  I have my very first big event that I'm doing solo to get ready for.  I have heard that "Hallowell Days" is a big deal, and the gift shop, Autumn Equinox, that I have some items at on consignment, invited me down to have a table during this event.  So of course I'm going!!  She gave me some suggestions about what she thought would go over really well... I had some ideas of my own floating around in my head...and then nothing... I was laid up in bed...and did I mention that the event is this weekend?  On Saturday...  I know what you're thinking... Plenty of time to run both a bisque and glaze kiln..right?  NOPE.   Has to be ready by Thursday morning for reasons that may get expanded on in a later post.  So I've gotta get this kiln unloaded, hopefully early tomorrow night (it's a bisque load), glaze all the necessity items, load the kiln, and hopefully have it cooled by Wednesday night/Thursday morning.  OY.

 

So my day.... I woke up at 11ish...snuggled with my punkerhead for a bit... got out of bed, made coffee...surfed around on FB and played my Smurf game (on my iPad... I love that game!  hehe)..while my head cleared.  Finally around 2pm, I went to "work".  Rolled out some clay, finished off some pieces, worked on my sculpture some...which hind sight would tell me that I could have used that 1.5 hours making stuff and getting it outside in the hot sun to dry..  but oh well.  Finally, at 2300 (11 pm), I got the kiln loaded as full as it was going to get, and started it.  I do have some bisque ware already waiting to be glazed, so while the kiln is cooling, I can be doing something productive at least.

But my point to all this rambling...is I HURT.  Sometimes "work" just isn't fun.  Even though pottery is my passion, my therapy for a myriad of things, I also treat it as my job.  I would love nothing more than to be able to support my family with my art.  That would give me the greatest joy!  This show means a lot to me.  I REALLY want to do well, take down some quality pieces, network, connect..all that good stuff.  So I pushed myself a helluva lot harder than I probably should have today.  And I am definitely paying for it tonight.  But it is worth it.  "No pain, no gain", right?  :)  No matter what you have to push through, or mountain you may climb; when your business seems like a struggle and you just want to give up.  Don't.  Those are the times when you have to keep on pushing, reach the peak, and see the beauty you created, and would have missed had you quit/given up when things got tough.

Keep on keeping on!  Every journey, no matter how big or small, starts with a single footstep.

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Tuesday Tips - Loading A Greenware Kiln

Wow... can't believe it's 5 pm already!!!  I have been searching all my links and references in an effort to be able to tell you guys where I got my information about loading a greenware kiln.  If I find it... I will definitely share it!  If any of you potters/ceramic artists out there can share the link if you know what I'm talking about.. PLEASE, feel free to leave it in the comments!  :)  Anyway... back to the tip of the week...

When You Think of Maine...

What do YOU think of?  For any people, my out of state friends and family included, the first thing that comes to mind is probably moose....and then it's lighthouses.  I was contacted by a gift shop in Kennebunk that typically sells beach themed items and asked if I had anything like that.  Well...I didn't.  So I started playing with my new extruder, which led me to play around with sculpting... So of course the first thing I make is a lighthouse sculpture!!  hehe  Better to go big than go home.  Afterwards I made some cute little trinket plates..  

Back to the lighthouse.  I wish I would have taken more photos during the process of me sculpting it... but alas... before and the first after photo will have to do. :)  If you have been following my blog for a bit, you know that there are 3 steps to the handmade/handbuilt ceramics process.  First ya make it....then ya bisque fire it (1900*-ish F.  Cone 04 for the potters out there).  Then it gets glaze fired (2200*-ish F.  Cone 5/6). 

So the photo to the right shows the stage of just having been constructed on the left.  And on the right is the post bisque firing with underglaze/glaze added to it.  The lighthouse itself was extruded (yes, I have a hollow cylinder extruder die.. LOVE IT!! :) ).  Then I added all the little "stones" one by one.  Let me tell you what.  It was a PITA!  haha.  And then the tall grass that you can see around the door?  I used my little handheld extruder and attached each "blade" individually.  Again...a PITA!  haha.  But I love the attention to detail.  I can't wait to see what it looks like when I pull it out of the kiln!  The intention is to put a light in it so that it is an actual lighthouse.  :)  I will either update this post with the finished product, or just write a new one... Haven't decided yet. :)  Here are some more "beachy" themed items that have had a clear glaze coat applied and loaded into the kiln.  Will be happy to see the finished product of these too!