Lady Liberty - Update

I know it's been a while since I've last posted...my apologies.  However I have been busting my @$$ trying to get ready for Freedom Fest (that's NEXT WEEK!!! OMG!!!!).  Remember how I said I was going to be unveiling my finished Lady Liberty sculpture at Freedom Fest???  Well...its turned into a hail Mary sort of adventure...

What is a Kiln God/Goddess??

Sitting here in front of our wood stove, staying awake all night (to sleep during the day) to ensure the fire stays stoked... my mind started wandering.  My first pottery instructor and mentor was quite superstitious about the kiln goddess being placed on top of the kiln for every firing.  Staring into the fire tonight..I got to thinking about the origin of the kiln god/goddess...And I'll be damned if I couldn't find anything!  So here is my interpretation based on some background knowledge I have of ancient cultures.  :)  

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...

From Raw Clay to Finished Ceramics

Happy Hump Day!!

I get a lot of questions as to why it takes so long to get a custom order done.  People don't understand that turning raw clay into a finished ceramic piece takes a lot of time.  The more intricate a piece, obviously the more time has been spent.  So, I figured I would give you a run down on what it takes from start to finish.  :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

November 29...and the first "real snow" is on the ground.  The once green and brown ground is now covered in white fluffy stuff.  All day, as I worked in my studio with clay in my hands, I couldn't help but open the curtains and watch the slow, graceful decent the snowflakes were taking today.  I was never one that really cared for snow until recent years.  I hate being cold and having to put on cumbersome layers of clothing just to stay warm.  My sister Andrea helped changed all that.  She taught me to cross country ski 3 winters ago.  I won't be able to ski this winter due to my legs, but I can remember the simple pleasures being out in the snow gave me.  The chilly nose to nose kisses I use to have give my son when we would play in the snow building snowmen.  This year, Justin and I are going to figure out a way to get me up to where he is cutting our Christmas tree down.  I am taking my iPad with us.  I have Skype on it, and we plan on involving my son, Caden, in cutting down our tree...all the way from Massachusetts (where he lives with his dad and step-mom right now).  :)  Can't wait for all 3 of us to get our tree, to get it set up, and to decorate it together.

 No matter how much I've always disliked the winter, I have always LOVED Christmas!!  I love the magic of the season.  The magic of Santa and his reindeer; the elves and their toys.  Where acts of random kindness and stories of Pay It Forward seem to fill the media air waves.  The smiles on people's faces as they unwrap their goodies.  "Kindness and goodwill towards men".  :)

After several full days of creating, I am getting ready to start a bisque kiln and let the kiln work its magic for the evening.  In the late morning, early afternoon, I shall begin my crazy afternoon of glazing like a mad woman to be able to start a second kiln tomorrow night...the "glaze kiln".