Keep it LocAL pEOPLE!

It's that time again! Come on out and see us this Saturday!

Gearing up for Fall

Wow! It has been way too long since my last post. A big apology for my lapse.....it has been a crazy end of summer and early fall. At the beginning of summer I got a chance to make some artwork for a showroom at the Furniture Market. This has kept me really busy especially with my upcoming schedule. I would post some of the pieces but they went off separately as soon as they were finished so I don't have many images. Next week, when Furniture Market starts, I will have a chance to take pictures of the showroom with the pieces inside. I will definitely post them then.

Now on to the fall season. I promised a couple of customers that I would post my schedule for the fall. If you live far away please bear with me for continuing to post about shows and such.
Schedule:
1.Fall Pottery Festival. October 24th, 11:00-5:00pm, Greensboro Curb Market,301 Yanceyville St. Greensboro, NC
2. Fall "Keep It Local" art and pottery show. October 30th, 10:00-4:00pm, Leanne's House, Oak Ridge, NC
3. Hawk Spirit Show.....November 5,6,7.....Reidsville, NC.....address coming......
4. Diane Owens Home Show. November 12, 13th, San Diego, CA.......addresses and times coming.
5. Jessica Gaston's Home Show. November 19-20th, San Fransisco, Ca........addresses and times coming.
6. Collaborative Installation Show (so far unnamed) Leanne Pizio and Paige Cox. Opening Date December 9th. Show runs from December 9th until maybe February? Southern Pottery Work Center and Gallery. Columbia, SC. Show times coming.
7. I have applied for a show on December 12th. If I get in I will post the place and times.

Besides working really hard, I have been having a really fun fall. The chickens are super crazy and such good entertainment for an over worked artist.

I hope all of you have been having a super great, fun, productive fall.
can't wait to tell you more about the collaborative show I am doing with Super Artist ( I really mean that ) Paige Cox. Go see her here @ LuLuGroove. She rocks!(the picture above is a hint)

Leanne

Thinking about the gulf....

Softly dreaming....

heat

The heat has been outrageous this summer! You would think that being a potter and one who works around kilns and flame that I would be a little more tolerant of heat........a no. I am grumpy and itchy and edgy and unable to sit still. So to ease away the waves of hot humidness that is life here in the south.....some pictures of fun stuff to make you smile....
















Frieda out by the studio

















KiKi in the yard
















Blue and Chickweed asleep on the couch.














Bird Bird, Kimy and Frieda in the gallery

Meditation Hut

Last year I started the New Year with a resolution to meditate each day. When I began, the process was strange, unfamiliar and hard to accomplish. As the days went by, I began to see the benefits of this old, amazing process. I was more centered, calmer, less anxious.....my mind was less unruly, and I felt more connected to everything. Alas, for many reasons, my practice of this magical art eventually declined as I got busy in my fall season.
Well, long story short, Will (sweetest husband ever) made me this beautiful and super cute meditation hut to inspire a new practice to begin.
As soon as it is ready I am going to paint it and begin decorating. I can't wait!

Organization versus Chaos

Which one are you?

After visiting a good friend and fellow artist this month...Ms. Cynthia of The Fairies Nest, She took me see her studio. Not only was it a beautiful space, but compared to my studio we could all agree that it was immaculate. The floor was clean, the work space was organized, the fabrics were all labeled, books were on shelves.....and the most awesome part.....there was clean space to work. Hmmmmmmm.....imagine that.....a clean table to work on without having to clear a space.....this is an artists dream. I have written about this before. My need to work in chaos. I don't enjoy it. I crave order. But it is just not to be. I will say this though.....at least i haven't gone this far.....Francis Bacon's Studio.....yet.

In the book Encounters with Great Painters Bacon states, "My personality has several facets. For example, I like perfection. I even like perfection on a grand scale. In a sense, I'd like to live in a very grand house; but since one makes such a mess when one paints, I prefer to live in clutter, on a pile of broken objects and memories. I think all of us have these two sides. One side craves order, the other craves chaos. We have to fight to impose order."
Well said Mr. Bacon. If you substitute clay in there for painting you have my studio in a nutshell.
There is a part of me that wants to clean it all up and start over organized and clutter free. Then there is a part of me that wants to, like Bacon, surrender to the madness and let it all become a frenzy of clay.
So which one are you?

Finished Cut Outs and a new design...

Here is the new design for the Cut Out cups. This design is inspired by these Silver Sebring hens. Wonderfully beautiful chickens that are fascinating in color and pattern.











And here are the finished Cut Out cups, pitcher and gravy boat. Me and Will have used these and both like the design.
We agree there needs to be a few minor adjustments such as a larger oval spaces for the fingers.
































Clay Tip of the Day:
The best tool you have when you are building with clay is your own saliva. Whether you are fixing a tear, or attaching a wetter piece of clay to a dryer piece, your own saliva is the best adhesive. **Please note: I do recommend knowing the ingredients of your clay body so as not to toxify yourself.....

Introducing....the Cut Out Series

After the show this spring, I wanted a new approach to form. Having used the same forms over and over for the past year or so and I was ready for some change. When we were in the airport on our way home from St. Paul last week I saw this woman with a intriguing handbag. It was very simple, just a rectangle really, with an oval cut out for the handle. Immediately out came the old sketchbook and I started drawing. These are the pieces that came from those sketches.

I Know I am Delinquent......

I have been horrible about posting......
But! I have great intentions to do better!
This summer I am going to be working on a bunch of different projects but on the top of the list is reconnecting with my blogging friends and catching up with all the amazing work y'all have been doing.
In the mean time.......Here are some big bowls I have been making. They are about 36 inches tall. Inside the bowls, at the bottom, a secret is carved. The bowls are just tall enough that you can't read the secret unless you break the bowls.




Would you be tempted? By a secret? To break such a big bowl?
Would you get out the magnifying glass and try to read the mystery at the bottom of the pot?
And in the end, if the secret was unreachable, and you broke the pot, what if the secret was silly? What if the secret was earth shattering?
The conundrum of the Secret Bowls....

























I know the pieces are hard to see because they are still green so I will post better pictures when they are fired.

2nd Annual "Keep It Local" Art Show

It is spring again and time to come on out and support local art. Come by the house this Saturday, May 22nd from 11:00 to 4:00 where 17 local artists will be showing pottery, jewelry, paintings, fabric art, metal work and food stuffs.
We would love to see you!!!

Deer Girl finished

Thanks to everyone for all your sweet comments on the Deer Girl. Your comments gave me much encouragement to keep building more girls....I will post them soon. In the mean time here is Deer Girl finished and out in the wild.

Deer Girl......dear girl

In the Treemakers story that I am writing I have happened upon the heroine.
Presenting:
The Deer Girl!
Here is a version of her and the Treemakers blended together. They have roses carved on their belly.
I have also made a true sculpture of the Deer Girl as she is illustrated in the story but she has yet to be photographed...maybe she is a little shy?
I will post pics of the final glazed version of this blended piece later this weekend.

London, I miss you

HELLO everyone! (Big wave)
We are home from our fascinating and lovely trip to London.
It was a total whirlwind of museums, food, long walks and sadly some sneezing and snuffling.
But we will talk only of the good part of being in one of the world's most wonderful cities.
Each time we go my heart feels at home. The history of the city is overwhelming. It amazes me how Londoners can walk the streets and not gasp at each building as I do. We found a couple of new places this year that truly were unusual and very exciting to visit.
Sir John Soane's Museum is a wonder of sculpture, paintings, and unusual artifacts. The whole house is stuffed to the rafters....literally.
Another interesting place was the Welcome Collection. The Medicine Man collection contains everything from Napoleon's toothbrush to chastity belts....Japanese sex aids to George the Third's hair. Amazing all.

Now for a couple of pictures of good ole London.....





















The British Museum ceiling





















A new exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in process.





















The Westminister Cathedral facade with Will in his favorite hat.

Condom boxes

Years ago, for AIDS awareness month, I made a series of condom boxes. I was surprised that they were a big hit. Who knew? Every now and then I will get an order for one or two. Here is a box that I made for a customer. What fun to carve sex on a box. Love it!

Drawing and the Dentist

Like most people I know I hate the going to the dentist. I don't hate my dentist she is actually super sweet. It's the chair and holding my mouth open, people pulling at my lips and poking at my teeth. Basically the whole experience. Claustrophobia runs rampant over my body. I get the sweats, the shakes. It is awful.
I broke a tooth 6 years ago biting down on a cherry pit. It didn't hurt so my dentist agreed to let me wait on getting a crown until this year. She insisted that I get it fixed. So I made an appointment. Canceled that appointment twice. And finally I womaned up and decided to go. In preparation for the appointment, I was struggling to think of how to keep my mind occupied. It finally came to me...Drawing.
So I grabbed my ipod and sketch pad and went. It was tough to draw with my pad on my lap and me laying down but it really kept my panic in check. I won't lie, I still sweat. But it was better.
Here are the results. They make me laugh.

More people....

My new work continues with the same theme.
I am fascinated with the idea of many people standing shoulder to shoulder, going round and round a pot. Mostly I imagine them on a taller skinner pot. A pot that doesn't allow for a continuous story to be seen and told.
There are many reasons that I like this image. The first is easy. When you have a skinny taller piece where you can't tell a cohesive story, taller thinner objects compliment the form. The second is that the stretched human form is fun to carve. Especially the feet and hands. So though I know I need to move on to a different image, I am still carving people. Round and round I go.


I did manage to convince myself to think about spring and the idea of swinging. I adore swinging and can't wait for it to be warm so I can go swing in the park.