Out of the Kiln September 2012

September has been all about glazing.  So much glazing that the next time I glaze will be too soon!  Don't worry though, I can't stop making work that will need to be glazed, so I'm sure it will pass. : )

I've been playing around with different glaze color and firing temperature options to achieve different effects on my stained glass inspired pieces.  I've broken down the results of all this testing for you here.

High Fire to Cone 10 is my glaze temperature home!  I fire most of my work to Cone 10 (that's just under 2400 degrees) and love the depth of color that can be achieved at this temperature.

My glaze results vary in color here mainly due to clay body vs. firing temperature.  The lighter color pieces were all created with porcelain which provides a great backdrop for what I like to think of as the original stained glass inspired series look.  The darker, kind of mysterious colors, are all on stoneware clay that has a ton of iron oxide at to the clay for a deep red tone that also deepens the glaze colors.

Low Fire to Cone 06 is my most recent experimental glaze temperature.  At this lower temp (around 1800 degrees) I can create bright colors with a wider range of shades.  I really like this option for the greater variety in the color palette than what is available at high fire.

Phew! Is It Tea Time Yet?

September's week long madness, otherwise known as CRAFTfest, ended on Saturday.

All craft fairs are an experience with a capital "E" and CRAFTfest was no exception.

I meet interesting people both customers and fellow vendors from whom I gain advice and tips and suggestions.  Personally, I find all of it helpful.  It might be hard to believe, but I do truly find all of it value-added even if the offered words never find their way into my work or display.  Every word and comment is processed and incorporated or very thoughtfully not incorporated, but all of it leaves me in a better place as an artist, as an individual.

CRAFTfest certainly did all of these things for me, but it was different.  There was a true community among the stallholders that doesn't exist to the same extent at other events.  The success of this past week relied almost solely on the amount of time each of us was able to devote to social media and "other" media promotion.  A much more collaborative environment that I hope to take with me to other fairs this year.

I observe everything in a different way.  I don't know if I can explain it adequately, but I suspect that every person who has ever sold their services or art will understand immediately.  As you're setting up your display focus shifts from viewing your work through the eyes of creation to viewing it through the eyes of a buyer.  Potential customers never, and I truly mean never, see the same things you put into your work.  They have their own past experiences and filters.  It always delights me when they decide to share with me their "take."  This perspective shifting helps me refine my designs, color schemes and even launches new product ideas.

I missed this aspect during CRAFTfest.  Sure I got some comments on photos and in group forums, but absent the live interaction it felt strange.  I participated in an Art Walk in Claremont on Friday night and found myself hungrily engaging in those conversations I had been missing.

I work pretty hard.  It might not seem like it to the customer, but each art fair starts with going through current inventory to assemble the right mix for the event, double checking pricing, packing up my car, getting up really early to drive to the fair, unloading my car at the fair, setting up my display, fielding questions, selling, restocking, tearing down the display, repacking unsold work, repacking the car, driving home, unloading the car and finally putting unsold work back into inventory.  Phew!  Major run-on sentence there.

CRAFTfest seemed so appealing initially with the no getting up early in the morning and none of that loading and unloading were top of my "that's cool" list when I signed up.  It does seem like I worked just as hard, if not harder for this show though.  Taking pictures, listing inventory in my Etsy shop, uploading photos to my stall and all of the hours logged on social media.  It might not have been physically demanding, but there was definitely work involved.

I laugh and have fun.  This is without a doubt the best part of participating in art fairs, okay well aside from selling work, is how much fun it can be.  It is easy to forget sometimes amidst all of the work or when you're not getting many sales, but it is an absolute blast.

Thank you, thank you to all of my fellow stallholders for making me laugh throughout CRAFTfest from crazy computer glitches and "bum" comments to support on writing fancy HTML for stall descriptions to the mini Twitter vs. Facebook debate.

As CRAFTfest closes, I will be taking everything I've learned forward to my work and social media strategy today as well as to the next CRAFTfest in November.

To my fellow CRAFTfesters like Debbie from D&D Designs, I wish you all many sales as a result of all of the activity this past week.

Image Copyright D&D Designs

Houston, We've Gone Coral

Today I'm featuring the blogs and CRAFTfest stalls of some fellow members of the Coral Team.  Please take a few minutes to stop by and visit these wonderful artists.  Their work is simply great and each, in their own way, have provided inspiration to me for CRAFTfest and my work as well.  I hope they will for the rest of you too.

First, I'd like to feature Scarlet Wolf at The Crystal Cavern for awarding me with the "I love your blog" award.  Scarlet creates beautiful and truly unique jewelry for both men and women, so be sure to check out her blog and CRAFTfest stall.

The I Love Your Blog Award goes to Ana at Channelled Creations.

Ana creates some of the most positive and uplifting work!  Be sure to check out her CRAFTfest Stall.

 

Other absolutely wonderful members of the Coral Team to check out!

 

Sal at The Beaded Bounty

Sal leads the Coral Team and works tirelessly to ensure our whole team is set-up for success!  In addition to keeping us all in line, she finds time for her own jewelry creations as well!

Check out her work here and CRAFTfest stall here.

Ines at Little Creatures

Ines creates the cutest pieces out of polymer clay with all of them at tiny size, but big personality.

Check out her blog here and CRAFTfest stall here.

Helene at Chic n Trendy

Helene's style is all about nature, no wonder I love her work!  Don't miss her wonderful wreaths!

Check out her CRAFTfest stall here.

Hannah at Hannah Smith Stone

Hannah carves her designs out of rock to create sculptural objects, wall hangings and coasters.

Check out her CRAFTfest stall here.

So, there you have it, a little taste of the many, many finds available from the stalls of CRAFTfest.  I hope you will, like I did, find a little bit of inspiration as well as you visit each!

 

 Houston, We're Signing Off

Out of the Kiln 8/21/12

First, I'd like to share the first of the group of test mugs with you.  Same wonky style that twists and turns, but with the addition of my different textures.  Also noteworthy is the shape of the mug.  Not too obvious in these photos, but I am loving the improved height and width ratio.  Much, much better for holding your favorite drink without sacrificing whimsy.

Also, out of the kiln this round were some absolutely gorgeous tree pieces.  Two of them, my favorites, are done in the new stained glass inspired style.  One is a tree cut out!  And the fourth is a two-toned tree bowl.  On a fun note, these "out of the kiln" pictures were taken inside the kiln!

No firing would be complete without some hearts and pendants.  Here is the mix that came through this round.

Phew!  The first of many for the next several weeks.  Inventory build for the holidays has begun!

Out of the Kiln 8/17/12

A long awaited, by me anyway, kiln firing unloaded today. I typically fire my work at Cone 10, or approximately 2400 degrees for the non-ceramic artist, but my pieces today fired to Cone 5, approximately 2200 degrees.

You might think the temperature difference seems minor, but how hot the kiln goes effects everything about a piece from glaze color and effect to construction of the piece.

These tree cut-outs have been in progress for what seems like forever.  Due to the delicate nature of the piece construction, I choose to fire them at the lower temperature of Cone 5 to ensure that the pieces didn't slump or crack in glaze firing.  These pieces have actually fired a few times with just yuck glaze results, but I think these combinations have finally hit the nail on the head.  Check them out!

Also in this firing was a super wide platter.  It was so wide that I worried a bit about slumping at Cone 10.  I really like how this piece came out.  Shades of greens and ambers all ready for fall!

Last, but not least, the results of my Cone 5 clay samples experiments.  If you remember, I had created the dubiously titled Bacon Barrel Bowl and Hearts with Scraps from some clay samples I have received.  The clay in these pieces has materials that would breakdown if fired too hot (not all clay can withstand higher temperatures).  I really love the red colors of these clays.  I only took one picture of the group, so not a lot of detail.  Sorry!  The hearts came out of the best.  I'm adding twine to them for some great rustic hearts!

This is the first in a new series of Out of the Kiln photo blog posts!  Come back often to check out more!

A Foreign Land

Merely walking through the door of my neighborhood Home Depot tends to perplex and confound the most helpful sales associates.  I love Home Depot.  It is a completely strange and wondrous place.

I grew up with a father who always had some kind of woodworking project and a brother who is super mechanically inclined, however there is very little I know or understand about home improvement.  Don't take that statement to mean that I don't own power tools because I do.

I do own power tools.  That doesn't mean I really know how to use them.

Home Depot must have a checklist it hands out to its associates to identify people like me.  From their cautious approach when asking if I need assistance, it is clear that the label, "She has no idea what she's doing," is in block letters across my forehead.

Little do they know that I go to their store exactly because I have no idea what I'm doing.  I wander up and down every aisle.  Yep, that's right, every ... single ... aisle.

It isn't that I don't know what I'm trying to find be it a new display set-up or a texture tool or twine.

My "I need to buy this" thought isn't as fully formed as other shoppers at this popular home improvement store.  You see, I don't know walking into the store how my thought will translate into my purchase.  An item's intended purpose means little to me hence the wandering up and down every aisle.

"I'll know it when I see it," I routinely say to the more persistent sales associates.

I think that phrase strikes fear in their hearts.  I can just imagine them thinking, "God, she has no idea what she's doing.  I hope she doesn't wander over by the cutting station in lumber."

Of course, I do visit the cutting station.   The fifty-one cent bin is right across from it.  The scraps of wood in that bin are often the perfect size and shape.  Its the only place in the entire store I can find without help.

 

I've always been a tourist.  In fact, I've always been the kind of tourist that everyone hates with hundreds of pictures when just a few would do.  My tourist tendencies are totally paying off these days.

"Oooo, look at that" is a great mentality to have when seeking artistic inspiration.

I highly recommend clearing out any preconceived notions and taking a little tourist jaunt to a "foreign land" for yourself.  You might, okay you will get a few strange looks, but you just might learn something.  Don't worry I won't tell anyone if you take pictures.

A Rose By Any Other Name

What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.

-Juliet, From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

What's in a name?  Or really, what's in a title?  That is the question I've been asking myself lately.

I tend to "title," and I use that word loosely here, my pieces descriptively.  This piece is part of the series inspired by [insert inspiration here], is a [bowl, platter, ?] and is green or some other color.

Does this tell you, my fans, anything about the piece?  Sure, it gives you a factual description.  What you see is what you get kind of thing.

Recently, I've had the pleasure of being introduced to the work of Shannan and Jacqueline from Ellorias Boutique.  They are the creators of wonderful jewelry as you can see from the necklace below.

Photo courtesy of and copyrighted by Ellorias Boutique

Shannan and Jacqueline, like many artists, title their work.  This necklace, for example, is the Sapphira Necklace.  The thing that stuck me most when I first encountered this piece, other than how beautiful it is, was the title.  Why the Sapphira Necklace?  I searched the description for a clue to learn that the this necklace features beads handcrafted to reflect botanical DNA structures ... yet no mention of Sapphira.

Exploring the rest of their work online, I believe that Shannan and Jacqueline have series of pieces similar to me.  They give those series titles, but the titles they choose are typically based on a female name and are wrapped in mystery.  At least they are to me.  I have absolutely no idea why or how the name Sapphira is linked to this particular design series.  I even looked up Sapphira on Wikipedia I was so intrigued with little to aid my deduction efforts.

How different an approach to naming than I use.  When I title a series it is with a fairly straightforward name like "Stained Glass Inspired" or "Mad Hatter Inspired" or simply "Tree."

 

Descriptive and informative, yet nothing to whet the imagination of my customers.  No mystery.  My inspiration is front and center.

 

Nothing to allow you, interacting with my work, to pause and maybe wonder ... to apply your own thoughts and interpretations.

 

I'm tempted to tell myself that I should follow Juliet's advice that no thing or person is improved or made better by a name.

 

Yet I find that I much prefer the approach of Ellorias Boutique.  They have left me to wonder and fill in the blanks for myself with their title.  Is it just a name they like?  Does the story of Sapphira I found on Wikipedia somehow tie in?  I don't know.

 

I've seen customers interact with my work at art shows where there is no description or title box handy ... just space, glorious space to apply their own experiences and perceptions to the piece.

Sorry Juliet, but I think I need to re-do my titles.

Ellorias Boutique is just one of many vendors participating in September's CRAFTfest.  Be sure to check out their stall!