The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 18,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 4 Film Festivals
I received an e-mail last December from and old friend about a commission idea he had for a Tardis Mug. A Tardis what? That was my response. I am usually pretty confident in my abilities to work with clay and create just about anything…even if it takes me a few tries. This piece, however, left me stumped until I was given a link to an image. This piece is inspired by the show Dr. Who. Since it was Christmas season, I was done taking on new commissions until the new year and my friend insured me that this piece was in no rush at all and I could take my time with it. Well, time I did take. Normally I request for a 6 to 8 week period to complete all commissions but this one took a year. His patience was wonderfully appreciated since I was pregnant and prepping for a couple of big shows, doing a lot of traveling, giving birth to my son, adjusting to motherhood and balancing studio work and then getting ready for Christmas! It has been a whirlwind this year. I wouldn’t have changed a thing either! With all that being said, the Tardis Mug is complete and traveling through the mail. Since my glazing technique is different from most, this is a non-traditional Tardis Mug. I hope it is enjoyed!
Notice anything special about the cover of this catalog for Paragon Kilns? That’s my work on the cover! Paragon Kilns are well-known in the ceramic world and I am honored to be featured on the cover as one of the artists! I met a guy who works for Paragon through Facebook. He had found my blog on the web and saw an image of me standing near my kiln. (It was an older kiln model that he had worked on.) He then took a look through some of my other posts and checked out my work. From there he found me on Facebook and introduced himself and asked how I was liking my Paragon kiln. I shared how much I love it and we chatted back and forth for a bit. He then asked if I would mind having my work published in their catalog. Would I mind? Please do! When I went to the mail box yesterderday I had a little package post-marked from Paragon and inside were about six copies of the new catalog.
On the inside front cover is a “meet the artists” page. There is a picture of me posted by my kiln with a quote, too. That is my highlight for today. I feel like I needed it too.
I love owls. I have loved them for a long time. Maybe it is their big eyes or the beautiful snowy feathers of the barn owl. I love that owl designs tend to be pretty wild, too! I LOVE color and design that is just a bit off beat and funky! When I was pregnant with my son (though I didn’t know the gender) I knew I wanted to do the nursery in an owl theme. I figured it would be a great gender neutral theme and I could use lots of bold colors. One of my favorite gift ideas for a baby is a piggy bank. I think it is such a cute gift to give to encourage a savings. I was throwing in the studio one afternoon when I had the idea to make an owl bank for baby. After I made the one, I soon was making another 10! Here they are! I really love how each one has its own character and personality to it. If you are interested in an owl bank they are posted up on my Etsy shop. You can check them out here.
That is correct..I am now making rings! You can thank my friend, and fellow artist, Kaylan for the idea. She shared with me a link a few weeks ago asking if I ever made rings. I had not, but I loved the idea and wanted to give it a try. My rings are made from scrap clay and they are all different sizes and shapes. Right now they are rather specific shapes, but I would love to make them from glazed pieces that had broke. I think that would be a great way to still use the broken pottery. Just grind the edges down smooth and make them into a ring. I ordered the actual ring pieces. I have vintage-style copper adjustable rings, sterling silver plated sized rings, and sterling plated stainless steel adjustable rings as well. I had a lot of fun making these. In fact, my sister-in-law helped me pick out which pieces would go on each ring. I have been wearing a different one each day since I made them. I may just have to keep one for myself! If you are interested in these, they can be found here on my Etsy shop! More will be posted throughout the day, so keep checking in. I have quite a few to post!
Gift certificates are now available! I have been wanting to create these for a while now and I am excited to share that they are here! This is a great option for a Christmas gift, especially if you missed the margin of time for a custom order. You can purchase these on my Etsy shop by clicking here. If you have a specific dollar amount you wanted to order that is not on Etsy, that is fine! Just send me an e-mail and I will get the amount you would like. Last order of business: I have a new business e-mail address. It was formerly “akpottery” and is now: apvpottery@gmail.com. I will be checking my old one as I get everything switched over.
The kiln is firing a glaze load as I write this! It is the first glaze firing since installing new elements and a new thermocouple, so I am really hoping all is going well in there and that beautiful crystals are forming. I also have a few new glazes in there so I am anxious to see how they will turn out. So, what pieces are in the kiln? I am glad you asked: earring trees, and pieces for mirrors and rings! It feels good to be checking off the firings. I have a lot to do and not a whole lot of time to get it all done. I am a full-time mom now as well, so that adds to my lack of time. One day at a time, right? Friday evening I will be able to open up the kiln and hopefully unload as well to get ready for the next firing!
The days in the studio had been a bit on the slow end while I was working on my kiln. It took much longer to get the elements and thermocouple installed that I had thought. I had to wait a while for the parts to come in and then it took a few days to get it all done myself. I was running out of shelf space, but it was a good time to keep plugging away at my studio work and keep working through commissions. One of my mornings was spent making pedestals and collecting dishes. This is probably one of the most boring things to work on for me. Zero creativity here! It is, however, an extremely important part of my throwing and firing process. It does feel good to have this done. Now that my kiln is up and running again…I have a TON to fire! I am heading back to the studio soon to finish glazing earring trees, plates, and a new item as well! Then it is time to fire up the kiln for a glaze!
(I have a lot to blog about. I don’t have any excuses for my lack of blogging these last few months!!)
After replacing my Elements about two weeks ago(already?), I realized I was foolish to not also order a new thermocouple. I was thinking back on when I last replaced it and realized it was a year ago! It is a miracle that my kiln was even firing at all! I was afraid to see what my thermocouple looked like when I removed it…sure enough it looked like a charred piece of charcoal. When I received my new thermocouple in the mail, I was a bit surprised by its appearance. It was different looking from the one that was in my kiln. I also noticed that it came with instructions, which I did not receive that last time I had it replaced. I soon realized this was because they changed the model of my thermocouple and sent along new wiring. I had to remove the old wiring from the control panel and replace it with the new. Everything is now in place. All that is left to do is cut back the protruding wires from the elements and screw the control panel back into place and then give a test fire. I am going to fire it up to 1000 degrees as quickly as it can climb and then let it cool naturally. This will allow for any and all oils to burn off the elements and thermocouple. Then I am hitting the ground running with several kiln loads already spoken for! First a bisque or two, then I will be glaze firing like a mad-woman! It is about time, too! I have a lot of exciting things to send through the kiln and I am anxious to share them. (Here is a picture comparing my old thermocouple with the new one. Yikes!!)
My fall show, as many of you have asked, is not happening this year. I am sad to say so . This little guy has been keeping me super busy and has become my number one priority. Andrew and I had so much going on this fall between caring for Noah, work and lots of traveling, I had to be realistic and not plan for a fall show. I am however, hoping to have it in the spring instead! I am thinking sometime in April. Perhaps mid-April. I had so much fun at my first-ever fall show last year, that I wanted it to be an annual event. Life happens in unexpected ways and plans had to change. It was definitely a good decision. As soon as we made that decision final, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I would not have been able to produce the amount or quality of product that I would have liked to have in time for October. Plan to see me in Maryland this coming April for a spring show and then again hopefully in October of 2013! I am also hoping to add another show to my schedule this year in New York! This one will be hosted by my wonderful in-laws. They have been very supportive of my business and my artistic endeavors and are looking forward to hosting a show for me at their home. I am excited to expand! Those details need to be hammered out more, but perhaps a spring or early summer show would work well for New York. We shall see.
If this ruined any holiday shopping plans, you can still purchase from me on my Etsy Shop. I have a lot of new things that will be added to my shop in the next few weeks, including jewelry, so stay tuned and be checking in! I am also working on and taking commissions. Keep in mind all custom orders need to allow for 6 to 8 weeks for completion. Gift certificates are also available. Send me an e-mail: akpottery@gmail.com.
Hand-Crafted Pottery by Arryn 