Fall Pottery Mugs

Fall is finally in the air here in Northern California.  We went from 98 degrees on Saturday to 78 degrees on Sunday.  My hands, nose and toes are cold as I sit here typing.  I could put on a sweater but I am kind of reveling in the new sensation.  It is supposed to go back up to 90 today so we are still in the fluctuating stage.  Leaves are falling from the trees and things are just beginning the change from green to oranges, reds and rust colors.  To celebrate the season I am listing new mugs to my Etsy shop.  Enjoy!

Another fun polaroid.

Find me on Etsy
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Polaroid SX-70

My latest distraction, among a long list of other things, has been playing with my vintage cameras.  Here is a photo of my late 1930's Kodak Six 20 Duo.  I shot this image with my 1970's Polaroid SX-70 using PX-70 Color Shade Film from The Impossible Project.  Today I made the two hour drive to Sacramento and back and then decided to do a photo shoot of some more pottery for Etsy and for show entries.  Keep an eye out for those images.  Way too tired now to do much else but crawl into bed.

New Terracotta Work

New work going on in the "studio," aka basement right now.  I had been without a place to fire any of my work since finishing up over at the university and I was starting to go a bit insane.  I even let my fingernails grow and was starting to polish them!  First time I've had long fingernails in the past twelve years.  I hadn't been sure how to solve my lack of kiln dillema until a little over a week ago.  While I was having a garage sale with some of my older work, a potter/student came up and we got to talkin'.  He told me of a studio he new of where I could work and get some stuff fired.  The only problem is it is really far away from me.  I mean REALLY far!  As in four whole blocks away!  I couldn't believe it.  I went and visited the studio with a bowl of fruit in hand for a potluck lunch they have every Friday.  It was awesome and I have been jumping for joy for the last three days.  Has it only been three days? Only?  I came right home and went to work.  Strange thing though, even though I consider myself more of a potter I really didn't feel like making pottery.  I've had these sculptural ideas that have been taking up my thoughts for the past month or so.  So this is what I have been up to.  I'm pretty happy with this first piece so far and I have another one started. Not sure if this is complete or if I might combine it with some other "part" or perhaps some mixed media.  Ah, excitement!  Now if I can keep on track and get my grad school applications in I will be doing great.

Bedroom Floor Art Studio

This is what happens when you plan to do a little sketching while leisurely listening to Pandora.   I have started pasting images into my sketchbook from other artists to use as jumping off points for exploration of new ideas.  I have been quite interested lately in architectural structures and conglomerates.  The image from the bottom right of my sketchbook is the artist, Julia Haft-Candell. It is a detail of her piece titled, The Bike. This spring she was a project space artist at NCECA, national ceramics conference.

 The Bike by Julia Haft-Candell

Lauren Gallaspy

Lauren Gallaspy is another artist whose work I have been enjoying immensely.  I love her uninhibited use of porcelain with the drips and bridges and juxtaposition of solid and delicate elements.  On top of her forms she delicately draws figures and abstract elements in pastel hues which embody the struggle between opposites, love and hate, attraction and repulsion. 

Lauren Gallaspy