Adding and Subtracting

Although math and numbers are not my strong suit, addition and subtraction are skills I use regularly in my clay art and craft projects. A knitting project starts with one slip knot loop that develops into multiple stitches using various wraps of the yarn on two needles. As these factors add up, a garment is created. Subtraction in knitting is always a possibility; I’ve been known to ‘unknit’ or rip back hours of stitching if I’m not satisfied or find a mistake.

Clay creations develop in various added and subtracted layers too. I just installed this dog-themed totem at a South Carolina home. Several new pieces were added to an existing totem I'd created several years ago, replacing some that had taken a beating in a recent hurricane.  Clay-making requires addition and subtraction of clay to reach a desired look. Colors of underglaze and glaze are painted on and sometimes wiped away to achieve the desired surface. In some cases, I add other decorative materials after a piece has had its final kiln firing to make it complete. 

Adding and subtracting are useful life tools as well. Think about what you'd like to add to your life to make it better. More time with family? Additional career skills to help you move up the corporate ladder? On the flip side, subtracting is important too. Stripping away the negative life impediments will help all of us achieve some balance and make space for what's most important in our daily lives. If only this were as easy as 'frogging' (ripping back) a knitting project and knitting a garment one stitch at a time.

Are You Contagious?

I’m not talking about germs here. I’m thinking about attitude. How we spread ideas and our passion can have a lasting effect on others, much longer than a simple cold or the flu. Today’s celebration of MLK Day in the United States has me reflecting on this important ripple effect. Click on this quote to hear Martin Luther King deliver some of his contagious inspiration!

This new doggie shape is part of a totem stack I'm creating for a special customer in South Carolina.

My creativity feeds off of my friends and customers. When I get positive feedback or suggestions for a new shape to try, it provides a positive energy I take with me to the studio. It may take several attempts to achieve what I consider a satisfactory result, but I like the process and realize failure only leads me closer to a good solution. 

This wind chime commission memorializes a sweet husky named Kayla. Once the pieces are completely decorated, they will be strung together.

People that recognize the ClayByLaura ‘style’ often use the word happy in their description. The fact that my creations have become distinguishable and transmit the passion I feel as they are made are the perfect compliment to receive. This is my kind of virus!

One of my new Huntsville, Alabama friends asked me to create a deviled egg tray. I fiddled around with a couple of designs before developing this shape. We are both really happy with the end result.

Several Colorful Ways to Combat Winter's Frozen Grey

Where I live, there is no question that winter is here. It has been so cold that some of the pipes in our house froze this past week. My friends further south in Hilton Head, SC experienced more than a dusting of snow over their normally green winter lawns. The low temperatures and unusual winter weather can tamp down our activity and sometimes our mood. 

I’ve got some suggestions to help bring a little color into your world to help make it a little brighter! One of the things I miss when it’s so cold outside is color. Everything seems to take on a grey pall. If you have a garden or outdoor patio space, it’s easy to introduce a pop of color to your vista. 

At the top of the list, is this hanging bird feeder. Keep it filled to watch the hungry birds in your neighborhood flock to your yard. It can be suspended from a tree branch or decorative wrought iron post. Click on this photo to get yours!

This little ladybug can adorn a potted plant outdoors or inside. Adding even a small pop of color to your living space can uplift your spirits! Want one? Click this photo to shop!

A colorful wind chime will sing to you as the winds blow outside. Place one near a prominent window in your home. Every time you catch a glimpse of this bright decoration, you'll be reminded that spring and the warmer months are on their way! I'm currently working on some custom windchimes to memorialize favorite pets and family members. Let me know if I can create one for you! Click on the photo to let me know!

Buy yourself some flowers. Use that sweet tea pitcher on hiatus to house a beautiful bunch of color. Place it where you'll see it most often! Need a pitcher to hold your flower bunch? Click photo to purchase.

Garden totems and potsticker stacks are a year-round embellishment to any outdoor space! They can enhance a lush flower bed at the height of the growing season AND remain as a colorful accent when the surroundings are winter-barren.  Contact me to create a unique stack of shapes for your yard -- the possibilities are only limited to our imaginations! Click this photo to give me your ideas.

Mixing It Up

Clay is one of the primary materials I use to make art. But, it’s not the only one. I often embellish the pieces I create with unrelated components to complete the idea that started in my mind. Using a mixed media approach often helps flesh out the functionality of a piece. Plus it’s fun!

The aisles of any hardware store are one resource for materials I use in a project. Copper pipe supports outdoor totem stacks or becomes the perfect perch for a bird feeder; some binding wire is bent into kickstands for recipe holders or flower stems for colorful flora; springs become hair on several angel projects.

Notions like buttons and beads found at the fabric store or an antique shop, accent a design and provide the perfect finishing touch. Fishing line from a sporting goods store supports a hanging creation.

I might combine some of my passions like clay and fiber arts. Leather cord crocheted along the edge of a basket shape converges two of the creative skills I like to practice. I’m even working on an idea with a well-known fiber pattern designer to create a bowl and pattern combination kit so other yarn enthusiasts could create their own unique project. 

Mixing materials to achieve a finished piece helps stretch the artistic element of every object I create. It opens the door even wider to possibility and challenges me with ever changing and new ideas. Lately, I've been playing with making jewelry. It's one more way I've been able to mix it up, make something I love, use up collected materials, learn new skills and combine it into a final product. 

Made With Love

The key ingredient of everything I create is passion. It pulls me to the studio regularly and sustains me even when I have a creative failure. I love the artistic process; forming a variety of raw materials into a useful and attractive item is exhilarating and satisfying all in one. 

This past week in the studio was filled with endings and beginnings. This garden bell will top one of the five individual totems I've made to adorn a backyard garden and supplement several pieces I created several years ago. The complete installation is scheduled for early November.

The cornucopia I created as a surprise gift was revealed.  The recipient was indeed surprised and pleased with the results. The gift-giver and I were happy too!

One customer asked me to create a large flat tray with two serving bowls. I was pleased to receive a photo text of it already in use the day after it was picked up. 

Many new projects are in the works. Some of the pieces are familiar shapes. The dog-treat jar pictured in the upper left corner is a new idea in the making. It is stamped with the words "Home Is Where The Dog Is." It is a thank you gift for a very special dog-lover.

Here's one way I 'spread the love' from my studio! ClayByLaura Club member Kelly Davis just won this sponge caddy. Want to have a chance to receive a gift from the studio? It's easy. Click here to sign up!

Every piece I create in the studio begins with a dose of love. It helps guide the creative process, supports me when an idea does not turn out as planned and resides in every item that leaves the studio for a new home. Love. Remember to express it daily!

Custom Collaborations - You Make Me A Better Artist!

I often say I get some of my best ideas from my customers. It’s true. This is one reason I love to collaborate on custom pieces. Your vision, suggestions, likes, and dislikes guide me to new shapes, color combinations, and GREAT results I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. So keep them coming!

I've been asked to create some additional garden art for this backyard installation that I completed several years ago. We are working together to come up with some new shapes, colors, and designs to add to the existing display.

This December, I'll offer an ornament/gift tag making class through The Muse. This idea started at another craft workshop when Whitney (the owner of the Muse) created this fun piece out of one of the components of the wind chimes our class was making. We will decorate the holiday shapes with acrylic paints and Sharpie markers. Look for class details later this fall. 

Is there a particular shape or color you'd like me to make? I'm all ears! Fill out the simple form below. I'd love to hear from you!