Fall Into Place

The transition from summer to fall officially began this past weekend and the cool rainy weather in our ‘neck of the woods’ underscored that changeover. Pumpkin-inspired everything has been evident everywhere in the build-up to the season, so it’s not a surprise that fall is actually here; I welcome the change of seasons, but also mourn the loss of the preceding time of year. 

Pottery is a messy business every step of the way!

My studio has been in fall and winter preparation for weeks. I have self-imposed deadlines to create the pieces I plan to make and sell for the upcoming holiday season. Part of this busy pressure is an attempt to space out the timing of clay production so it doesn’t all crunch together the week before a scheduled show or target date. I am ahead of schedule, but for some reason I’m still experiencing the pressure. 

Exploring new shapes always helps balance the repetition of making familiar shapes. Im testing out these new vase forms in the studio.

I think stress is built into the nature of creating pottery. It is an art form requiring attention throughout a long making process. Each step has it’s own pitfalls. Experience helps me avoid these common clay hazards, but from start to finish (at least a two week process), there are many stages where things can go wrong. That contributes to the pressure build-up in making art out of clay. 

Luckily, my years of clay-making have also taught me in the end that everything tends to fall into place. Planning ahead, sticking to a routine, brushing off the failures, and embracing the process all help me achieve my goals. Then it’s on to the next one!

What Are You Craving?

It is officially Fall according to the calendar. The temperature today is expected to reach in the 90’s. There are still signs of summer’s growth in the garden, but the earlier darkness and carpet of dead leaves along my walking route signal inevitable change. I notice I experience different food cravings depending on the season. Does this happen to you too? I’ve been searching my recipe collection to help me decide on something different for dinner. At night, my sweet craving has been strong. I’ve sought to satisfy it with a slice of cake, caramel M & M’s, and coffee ice cream. Each has tasted delicious, but not quite satisfied that craving. Any suggestions?

I planted a set of flowers to border the stone wall of this backyard garden this past week. If you look closely, you'll see some of my garden totems in the far right corner of the photo. This garden evolves throughout the seasons with new plantings and garden sculptures (including many of my own)!

As usual, my activity in the studio reflects what is happening in my life. The glaze colors I choose are often more subtle. The shapes I think about making are for serving food and entertaining. Often I make a dish with a specific recipe in mind.

I’ve replenished my supply of bird feeders for the garden in anticipation of helping them through a winter season. I still like a pop of color in my yard -- no matter the season. I tend to make these pieces in bright colors year round. 

Tell me what you are craving. Are there certain recipes that come back into rotation for you this time of year? Is there a certain type of pottery you use over and over in your kitchen or when you have company in the fall? What colors appeal to you this time of year? All this information is helpful to me in the studio. It inspires me and helps the creative process. Click here or the photo below to tell me!

Red, White, and Blues

Preparation is an important building block of the creation process and impacts the success (or failure) of what gets made. I spent this past week in the studio playing with this building block,  composing a variety of elements for future projects. 

The local school tile totem project is moving forward. The tiles have been decorated, glazed, and fired. Assembly will happen this coming week!

I spent a day in front of a video camera, demonstrating how I make one of my yarn bowls, and talking about the process and what had led me to this art form. When the broadcast is ready, I’ll share it through my website!

As I unloaded a glaze kiln firing, I realized my color choices highlighted several reds, whites, and blues. Perhaps it was a subtle nod to today’s Memorial Day holiday. Today, especially, I’ll be thinking of the countless people who have sacrificed their lives to protect me. 

Want to save on a ClayByLaura creation? Use the code MEMORIAL when you shop this week, to receive 10% off your order over $25.00! Click on this photo to shop.

Know It All

When’s the last time you learned something new? It could have been a formal class, or just an informal encounter. If you think about it and are open to it, I bet you realize you are constantly enlightened with new skills and knowledge. 

This driftwood basket is one of several I've completed this past week that will be available for sale at The Cooley Gallery in Leesburg, Va.

One reason I like to publicly demonstrate my clay-making skills is to share the process with people. Many people I encounter simply use pottery and never really understand how it is created; others might dabble or professionally create their own pottery. These interactions are fun. People like to watch and talk about any past experience they may have had with clay or art; experienced potters like to share some of their own clay knowledge with me. While I demonstrate, I explain the steps of making a clay vessel and hopefully help novices understand the value of creating a useful object from a lump of clay. I always learn from these encounters as well. People offer useful ideas for shapes, lend me the bottom of their shoes for new texture designs (I always bring extra clay to make new stamps this way!) and remind me how lucky I am to do what I love. 

Click on photo to see video of the demo that was posted live on Facebook!

This past week I demonstrated my clay-making during a First Friday event at The Cooley Gallery in Leesburg, Virginia. They just began selling my clay creations. I showed how I make my yarn bowls. These showcase lots of applied texture and require some interesting assembly. I even use  a small rubber ball to form the bowl which piques interest. Lots of people attended; I experienced great interactions with the attendees but there was one memorable patron in particular that caught my attention. He asked why I was showing the gallery owner how I make pottery because he should ‘know everything already.’ Nah. Not true. In pottery, there is ALWAYS room to learn and grow. This is one reason I love working in this medium. Plus it reflects so much of life. I’ll never stop learning and am happy to admit I don’t know it all. 

Who Are You?

There are many, many potters making pots in the world. As I’ve explored the business side of clay and listened to other clay artists' experiences through interviews and podcasts, there are numerous similarities in our transition from passion for this medium to making it into a profession.

Once we’ve made an abundance of pottery pieces and gifted them to family and friends, someone inevitably asks us to make them something special and offers to pay for it. ‘Light bulb moment.’ From there, the business journey often begins for many of us and the question, “Who Are You?” becomes important on several levels.

Finding your own personal voice in clay -- your style -- is a guide for creating a specific body of work to sell. Defining who you are through your art is part of the path of this journey. Type of clay, style, shape, form, technique, glaze and color choice all influence the final outcome of clay art. All these creative choices help make each potter’s work unique to them. It can be a fluid development as skills improve, new choices are explored and creative decisions change. As an artist, it’s a good question to keep asking. "Who are you?"

I seem to be making lots of neck warmers these days. They are useful, fun and fast to knit. I made the mug in this photo in 1981. The yarn bowl was made in 2015. I love seeing the history of my clay journey in the pieces I've created along the way. I'm glad I signed and dated each one. It helps me identify the past year's pots that have lead me to the present.

On the flip side, when art becomes a business, artists also start to ask “Who Are You?” about our customers. Why are people drawn to our creations enough to pay money for them? There are analytics to determine the specific demographics to this question. But I think with purchasing art, there is also a binding emotion that plays into a purchase.  A buyer connects to us on a personal level. And since many clay creations are functional, there is a useful application for the purchase.

Many of my friends have also become my customers. They know me and they know what I make. There is a connection there. Taking my creations into the world through craft fairs, private home shows, galleries and the internet has opened up another avenue for sales. In this case, I don’t necessarily know the purchaser.  I rely on my clay creations to communicate who I am to make the connection resulting in a sale. And sometimes, I'm lucky to have my customers become my new friends!

Get Used To It!

There was a time when I saved ‘the good dishes’ for special occasions. No more. Now, that seems like an old fashioned concept. I don’t think my kids and their contemporaries share this idea of only using certain special or costly items just once in awhile. I have begun to break this habit by using the items I’ve made, purchased and love on a regular basis. It makes me happy.

In the morning I start each day with a hand-made mug of coffee. Not only do I believe it tastes better that way, the unique feel of each vessel in my hand links me to the maker on a personal level.  Each potter has touched and manipulated the clay into specific form only they can create. I appreciate their attention to design and material each time I take a sip. It’s not necessarily a conscious thing, but the added pleasure to this morning ritual is real.

Throughout the day, I continue to use as many of the pots I own as I can. Beyond cooking or serving food, I like to find other ways to utilize my pottery collection. Bowls can hold mail, spare change or desk items. Trays and plates catch water drips from planters, house collected treasures or a midday snack.

I end each day with a current knitting project. Here, again, I've begun to use one of my yarn bowls to catch and hold the ball of fiber as I build the rows I knit into a finished piece. Using what I make gives me insight into the pot's structural strengths and helps me visualize the piece through the eyes of the user. 

So get out the pottery you love and start using it! I bet it will help brighten your day and even make the food you are eating taste better!