Meaningful Messages

Lots of times when I create, I try to weave an idea and concept into a finished clay shape. The assignment for another recent totem project was filled with symbolic imagery to convey a sense of whimsical welcome at the owner’s front door. Each piece of the stack represents a visual message of warmth and hospitality to visitors of this residence. Once I have an idea of what I'd like to make, I often research a variety of imagery to spark my creative juices. 

Here’s the breakdown of how this totem came to be:

The base of this totem is a pineapple which has long been a symbol of welcome. The texture was created with the plastic webbing you often find securing fruits and vegetables in the produce department at the grocery store. I have a large 'cache' of texture-making materials around the studio just waiting for the right project! The butterfly resting atop an ocean-blue flower is representative of the Monarch Butterfly often seen throughout this southern isle. I use colorful wire and glass beads to complete this shape. 

Hearts are the universal emblem of love. This stack of three hearts spells out what these homeowners cherish -- Family, Friends and Home. 

The yellow bead-embellished flower embodies the South Carolina state flower, Yellow Jessamine. I've made other generic flower shapes in the past; this time I tried to mimic the shape of this particular blossom.  I knew I wanted to use the Palmetto Tree and Crescent Moon symbol of the South Carolina State Flag to adorn the top of the totem. Figuring out how to turn this idea into reality took some planning and experimentation. A visit to the hardware store produced just the right type of wire to suspend the moon over the tree. 

So there you have it. Another totem project is complete and in place! Do you have an idea for a personalized totem for your yard or indoor space?  Send me a message and let's start the conversation! I'd love to create one just for you! Take a look at other totems I have created here. 

When All The Stars Align

Not all artists are fond of commission art. I happen to like the challenge of creating a new, one-of-a-kind piece and have learned through experience that continual communication usually makes the outcome a success. I want to make sure my adaptation of the client’s vision will meet and hopefully exceed their expectation.

I met this customer many years ago in a dog training class, so this 'pooch' inspired totem was especially meaningful to create. My inspiration started with several ideas the customer suggested resulting in a final collaboration that brought us both to tears. 

Usually, when I’m asked to make a special order, the person is familiar with my creations and style of clay art. I like to send photos of previous pieces I’ve made along with color choices to help reinforce the words I use to describe new visions. Sometimes I’ll prepare a rough sketch to show my interpretation. Ultimately, it’s a matter of trust. The purchaser must believe I can create a ClayByLaura item to their satisfaction and I must rely on my clay experience to produce a piece that meets their approval.  I've found good communication and frequent status report updates helps smooth this process. It's up to me to relay the nuances of clay and my ability to manipulate it into a final product. When I am successful at this, the results are usually good. 

These toad houses bring a pop of color to this beautiful garden area!

My feelings range from panic to euphoria when I finally share my creation with the new owner. By the time the design is set in clay, I’ve spent abundant time thinking about, planning and executing the project. And when the stars align, and the piece is welcomed with joy, well, there‘s no better ego boost!

I was given immense creative freedom and good initial guidance to create this outdoor clay project.  I think that's one of the reasons it turned out so well. The customer trusted I would interpret their ideas with my artistic sense and create objects to satisfy their desire. This symbiosis is special and when it happens, it's magic!

Here are more detailed photos of this commission project.

The dog tags add a personalized touch to the dog collar!

The address numbers are easily recognizable on this totem stack.

Each flower creation represents something meaningful to the owners.

My Red Thread - Unbreakable Connections

I just finished a mixed media piece for a fundraiser supported by The Muse in Frederick, Md. I like the inspirational quote for this art project. I’ve talked before about how clay connects me to the world and people. It is my red thread.

When we have moved to a new location, clay has often lead me to forge new friendships. I have made enduring encounters at clay classes, workshops and local pottery studios. Clay has opened new doors and opportunities for lasting connections.

Sometimes even my knitting habit gets entangled with the red thread of my clay. I am working on this custom bowl project that came about through a yarn workshop I attended!

Clay has also proved to be the catalyst for reconnecting with people in my life. Just this week I heard from a past friend who recognized my creations on-line. It has been years since we had communicated; clay has renewed the relationship.

These custom mugs were just completed this week for another long-time friend. We have been able to reconnect since my move back to Maryland.

Direct-selling my clay creations is another way I connect with people.  Craft shows, home sales and co-op galleries where I’ve sold my pieces are opportunities to make new relationships. These encounters allow me to share a piece of "me" with "them". Sometimes it’s brief but meaningful, other times it leads to a brand new friendship. 

Clay also helps me stay connected to friends and family who have died and make donations to helpful community organizations.  I've been able to create special urns for holding a loved-one's ashes.  Additionally, I make a yearly rendition of an angel in honor of a friend who died long ago of breast cancer. Here's the angel-themed clock I am working on in the studio this week. These clay opportunities help me stay connected also.

Clay is my red thread. What is yours?

Let's Talk Physical

Clay is a heavy material and requires a certain amount of physical finesse to lift, cart and move around. To begin with, clay is usually sold in 50-pound boxes split into two 25-pound plastic bags. Once it’s shaped into a form, it needs to be carried to and from and lifted in and out of the kiln. Some of the clay equipment is also large and heavy. Kilns, potter’s wheels and slab rollers are usually set in one place in a studio – too cumbersome to move around. Creating with clay on the wheel or hand-building at a work table requires some strength, fluid movement and fine-motor skills. Bulky kiln shelves are layered and lifted in and out of a kiln each time it is fired. Many potters mix their own glazes that are carried and stored in large heavy buckets. I've switched to pint-sized paint on glazes which is one less material to lug around. And even when the making is complete, the finished pieces are packed and transported to shows in crates or carefully wrapped for shipping to customers. These actions also require some heavy lifting.

The clay-making cycle begins with a 50 pound box of clay.

Most potters I know experience their share of aches and pains related to their time with clay. So when the pain in my elbow persisted for the last couple of months, I knew it was time to have it checked. I had avoided diagnosis, afraid I’d be told to stop any clay or knitting activity. Luckily, the ‘tennis elbow’ I have can be rehabilitated through physical therapy, regular exercises and a fancy pressure bracelet I now wear. My daily clay activity, nightly knitting and yoga practice can proceed as usual.

My goal is to rehabilitate and become pain-free.

I was able to spend fun-time in the studio this week with some neighborhood friends and their young daughters. I received pleasure introducing my young neighbors to pottery. We painted several clay shapes to make a pot-sticker. It was great to see their enthusiasm and the fantastic outcome of their color application! I'll assemble the finished pieces later this week once the applied sealer is dry!

First, I showed the girls an example of a pot-sticker I had made. Next, we got to work painting and blending colors on the clay pieces. Getting messy can be fun!

Connect The Pots

Although pottery can be a solitary medium, there is an entire village ‘out there’ providing instruction, guidance, ideas and feedback. One clay resource I like is Pottery Making Info. It has virtually connected me to many other clay artists I might never have known, tweaked my creative juices on more than one occasion and posed thoughtful artistic questions to ponder. Despite the fact potters all mimic the basic fundamentals and clay-making actions, each individual artist leaves a unique personal impression on the clay to make it their own.

When I began to use more hand-building techniques and get away from throwing on the potter's wheel, I wanted to add an organic nature to my creations. This 'quilted bowl' made in 2008, was one of my early attempts to loosen up.

The most recent query posed by Pottery Making Info: ’What do you hope people experience when they view/use your work?’ piqued my interest this week. It’s a great question and also has me thinking about the experience I have with the pottery I’ve purchased from other artists. I think there is more than one simple answer to this question.

I often purchase pottery I don’t/can’t make myself. I bought this vase from a craft store many years ago. I love the simplicity of the form and how the glaze emphasized the texture of the clay. I also like the wire handle. The organic nature captured in this vase was my goal.

I have bought lots of pottery at craft shows and enjoy the opportunity to buy directly from an artist. I get to see a variety of pieces made by that individual and choose one that I like. Each time I use that purchase, I think of the artist and appreciate our encounter. I bought this mug at a local art fair when we  moved back to Maryland a few years ago. I love the shape, glaze and feel of this piece. 

In addition to using pottery I purchase, I also display pieces I've bought throughout my house. The rustic bowl was made by a friend, the brushes were created by a fellow classmate in a community clay studio and the vase with clay flowers was purchased from a fantastic craft gallery where I worked when I lived in Charlotte, N.C. All of these purchases connect with a fond memory.

So my answer to the Pottery Making Info question is guided by the pottery purchases I have made along the way. I'd like the owners of ClayByLaura pieces to share the sense of fun I have when I create; I like my clay art to portray my artistic identity and be recognizable as made by me; I like functionality and like hearing how my pieces are used. Overall, I want to connect the pleasure I receive in making art to those that end up using it. 

Raising Standards

Clay and all its intricacies can humble even the most experienced potter. The process requires many stages for full completion and end results can be hard to predict. Time, practice, repetition and success help defray the frequency of mishaps and poor outcomes—but the base materials including earth, chemicals, fire and water can be tricky to navigate.

As a clay beginner, pots that are ‘still standing’ after their two firings (bisque and glaze) define success. As the progression of skills and experience happen, that once acceptable vessel no longer meets immediate approval. New standards are defined and met as skill evolves. I made this mug as an art class project in elementary school. I'm not sure it will hold liquid and see its flaws more clearly now. Of course back then to me, it was perfect!

Often, early clay practitioners give away their pieces to family and friends as they hone new skills and their inventory grows. If an artist transitions to selling their creations, a new level of standards become necessary. Once acceptable flaws like hairline cracks, rough clay surfaces or bad glaze results do not meet the standards for a successful sale. 

My studio is filled with pieces from other artists in addition to my own lifetime of work. It inspires and reminds me of the path I've taken over the years to become the clay artist I am today. It's an ongoing journey. Each time I've accomplished a new skill or met a self-imposed higher standard, there are still others to achieve. 

Before any piece leaves the studio, I try to make sure it represents the skill level, care and standards I practice in the studio on a regular basis. If it's a custom order, it might mean making a second version if these standards are not reached the first time it's made. It's the finicky nature of clay. But the end result is also an expression of me -- and I like to make sure I keep showing my best by keeping the standards high. 

Color Outside The Lines

Creative time has become a natural part of my daily routine.  I probably take this for granted. When I taught a class this past week to a group of students, it reminded me of the value of this instinctual exercise and how creative time is important for everyone to practice.

Students used acrylic paints to decorate the clay and then sealed each one with a glossy finish.

Even though each student chose similar shapes from the same pile of pieces, each potsticker evolved into a unique personal expression of their own creative making!

For me, hours disappear when I am in the studio. I get caught up in the clay process so ideas flow and the natural stresses and strains of daily life melt away. The relaxed atmosphere helps me problem solve a unique clay problem and often translates to challenges I encounter outside the studio.

This week I pulled out the sewing machine and made pillows for a birthday gift. It's good to change gears every once in awhile and create something with different 'materials!'

I’ve read about the resurgence and popularity of ‘adult coloring books’ lately. There are all kinds of theories about why and what this means. I think it shows the universal importance of art and creativity for everyone. Creative time develops personal expression; it gives the brain time to reboot; it provides meditative qualities helping a person live in the present moment; it allows time to think, time to forget and time to remember.

Creativity is personal and can be expressed in limitless ways. Writing, knitting, playing music, singing, woodworking, puzzle assembly and yes -- filling in a coloring page, are all ways to access imagination. There is no right or wrong way here and you don't even have to stay 'within the lines' to let creativity flow. Make time to create.

I did get my hands muddy this week. I'm developing a dog-themed custom totem.

Repeating Myself

Learning to step away from a creation and declare completion can be hard for an artist. I know I sometimes struggle with this concept and have heard it expressed by fellow creators. Overworking clay can lead to disastrous results.  It's probably why I like to make multiples of a particular shape. It gives me the opportunity to satisfy that urge to 'perfect' the final outcome. 

Lately, I've been reworking pot shapes and designs I've made in the past with techniques, glazes and skills I currently favor. This gives me an opportunity to repeat a favorite shape and adapt it to a fresh and updated look. 

I've been experimenting with washing away some of the color underglaze on the textured surface of my pieces. I copied the shape I originated in my Potomac, Md. studio many years ago and played with texture and color in this updated version. I like the results.

This journey includes looking at wheel-thrown shapes I've made and translating them to my current hand-building methods. Sometimes the conversion works beautifully. And some pots are just meant to be thrown on the wheel. 

The adaptation of my wheel-thrown colander to a hand-built version is still a work in progress. The original was created in 1994. Next time I'll back off on the texture and middle seam and let the boy/girl hole cutouts remain the pot's feature.