I'm BACK!!!

Sometimes I feel like I'm in a  whirl wind.  There is a lot on my plate and apparently I like it that way because I'm the one who keeps adding to that plate. And this blog is something that has fallen off the plate.  And that's probably not a very big deal, but I feel a bit bad about it.  So I'll try to catch up from over a year ago!!

I re-read the last post and yes, my dear Joey past away on January 9th.  He went peacefully. I'm eternally grateful to my vet who came out to my house for his last visit.  RIP Joey.  Thank goodness, I have Lucy.  She has been a terrific "buffer" dog.  It is my hope that she will become a Therapy Dog, but that continues to be a work in progress.  She will be two on October 19th and is still very much a puppy although she has complete her CGC (Canine Good Citizen).  Believe me, that was  A BIG DEAL.  She had to sit and stay while I walked away then come when called.  But perhaps the biggest challenge is her meet and greet....she still gets so excited.  I hope she can calm down at some point.  She goes to work with me everyday and gives me great joy despite her slobbering..she is a St Bernard after all.

OK, so what else have I been up to?  Well, I had two opportunities present themselves at the same time this year.  In April, I became a member of Local Color, Joplin's premier art gallery.  It's been a challenge to fit into their group.  It seems that there are obstacles that I've not encountered before and I'm trying desperately to  not step on toes while standing up for myself and my art.  It hasn't been easy.  I'm the new kid on the block...time will tell.

In addition to Local Color, the Downtown Joplin Alliance has started a farmer's market in their donated building at 931 E 4th Street.  It was used by Empire Electric for years and now it's being "up-cycled".  And personally, it's about time that Joplin had a farmer's market!!  There's more of a variety of vendors there including my little group of five ladies aka The Market Artisans.  Allow me to introduce Dianne Miller - glass artist, Barb Dedrickson - pine needles weaver and gourd artist, Kristin Girard - jeweler, Brenda Hayes - fiber artist and, let's face it, she can do most anything and myself!  I love this group, we are so supportive of each other.  We take turns "minding" the booth (which is a wonderful set up made by Jim Miller, Dianne's husband) each week so no one person gets burnt out going every Saturday to the Market for 5 - 6 hours!  The minder puts out the majority of her work and the rest of us fill in the gaps, making little vignettes where people see how everything compliments each other.  We've had a few slow weeks, but anticipate a very busy holiday season ahead!  I truly look forward to my weeks.  I've seen people from my home town, old yoga classes, dog people, pottery people and just friends from all over.  If you live neat the Joplin area, I highly encourage you to check it out.  It's every Saturday from 10am to 3pm!!

Here are a couple pics from last weeks market:

Those adorable pumpkin gourds are selling like hot cakes!

So those are just two new endeavors.  Then I have come to realize that even if people aren't buying my pottery, they LOVE to make it themselves!  That means CLASSES!  Now, I have two places to do that, ArtForms (at Cow Creek Pottery) in Pittsburg and here locally at Local Color.  I just finished a Wind Chime workshop at Local Color last night and even though we did run out of time, the ladies had a great time creating their own unique piece of art.  I'm going to try to have one workshop at each place once a month...good luck with that one.

Here are some up coming events:

While I'm at it, I want to highlight student work from a previous workshop in Pittsburg where I just finished a butter dish workshop...these guys hit it out of the park!!  I hope the pic doesn't look distorted.  I did the green one and the others were my students.

And since I have all these classes that use stoneware versus the B Mix and porcelain that I normally use, I have lots of "scrap" clay left over which is totally reusable.  So I've told myself that I'm going to use up the stoneware before I get back to either of my usuals which means that I've changed what I make just a bit and it seems to fit the Market clientele better...here's some new old work.

Ok, you whom I can't see...I've feel much better about not being active...oh, one more thing.  I've started doing little water color cards (another Market product) that have been going over very well and it's another creative outlet!

So if you have actually read this.  Let me know. Leave some comments!
Thanks!

A brief respite from posts

    I know that usually I devote my posting to publishing pictures of recent creations.  I make use of the adage of a picture is worth a thousand words.  Could that be?  Am I just lazy?  It seems like I'm exploring all the creative outlets possible with my clay, sometimes water colors and even textile endeavors and then the marketing or "tooting of my own horn" has to come into play.  I'm telling you it's exhausting.  I love creating, I just wish people would instantly know that I've done the creating with my constant words.  When ever I do look at either this blog spot or my web site, I'm appalled at the amount of time that has escaped since the last post...forgive my human weaknesses.
   I have been busy.  I'm always busy.  I've spent a lot of time setting up my space at ArtForms LLC, www.artforms-gallery.com in Pittsburg, KS.  And not only that which isn't all that time consuming, I'm doing the accounting work for the gallery including figuring the commissions for the approximately 20 artists involved and the financial reports that will allow the partners to file their individual income taxes.  It's very important to me that each artist is paid correctly and that means working with the other 19 artists who work in the gallery to make sure sales are correctly recorded.  It can be challenging but I do love working with numbers too!  I know weird artist working with numbers and enjoying it..go figure (oh,  a little pun there).
   And then there is Joplin Regional Artists Coalition www.joplinrac.org  where I'm the Treasurer.  It's a growing artists group local more to Joplin, but still within a 100 mile radius.  That's more of a keeping track of members sort of thing, but yes, it too involves numbers...just not quite so intense as ArtForms.
  Then let's see, I've done shows in Topeka, KS and Atlanta, GA in October.  There were three or four different open house/Christmas shows in November and December.  The one in my home was a great success.  It was over a couple days that worked better for people's schedules.  It was a bit strange in that my "regulars" didn't necessarily come and spend a bunch (with a few exceptions), rather I had new people who hadn't been to my studio before...some who came back a second time...always nice.
  The best thing was Christmas...both of my girls were home and in celebration of that and because it was about time , I bought myself a most excellent Christmas present...a St Bernard puppy!!!  Her name is Lucy and she is, well, she is a puppy first of all and a St. Bernard second of all.  My hope is that she will be a therapy dogs just like her greyhound "cousins".  I know she loves everyone...maybe with the exception of that pet turkey she met last Saturday.  She didn't really know what to make of that. 
   The only down side is my beloved 10 year old male St. Bernard has bone cancer which has been operated on once so far.  I'm going to take this a day at a time, but my priorities are shifted for a while and I trust that everyone will be understanding.  My dogs are my family too ...so there, there are some words, but I'm going to add a pic just because...

More MIshima...

Some of these pieces are sold, but I'm trying to churn them out...more, more, more.  And I now have my own computerized kiln...going to get it properly wired on Tuesday, then watch out!!

2nd Place at Art Central

And tada...this vase won 2nd place at the Art Central Membership Show...whoopee...

I'm honored to have won this prize....nice to be appreciated!

2017 Potter's Council Calendar

So every year for more years than I can count I've submitted entries for the Potter's Council Calendars.

Calendar submission is FREE and is juried by staff from Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated! 

This year's categories include*:

• General Entry
• Pets in the Studio
• Sculptural- both figurative and abstract
• Functional- including "On the Table" and "In the Kitchen"
• Pots with Flowers

And this year, I'm going to have TWO entries...one in the "Pots with Flowers" and one in "Pets in the Studio"'

Here are the pics...

And by the way, the flowers in the second picture are from my yard as well!!!  Hard work pays off !!!

 

Winner, winner Chicken dinner!!

The 68th annual membership show for Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin opened last Friday, November 13th.  And I won third in 3D!!  To think that I entertained the idea of not entering at all.  See, I already knew what a couple of my friends were going to enter and thought it was an exercise in futility.  Goes to show that you just never know and it's all subjective.  Oh, and the darn piece sold too!! Fortunately, the new owner is Suzi Huntington owner of our local Crackpot Pottery clay studio.  I might have to borrow it for our groups exhibit at the KC NECEA show, March 2016.

But I'm working on another one that is in a darker clay body, so we shall see!

Here are the other 3D winners...all my friends!!

My good friend Debbie Reed's work that took over a year to complete. Honorable Mention.

My favorite jeweler, Randy Wright - always awesome.  Honorable Mention.

Steve Doerr - First Place.

Wm. Jeffrey Jones - 2nd Place.

Justin Hale - another Honorable Mention.

Linda Brown - the final Honorable Mention.
A pretty awesome bunch of people...so great!!

Look what I did!!

Today was an art kind of day. Demonstrated my clay art at a local gallery, Rose Gallery, for their open house of which I have proud to be included in their long list of artists.  Then I took a break in the middle to attend a class at Spiva Center for the Arts.  Learned a bit about fused glass art.  A quick insight into cutting glass and making a plate.  It was so much fun!!! Then back to the Rose Gallery to do more demos with clay.  I did manage to make quite a few ornaments and a few trays, a couple that were sectioned and one that I stretched.  All in a day off!!