I can reveal contents of package now!

This is the commissioned piece using my computer/Photoshop skills to capture suitable images and text requested to enable me to create custom silkscreens to use on this box.
Here is the photo of the conductor that I used to create the silkscreen.



and using photoshop, I came up with this picture to be used as silkscreen for the box:

Can't open package just yet

This week I delivered a custom ceramic piece commissioned by a group of local musicians to give to their departing conductor. Can't unwrap the package and show the contents until after the presentation on the 27th. This was a fun project and I had to make several silkscreens specifically designed for the gift recipient. Next week I will post the open package.

My Trip to Beach Mug

Yeah, my beach mug for sale in my Etsy Shop was featured in Treasury West's Trip around the World!

Pauline's Place is Open for Business

Just began listing a few items for sale. Take a peak.

My first "thrown" teapot

Some Finished items

Most of the boxes shown in slideshow below while drying are now finished. Now I move on, time to tackle some other things. I did love the way these silkscreened items turned out and boxes are useful. I have two more platters to go into glaze kiln today and one serving plate with feathers and a quotation from Emily Dickenson. I just found my favorite (of the day) quotation which I found on Vicki Liles Gill's blog which is from famous potter Bernard Leach. This quotation sums up art perfectly for me:

"I think the final word I would use as a criterion of value in the world of art, if I were reduced to a single word, would be the presence of life.... It is a force that goes beyond all arts or artists. It is the ultimate standard and it is attainable."

Waiting to be bisqued

I love my new boxes with different silkscreen designs on each on and lots of texture on another. I love making these:

One has it's lid askew, didn't notice it until looking at this video, I didn't place it on top properly. Hopefully these will be out of bisque by the end of the week, but then into glaze firing so won't be until at least three weeks to see these done.
I have been doing a lot with trees lately.

More from February's efforts

I had fun with these, trying to get more text on my work, the tree vase was fun and I tried two different versions of the birch tree silkscreen, one all white, the other white and black. I had used this silkscreen way back and made three items, all sold. They are in the slideshow in this posting, black birch on turquoise background, in three seasons, fall summer and winter.
And needed to make more "catitude" vases since all that I have made have also sold. I am working on a platter with the tree and poem as well and will do a few more items/forms using that theme, but I have so many more ideas I want to try, I am energized again. In Wilmington, we rarely get snow, but we woke up this morning to this beautiful sight

More pictures can be seen here.

A few more from January

.....and a few more things finished. Did three window scenes but only one with lid. Also did a total blue screen printed fabric print on cylinder vase and decided to give it a ruffle front, I need to do some more blue and white, they seem to sell quickly.
Then, a few playthings for Valentine's day. I have a few pieces drying now that will use my birch tree screen on speckled brown clay, they look pretty good in the drying stage. Will photograph later.

From drying to finished piece

Looks like the photoshop test glaze was pretty useful. First picture was as piece was awaiting bisque firing, scene painted with window and cat silkscreened over scene, then the Photoshop "test" glaze then final picture with background glaze, black and clear glaze over scene which brightens the colors of the underglazes. I will have to explore using photoshop again to test glazes on a piece.

Using Photoshop to "test" Glazes

I was wondering what glaze I would use for my windows series. I used photoshop to test the look of a glaze I was considering, didn't go for perfect photo, just enough --like a sketch to see if I would like it and I do. Just found an item where I had used the intended glaze and cloned bits of that glaze from the pear box where I used it before and cloned it around the window on the piece drying. Not a wonderful photo, but just enough to see that it would work for me and I will try this glaze when item is bisqued. The hardest part of glazing is deciding what glazes to use. If I can think about it now, glazing will be easier.

One more "Window" Box drying

A third vessal, this time a lidded tall box with window and beach scene and grey cat this time. Next to that is a tall cylinder vase with an allover blue and white fabric design with ruffled front, also drying.

Using the Sun's UV rays to burn silkscreen

In case you wondered what that looked like: Photo from a previous class, I am sorry I didn't make a video with sound of Terre singing her homage to the sun (she was a schoolteacher in a previous life), while we were burning our screens. It must have worked though, because the screens all turned out perfectly with even a 3 UV rating last Saturday.

Let there be light!

Thanks to Ginny Eckley's instructions on how to build a light table, I am now able to make silkscreens no matter how bright it is outside. Up to now, I have waited until mid-day to "burn" a new screen, and thanks to living in mostly sunny NC, this hasn't been too bad, but now when the creative urge strikes in the dark, I can whip out the light table my DH made me for Christmas and drive on! Exposure time is 12 minutes (in mid-day UV sun, 1 minute +/- 10 seconds), but I am a multi-tasker and can find plenty to do while timing the 12 minutes.

New pieces drying

My students in my silkscreen class last Saturday got so excited I was inspired to make a few more --I have been wanting to do a windows series for a while, so these are my first test pieces along with another beach box with shells only. All greenware at this stage.

Screenprinting slideshow

New year Resolutions----Blah!

Worked at the gallery on the last day of the year and surprised there were quite a few people out and about. We even had some sales. The blue and white beach box in this entry sold after Christmas as did all three of the music themed plates that I took into the shop after Christmas which were like the ones in this posting. I had some very decent sales in December despite the fact that I sold over 60 items at the December Guild Pottery show. I had to take nearly everything out of the gallery for the show since I did not have much hanging about. All in all a wonderful December. I was at the studio today all day and have these things going into the bisque kiln perhaps next week. I have been playing with my fences silkscreen and this is the third item. One is in the shop, see entry below, one is ready to go into glaze kiln (no photo yet), it doesn't look very interesting with glaze on it before firing. The first attempt broke before getting into bisque kiln. Had a couple in shop yesterday who asked me if I would be willing to put more of this theme into the gallery they are opening. Not sure if I will do this, since they aren't open yet and lots of questions are unanswered, but in the meantime, I thought I would play around with some different forms using this screen. Also everyone here loves anything with turtles. We have an active turtle rescue program on our beaches and many people volunteer and support these activities, thank goodness. Thought I might play with the dolphins too.
I have another silkscreen on clay class coming up on January 17th and I am considering making a PDF file to sell on Etsy outlining my process on making and using the screens. Not sure about making it a NY's resolution though. We shall see, it is an idea that I have been playing with.

Happy New Year to you all

Enjoying this very last day of 2009 and hope you all are doing the same.
Life is sweet.

A couple more

Been so busy with family and Christmas, but had an abolutely beautiful Christmas with our two "new" grandchildren. My daughter Kristina married a wonderful young man this year who has two fantastic children and we were lucky this year to have the whole family visit for Christmas. I did manage to get a couple of things out of the kiln this past week and here they are.

More Silkscreen on clay

I love the wrought iron fence with birds and have another piece drying. Also have a few things coming out of kiln today but can hardly remember what went in there. My inventory at the shop is very low, which is a good thing. I am giving another silkscreen workshop on January 16th, so I thought I would take some time to use screens I had made but not used too much, plus working on screens to add more text, etc. to my claywork. Just having fun! Yesterday, I did spend the day wrapping gifts for Christmas, something I usually did at the last minute. Now I need to make a fresh wreath for the front door, but will head to the studio this morning for a bit.
We have 14 or 16 coming for dinner Christmas Eve for DH's annual lasagna. Plus, for the first time since we moved here, we will have children waking up on Christmas morning here. We are definitely looking forward to their visit.

I love doing this kind of work on my pottery, This bowl would look lovely as a decorative item filled with ornaments, or on the holiday table with a fruit salad.

Whew, been busy

Yes, the music plates (two at least), made it out in time and were presented by my friend's chamber music group to their music professors and everyone seemed very pleased with them. I have three more in progress, then I will change to another theme using the music sheets though. This was followed by our annual clay guild show and sale, so I have been very busy. It was a wonderful sale with fantastic pottery and ceramic art for sale. We had a wonderful turnout and I sold lots! The three kitties which I never did get around to posting photos of, sold immediately, as well as my experimental "Leopard skin pattern box" and lots and lots of other things. I am just now trying to get my inventory managed to see what sold, etc. so here are some photos of things "gone." My new beach boxes have a different glaze for water and some additional seashells added to sandy bottom, I think I like this combination better than my original ones, although I think each iteration is slightly different. I enjoy making these and they are very popular and sell right away.

In the Bisque Kiln

Two of these are sold if I can get them out --finished by Dec 2. I used underglazes on the leaves then I will clear glaze them. I have some more ideas as variations on this theme I will pursue maybe today at the studio.

Such a long wait

I made a few more music themed items, but it takes such a long time to get them finished. These babies are in for drying, then another week or so for bisque, then another week or so to get them out of glaze kiln. I have several things waiting to be final fired, and that batch might be out next Tuesday. In fairness, I think I made these things after we got home from our two week trip, so certainly formed about 8th of Nov or so, and to be able to see them next Tuesday is really about two weeks. I find that my brown speckled clay takes a lot longer to dry. I have several things on the bisque shelf as well. Made these today and will post when they come out of final kiln and will, therefore, have a real feel for how long it takes. The kilns are pretty busy this time of year, so things might be moving a little faster than usual.
Here's a photo showing the items on the "waiting for bisque firing"
Boy, until I posted all this I hadn't realized how busy I have been this month, especially since, for me, handbuilding takes quite a while. I also have another big leaf platter that will come out of Glaze kiln (hopefully intact) that I didn't photograph for this posting. Next week!

My new creation

Most of my turtle items have sold in one week, also the beach box sold. I have two more drying as well as another two leaf platters, but my newest "fun" creations are my kitty vases. Here is a picture of one (I have made three), and I am hoping they look good after glazing, etc., I used to have a brooch that looked something like this with that backward looking attitude, and I thought it would be a hoot to recreate this look as a vase. I can see a bunch of daisies coming out of the vase can't you? Also did one with texture on vase and a different texture on rear and face. Stay tuned for finished projects in a couple of weeks.

My Goodness!

Before my stuff even got into "official inventory" at the shop, three of the items have been sold. I had a good day today and my turtle series is off to a good start. Of course, the lady from Ocean Isle Beach who "just happened to be an adopted mother of a turtle" bought several of my pieces, including three of my turtle vessels and my beachbox. I had already sold the tumbling rocks box I put in the shop just before we left. My Hosta leaf holders also have had a fairly decent run and today, I sold an item, I never did post on this blog, a lovely green platter with impressed leaves.
It is fun to meet the people who buy my items on the three days a month I work at the gallery. Today was a good day!

Turtles, birds beach and stars

More on my beach theme, a box similar to the one I featured here and sold, and using a new silkscreen showing turtles on the beach including hatching scene. This area is pretty famous for our loggerhead turtle nestings. Also a batch of star ringholders and a pair of candleholders. Will be in gallery tomorrow.

More Pots for October

Playing around with some new shapes/forms, more use of my new acqua glaze, and addition of silkscreen turtles to my beach collection. Some of these sold from my trunk before I got them to the shop.

Still at the "Beach"

Still experimenting with my beach bird images and some new (for me) clay. I have only recently decided to work with brown speckled clay and to try various new ways to use my silkscreens. I have found I can "transfer" from newsprint onto matte glaze surfaces to give a sepia look. Same image direct screenprinted is decidedly more black. Also trying to capture the textures and colors of the beach as our beach season here in Wilmington winds down. I have a few new images of turtles that I am playing with also. I like the variations I have been getting with brown speckled clay.

New for August

I haven't had much experience using speckled brown clay before, and had a bag of it from almost two years ago, so decided to try a few things. Except for vase at the bottom, all these were made from that clay body. I see lots of possibilities and love the result so today I will get more of this clay and see where else I can go with it.
I had some nice surprises with this kiln opening.

My new Shorebird items

Having fun using the new silkscreen images from the sea. Quick items made to demonstrate using silkscreens on clay at my last class.
Love these little birds!

New Work in July

I am having fun as usual working in several different directions. Love making my "Seafoam" pods and am experimenting with different glazes as well. The cutwork is a personal favorite technique I find soothing. My Asian vessal has a screenprint in underglaze on it and I like the way it turned out too. I only made one cutwork bird, but plan to make many more of these since they look beautiful all year round "and" would look great as Christmas ornament as well.

Some things change

This is the black and white box shown earlier before finishing, but after bisque firing, I decided it needed a little more color. It is finished and in place at the shop.

Forgot to show you the new teapot

I showed the "Petals" teapot I made and my DH broke, but forgot to show you the replacement, which I liked better anyway, and it sold rather quickly. Guess I will have to try to make another one.

boxes

Playing around with boxes, everyone seems to like and have some use for them.

A couple of new things

Not yet finished, used silkscreen for butterfly:

Artist of the Month--June

Hi all, here are some new things making their debut this month as Artist of the Month for June at the Port City Pottery and Fine Crafts. I am so pleased and had such fun making these items. The large planter is a second attempt at one I made last year, it is similar, but different in that the saucer is attached and the face is aligned higher. Just wanted to see if I could make this again, I never know!

Lessons, lessons, lessons

As every potter/ceramic artist has experienced----things get broken. DH bumped into the table holding some of the items I had just finished grinding bottoms, etc. (my fault in that spout was hanging over the table a bit) and "crash." As I had said, I have a whole bunch of things I have been making in this series. In fact, just finished glazing most of them yesterday---to go with this teapot! Since this accident happened a few weeks ago, I have since made another (different though) teapot. All this potential risk at each stage of the process kind of adds excitement and makes a finished product all the more wonderful I think. My innate sense of re purposing won't pitch this mess thinking I might just be able to do something with it. Mosaic?? who knows, ----

On Mother's Day and how to expand the joy!

My daughter and her new family (got married in April to a wonderful man with two wonderful children----voila, I am an instant grandmother!). Anyway, they sent me a beautiful bouquet of tulips. I grow so many flowers in my garden, I often think I do not need florist flowers, BUT---surprise to me, this bouquet has pleased me so much. I moved them into my Master Bath, of all places and realized with the mirrors I quadrupled the display from one bouquet to FOUR! Beau, our oldest cat seems to enjoy them too. I put them in the bathroom since our youngest (and most mischievous cat) likes to push things over in the Bedroom to wake us up. Little did I know that the bathroom with its mirrors was the perfect place for them. I probably visit that room more often than I would like to admit and while there, get to enjoy these flowers all the more.

Petal Crazy

My newest teapot, plus lots and lots more using this technique/ and glaze combination. I have so many pieces lined up to be part of this collection. I originally made a plate to test glaze/technique and it sold so fast, I thought this might be an area I could expand upon. So made this teapot, also in the process I have a tray/plate, soapdish, sugar/creamer, vases and a spoon which I loved making. More on these as they make their way through drying, bisque firing/glazing! I will be "artist of the month" at the Port City Pottery and Fine Crafts for the month of June and I hope to have all of these items on display there.