Detour

Anyone who knows me knows I am one determined woman when I have a goal and want to get something done. My Polish family's motto is "Think like a hammer"!

I wrote a few posts ago that I was once again going to try silk screening on clay after taking a very inspirational workshop from Forest Lesch Middleton. I bought the screens, prepared the slip, made the screen medium, created the image on my computer, burned the screen and got set up for a new great adventure full of raging hope and optimism. I screened my newsprint. The medium totally clogged the screen, I changed mediums to one I had seen Leslie Baker demo (using under glaze with wallpaper paste). I skillfully applied the slip to my thrown cylinder and waited until it wasn't shiny anymore. Carefully I transfered the newspaper image and waited a minute, holding my breath. I removed the paper. Guess what...it was a mess...little or no image transferring. I tried again, this time holding my breath a little longer...then again a little longer.

This is exactly what happened before when I attempted this transfer method. That time I gave up and screened directly on a slab - no slip, no transfer. This worked but limited me to to handbuilding. I was hoping for the wonderful effect that happens when you are able to transfer on to a thrown form and then push out the piece. I love the way the pattern becomes part of the piece as opposed to just sitting on top. So to make this long whiny story short... I GIVE UP! I was not meant to spend hours, days years learning this technique...it got me...life is way too short and there are way too many things left to learn.

That said above is a picture of some new work and a new direction for me. They will be part of a large series. I am calling these "The Gossips" - they are canisters that open with red interiors.They are thrown hollow like my vases and pitchers but just used from a different perspective. Call me a baby but it feels great to be doing something I have a little skill doing.

January fourth & clay News

Oh, I'm so excited. The wonderful and talented potter, rae dunn, is moving into fourth & clay TODAY! YEAH, I feel so lucky to have such a super studio-mate.



Thank you everybody for making the gallery's debut over the holidays so successful. We are now officially open the first Saturday of every month from 11 - 5. If the lights are on we are happy for visitors anytime so feel free to knock on the door. If you would like to make an appointment (510 848 2390)that would be great, too. We are planning some really cool special events and shows so stay tuned. We are hoping to make fourth & clay the happening spot.

For those of you who have been following the continuing electrical saga...The kilns are still not plugged in. PG&E is now the problem. They are trying to fit us into their BUSY schedule. It's looking like maybe March???? I am still firing by bringing my work up the hill and down the hill - getting to be an expert at packing that brittle greenwear.

Change

This is a time to try new things. I don't have shows until the spring. I have to get new stock to the ACCI gallery and spiff up the gallery at fourth & clay but the demands are not extreme...time to play, experiment and change (me and Barak, Hillary and everybody else!) .
I took a workshop from Forrest Lesch Middleton in November. He does absolutely amazing silk screen on thrown forms:



The process was a bit more complicated than I expected but it's a direction that I think would suit my work and I am excited to give it a try. I have actually done screening directly on slab pieces but my results were mixed and I like the idea of being able to put patterns directly on thrown pieces. My new screens arrived yesterday. This will be a challenge.
I have actually done quite a bit of silk screening in my life. Years ago my husband and I ran a tiny company called Squeegee out of our garage when I was pregnant with my first child. I would get the toxic ink all over the apron front covering my pregnant belly. I worried constantly about birth defects but Molly came out beautiful and remains so to this day!

Happy 2008

WOW,the holidays are over in a blur. I love Christmas. Having our family together is the best. I love the smells, the chaos, the anticipation, the mapped out tradition. There is always so much to do, so much to see, to much to buy, so much to eat. As much as I love it all on January 1st, when we traditionally take down the tree and decorations, I always have a delicious sense of liberation and the feeling of infinite possibilities of a new beginning. Happy 2008 - I know it's going to be a great year!