The Fix Works

Every once in awhile a piece comes out that I think really works. When I took this Rose Bush Vase out of the kiln I thought it looked great. When I sat it on the table I found to my dismay it had tilted on it's tiny join to one side during the final firing. It was a bit tippy. I worked on grinding down the higher side for about two hours and put a thin cork piece on the bottom to give it stability. For once in my life as a potter the fix worked...YEAH...sometimes life is good.
P.S. The vase sold at the ACGA sale to a long time collector of my work ...life IS good.

With a little help from my friends....

The ACGA show came crashing to an end with a broken vase. I look at work breaking as an occupational hazard and an exercise in detachment. I felt sorry for the poor lady who somehow managed to crash something into a piece which crashed into something else resulting in a broken handle and several broken flowers. The quiet that followed was amazing as all my fellow potters and glass people held their collective breaths. She was a lovely person. She offered to pay for the broken piece but instead bought an unbroken one that she loved and hopefully will have good feelings towards.

I want to thank my wonderful family - husband, John, daughter, Susannah,son in law, Yadir and fabulous friends Michelle, Joe and Paul for all their help and support. The booth went up so well and came down so quickly. Without them I would still be out there packing and whining.

The show was OK for me. I sold some good pieces but missed the extraordinary customer who came last year and bought everything in sight. In the end it seemed like my stock had grown rather than shrunk! I am the WORST sales person. I get awkward and gawky. I don't know the words to make the sale happen. I need to go to salesmanship school. At one point a customer couldn't decide between three pieces she was in love with. She was so overwhelmed that she had to go sit on a nearby bench to decide which she wanted to take home. In the end she came back to my booth and said she couldn't decide so she wasn't going to buy ANY...yikees. A good sales person would have had her buying all three and feeling great about it. I bought a blanket from such a salesman in Guanajuato. Every time I use it I think about him and it brings a smile to my face. Somehow I have to learn those skills.


I am off to the mountains for the rest of the summer. There will be nothing to sell to the squirrels and the bears.

True Confessions

I've been crazy,crazy busy getting ready for the ACGA show that is coming up this very weekend. There is nothing like deadline to get me cooking. I actually love the pressure.... once in a while. I go into the zone, I like the direction and I think I do some of my best work. However I tend to eat everything in sight and drink a wee bit too much. When I was designing for Sweet Potatoes my whole life used to be like this...5 huge deadlines a year, absolutely no down time, lots of bread, cookies and booze. In my "new life" I have only this one self imposed deadline. This has been bliss and better for my waist line, the wrinkles in my face and my mental health.

The flowers above are made on fire-able wire which I will twist. I'll use then to fill some of my vases. The peas remind me of meat on a rack drying...they are waiting to be fired - again I used fire-able wire...very cool stuff.

I hope if you are in the area you will come by and say Hi - I'm booth #159 (in the sculpture garden area).

Clay and Cocktails

Christa, rae and I have been working like crazy women. rae and I are getting ready for the annual wonderful ACGA show and Christa is getting ready to travel to Greece on an exotic pottery adventure. Cocktail hour is a must. Look at this picnic....have I mentioned how much I love my clay mates? Here's Harry Potter after a hard day at the studio...no I didn't slip him a martini...he just loves being cool at fourth & clay.