Sweet Tweet

Is it just me or does the word "TWEET" make you giggle when you hear it being spoken by very serious men talking about their uber serious communications? Who ever dreamed up that name had a great sense of humor.

Here in the mountains my head is filled with real bird songs and gorgeous wild flowers. I am getting ready for the Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival, held at the Art Center July 11 & 12. Here are a few of the pieces I've been working on. Can you feel the influence? These bird vases and flower/cake pieces are drying...quickly please. Now all I have to do is get these suckers fired and glazed and get back down to the Bay Area for the festivities. I'll be in booth #58. Come by and give me a TWEET.

Summer Begins

We have begun our annual summer in the mountains. It is SO beautiful up here. The sky is a blue so deep it feels like you could go swimming in it. Last night we saw our first bear - a rather mangy one - grazing on somebody's poorly stowed garbage.

John and I have started this summer by taking a workshop at Sierra Nevada College with the amazing Richard Shaw(pictured here with his wonderful wife Martha). We are learning plaster casting and decal/silk screen making. So much information, so much fun. Why did I want to cast baby doll arms? Beats me... All those damn fingers are a total pain especially when I am told I can easily buy the mold. What am I going to do with baby arms IF I can remove them from the mold once cast? I have no idea...maybe make tattoo decals and decorate them appropriately... a tasteful MOM might look great.

From Flat to Round

Last summer I took a workshop with the phenomenal Sam Chung. He uses flat patterns to create ceramic forms that are very beautiful and very complex. It has taken me a year to figure out how to apply this information in my work. I love the idea of taking one more element from my former career in clothing design and applying it to my new career in clay.

This new vase form is very simple and I am excited about the possibilities. The stripes are inlaid black clay (the below photo is the piece fresh out of the bisque so no glaze yet). I am loving pairing the stripped down vase form with the black and white surface patterns. I have done this style in big dots, little dots, squiggles, lines, birds, taller/skinner, shorter/fatter. They look great in groups...can you tell I'm going a little nutz? The best part of this whole process is that I don't engage in my least favorite part of the ceramic process...the dreaded glazing. I simply dip in clear and fire....YES!

Show Time

I can stop holding my breath....It looks like all my pieces arrived safely. Here's a video taken at the Bay Area Pottery Posse's Mudfire Gallery show. I am proud and honored to be part of such a great group of tallented, beautiful, funny, hard working ladies. A huge thanks to Diana, Eric and Lube from MudFire for putting this together: