Most Recent Work

     I've been thinking about creating this work for some time... 

     My mother is an incredible seamstress and would make many of our outfits growing up (I have 4 sisters); she also made my wedding dress... I on the other hand have never enjoyed sewing. Clay is my medium and the idea of adding stitching to clay and little bits of patchwork has been in the back of my mind since taking a workshop last summer at the Mendocino Art Center. It must come from sitting legs crossed on the floor of my mom's sewing room growing up.

      I recently learned how to make that idea into reality by using wax resist, carving through it (the stitching) then adding stain or underglazing into the etchings. It creates exactly what I am looking for... Enjoy!

In the Works

Today I took work out of the kiln! My favorite kind of day. The vases below will be part of the exhibit this summer at The Younger Gallery entitled, "Playful Minds". The little pieces below them will be shown at Valentine Restaurant and Wine Bar in the Fall. I plan to make many pieces and mount them onto wood to hang on the wall. And the last photo is from our wedding 7 years ago; today is our anniversary. Off to dinner now!

Soup

     I've been toying around with an idea that I plan to work on all summer... I created these little porcelain pieces last night while watching "The Soup" with Chris and laughing... a lot. Watching The Soup is a guilty pleasure and last night we were both in the mood for it, it's really quite ridiculous.

     But back to the art work. I plan to fire and mount these pieces onto wood panels so they will be seen vertically just as you see them in the photos. I'm not sure if I want them to be in color or just simply white... I have some time to play around with the idea and these are definitely the first batch of prototypes.  Now I've got to order some wood panels to try out some stain... I've been doing a little research and found a company or two that I can order from for a nominal amount of money. I've got to figure out the best method to attached porcelain to wood... epoxy? That's my first inclination, but their might be a better way...

New work and Nephew play

    I tend to take photos of my work right before it goes in the kiln to be fired for the first time... I love the way the clay looks before it's glazed. These vases are actually porcelain and I may not glaze the entire body, but I still love the true matte quality they have before they go in the kiln. They may be for the show in July for the Arts Council of Kern entitled, "Playful Minds".I finally took a some time after work to get some of my own pieces done.
     It's crunch time with the students... only a month until school let's out so things get very busy from here until May 31st. The photos below are of these pieces heading into the kiln, but I just took these pieces out of the bisque fire a few days ago and decided to simply glaze the rim with celedon and also around the "stars" a bit with celedon. They should be finished next week and I'll post finished photos when they come out... I can't wait to see.

My nephew Austin came over recently and played in my studio. He told me at Easter that he wanted to learn to throw pottery on the wheel (not in those exact words, but that's what he meant). ;-)   

So, he came over and played on the wheel for the first time a few weeks back. He was really good!! A talent from the start. I didn't even help him center this time! He made 3 little bowls on the wheel that day, a potter in the making for sure. 

New Work Out of the Kiln

Paper Clay Teapot

I finally started to make some art work again... it's been some time... here is a little teapot I made out of paper clay from the workshop I took in July. It's not yet fired, but will be soon.

Starting Here - Past Work