2011 Western Loudoun Studio Tour

Well I am coming up short on words to describe this past weekend. It was absolutely amazing! I was a guest artist on the WLAST tour and my host was Art At Garden Corner Studio. Jill Evans-Kavaldjian is a talented print maker and painter and basically a really good bean! I had so much fun preparing and working with Jill and I cannot thank her enough!

The tour started Saturday AM and it was so wonderful to meet so many people and talk about and share my pottery with others. I had such great conversations and had fun seeing people get excited about all the amazing talent in this county! We had a steady stream of people all day and it just flew by! Art At Garden Corner is an idyllic setting and folks were so pleased to see the great art but also walk through the gardens and enjoy the beauty of the setting!

I actually had to come home and pack up some more work to bring on Sunday! Sunday started a little more slowly so we had a nice chance to ease into day 2. We needed it because we proceeded to get slammed with people early afternoon. We had such an interesting crowd and we met some great folks. We had a couple from Connecticut and another from New York. I met a ton of talented people actually from right there in Lovettsville. Chris Cooley, a Washington Redskin Player and potter dropped in and he was so nice.

It was truly just an outstanding day and I am so thankful to share my work and ideas and thoughts with so many people! I think Jill and I thought of a 100 new ideas to work on and I am so excited to get back to the studio and fill my orders and get cracking again!

But I have to admit, today I think I am going to rest!!!

Thank you all who came out on the tour and thank you for supporting local art. Last but not least, thank you to the WLAST committee for all of their hard work and support!

Super Busy

Whew...it has been a LONG time since I have posted. I have been very busy preparing fo the Western Loudoun Studio Tour. It is fast approaching and then I have a couple of summer shows following. I have been trying to get my etsy shop up and going and stocked as well. The last few months have been a whirl wind of creating work and firing, glazing, etc. I have really had to look at my studio space with a critical eye and get more organized in my studio practices. Watch out...one day you walk into the studio and realize your are DOING THIS FULL TIME! I have dreamed and worked and worked, and seem to have lifted my head up to realize this is it! It is an amazing feeling to be doing what I love and making a "go" of it! I am definitely still working out the kinks...trying to manage my teaching vs. creating schedule, and keeping Joel and the girls on the front burner!

Wish me luck!!!

Spring Bling

Whew! I have been running the kiln daily...can you see the glow in Leesburg!!! I am so excited for the Spring Bling Art Show at Ida Lee on March 5th. I have some new work and I am anxious to see how folks respond to it! Come on out!

Pottery Classes

Almost a new year and a new session of pottery classes. Sign up for pottery classes for a New Year's resolution! Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new! It is so fun!

The Old Furniture Factory in Round Hill, VA
www.theoldfurniturefactory.com
Home of the Round Hill Design Center, ceramics and pottery demonstrations and classes, and Blue Grass Jam Sessions. Round Hill Arts Center founded here by Carolyn Kruger and Wallace Johnson.

Pots and People

I worked out at The Gateway Gallery all day yesterday and was fortunate enough to sell several pieces of my pottery. I left at the end of the day so excited and feeling very connected to my community.

When you sell work at a gallery, you more often than not, do not get to meet the people who buy your work. When you sell directly at Art Shows and Festivals, you meet and speak with every single buyer. I love this connection, and meeting the people who admire the work enough to purchase it. I love to hear why they like the piece, or who they plan to give it to, or where and how they plan to use the piece. Sometimes, they even share, what recipe or food they plan to serve in the pot - How yummy!

I met everyone yesterday, spoke with them in depth and loved hearing the stories of who they plan to give the piece to, and why they were drawn to that particular pot. I chuckled to hear one lady explain why she planned to give a porcelain bud vase to her daughter. The vase has an intentional bend to the left as it swirls to the top and she said it was "perfect for her daughter because she likes everything a little off kilter!"

How joyful that the woman "got" my intention in bending the top of the bud vase, making it perfectly imperfect! And how wonderful that she could relate it to her daughter's personality!

Reflections

I read a great article today about looking back at your creative business year and taking stock of your achievements, goals,challenges, etc. Where you are today and where do you want to go for the upcoming year. It has been an interesting exercise.

I have so much to be thankful for and it has truly been a transforming year. This time last year, my husband was unemployed in the worst economic job market in our time, and our family faced extreme uncertainty. I was working for someone else making their art, not mine and things looked pretty bleak. Well, we hung in there with a lot of prayer, hard work and some tears here and there, but we have found ourselves at the other end of that dark tunnel looking up at bright skies.

I am making my work again, teaching, and getting involved in the arts community. I have made some wonderful new friends and feel truly connected to some really great and inspiring people.

I do have some big projects and goals for 2011. I have to get more organized and be better about follow through in order to achieve these goals. I have to put myself "out there" which always involves some successes but, inevitable rejections as well. I have to fine tune my equipment and glazes and re-focus on my "voice" and what I want to convey through my work. Most importantly, I have to slow down and focus on quality work.

I continue to find so much inspiration from teaching, and hope to continue my adult and children's classes. Self-discipline is ever at the forefront of my mind. I have to harness my energy and make it work for me so I can work smarter and regularly. Having a studio in my home is such a blessing, but as anyone who works from home knows, you have to be very self regulated and not get distracted.

I am very excited to get up and running with my website and online sales. I am hopeful, some of my old clients from Charlotte, and South Carolina, as well as some of my old Ohio friends will better be able to access my work. The phenomenon of social media has done so much for connecting people and I feel that 2011 is going to be a great year in regards to the increased interest in local handmade artisan work.

Whooo.... Looking forward to 2011!

Scary Pots for Halloween!

I am very happy with my new (old) glazes! In particular I am thrilled with the skeleton bowls! The glaze is firing a bit more red than it used to, but I like it! I am working on a huge set of handbuilt and texturized platters and serving pieces that the glaze will "break" over nicely! I can't wait to get them fired. In the mean time Joel is helping me replace the heating elements in my kiln and I am going to ask for a little help from my friends on this one....It looks super easy, but believe it or not, I have never done it before!

I am so jazzed about this beautiful Fall weather and I am working working working on some new ideas! Pictures to follow...