another day, another studio mo...

Yes it has been a wee while since i've posted a video and really don't expect too much it's just a mad moment in the studio!

I started trimming a couple of pots from mondays photo shoot session in the studio w mr D from which I will hopefully have a few pics soon... todays effort was mostly disastrous but the jug survived and maybe it will still be there in the morning if I didn't get it too wet!! HA!!




Anyhoo I've been madly making here for markets etc and just trying to get stocked up and get some work out to shops, gallery's etc... I keep promising but keep getting behind in production and then I try again!

Awww distraction moment Vincent is on DR WHO on tellie....

Right then... I have some wee slump impressed bowls that i'm working on at the mo and have made some firing rings in hope that they don't fire flat :P

and so many square plates in the kiln and loads of colour combos with loose brush work and stamping and finally using some stamps from birdies to numbers that all come out back to front because I thought they were stamps but they're actually bingo numbers....heheheh my bad!

Last Sunday our final printmaking day was great and to have completed the 7 weeks was a great benchmark but I wonder where to now?  Find another program, keep carving away by myself or find somewhere to continue this practise.

The exhibition of our chosen works will be up during the 'fringe' next year at the council library with framed and signed prints... sundays session was all very serious but lovely to be focussed on professional practise. I have enjoyed immensely the company and the process, totally amazed at the outcome. I know, I shouldn't be...  there was quite the mix of artists and peeps who haven't done any art since high school. And yes I think the gallery 1855 program is really hitting the right marks! yey!!!

On another note the 'mighty mud' my monster cat who definitely has '9 lives' even confirmed by the vet this week, is on the mend... he had a 'dodgy claw' that blew up and after a vets visit and another jab of antibiotics he's bounced back again! the claw fell off...gross man!! and is now growing a new one... I did take the bit that fell off to the vets, bagged it and stuck it in the fridge just in case they were curious... It turned out to be a weird growth and fell off!! another yey!!

my second carving test in clay w copper brushwork

new carving tools

a practise print run

signing our works

Robbys final print run

Niki getting some pics on!

setting up the press

Margaret Sanders our Tutor very tall and very cool!

Head on over to the MUDCOLONY and see what else is brewing this week :)

carving away...

Gallery saturdays have been so much fun, learning a new skill and chatting with new friends it's just endless the images that peeps are developing and the best part the first print off the block.

Maragaret Sanders has been our tutor, she truly has a gift of engaging with every individual, is very patient and even better very encouraging to get you moving in your own direction. The end goal is a group exhibition during the fringe, Margaret will be printing the final edition, we keep one print and one gets framed for the show.

birthday time!

My small blocks of lino have of course taken a journey into clay and the first mini plates came out of the kiln on Saturday just in time for market...

So in between all this and life kaos I've been working towards filling and earthenware gas kiln, it hasn't got much further than this :P

Oh and this happened at the club, major communication breakdown and the kiln fired on a 12 hour cycle for 4 days, when I dropped in the kiln temp was registering 1300degC at 12pm so who knows what it actually had been getting to for those previous days... the fallout is brick shrinkage and repairs to the kiln ricks just melted away, there's some repairs to the wiring box to be done yet but hopefully we'll still be able to do low firings in K2

Spring exh opening at Gallery 1855

Studio production time last week I was so relieved to have studio time on Friday and got cranking over the wkd too, so from the previous friday to this saturday I actually managed to fill the bisque and get fired with a slight stall in between, my circuit breaker kept tripping so I unloaded the kiln, took it all to the club decided we didn't have enough to fill 'Black Betty' kiln who won't fire anyway because the wiring fix that the council did actually by passed the timer and now it doesn't work at all .... so home again, load again on Wednesday, fire, unpack thursday, glaze and repack for next firing friday, cool saturday and unload for market sunday!! And have a great day at the Market on Sunday! woohoo the sun was out and spring was pumping in Stirling...it was a great day out, my thanks to all the peeps who dropped by and especially the lovely ones who bought work and made this all worthwhile over the last week. Then just in time to drop into Milan Rouge at days end and deliver some new works ready for the Chrissy Shopping that it sounds to have already begun!!

So expect more silence as I go into full production mode over the next month before I leave for my Birthday trip to Vietnam this October. Should be fun and a total new journey into new places and meet some new peeps! Market season has truly begun here, there's the Port Festival next month, then the Blues Festival in the Barossa another 2 day event, the Wheaty Chrissy Sale, my Open Studio Sale and Stirling Markets in between all these... I'd better get cranking!!! : )

anyhoo happy Autumn, fall on the other side of the seas and Happy Spring on our side...

it's the OSCAS wkd...

You just never know how an event will unfold...




This one The Australian Ceramics Association country wide open studio wkd had buzz from the beginning... we all pretty much stayed in touch via facebook and phone across the wkd to see who was out and about and what treasures were out there in everyone's studio :)

I had decided to focus on process for the wkd so peeps got a glimpse of how things are made and encouraging some kiddy involvement it really turned out to be fun! So in between dodging torrential downpours and freezing weather I had a decent number of peeps come through and really engage in work and process, so it doesn't get better than that!










Monday came and went, the studio is reasonablshape and raku kiln put away but my display is still set up that will be packed down tomorrow morning ready for the market on Sunday...
I diligently filled out the survey TACA sent out. And it gave me a good perspective on how things went because i could just focus on the crappy weather, so here's to next year! I may team up with a couple of peeps just to help each other out really and hopefully it's bigger and better!

I've just filled out an application for a Blues Festival Market in the Barossa in November which sounds interesting, if nothing else the music should be good!! On another note I just saw the first fly in my studio today that must be an indicator that the rain will stop and warmer things are heading our way :P

  

There's more cups to trim and more marbling to be done but it will have to wait as tomorrow I'm going to a Print Workshop at Gallery 1855 it lasts for about 6 weeks I think so I'm expecting to learn a lot and produce some work too. Sunday's forecast is looking ok and I hope a bit of sun as that always brings teams of peeps out early, I have fresh lemons to take with me, new raku pots and some of Mum's fingerless gloves too and a few beanies to keep those ears warm for the rest of the season...

I popped up to Milan Rouge Contemporary Craft & Design last week too, took a very spicy tasty soup up for lunch with ma chickies and took a bunch of photos from the SALA show...

We've also been up to the Park taking more photos of work in the landscape.
The wkd before last was lovely up there a tad slippery but lovely for a Sunday hike..

Anyhoo the raku came out a treat this is Emerald Shiny, a lovely deep glaze that lustres and reduces lovely in sawdust...

Well that's it, still loads going on... still trying to master the Tagines as the lids are not shrinking at the same rate as the bases, I just bisqued 3 more they are 10mm larger that the bases, I feel the hammer coming out! might be a good idea to stay away from the studio for a couple of days!

Head on over to the MUDCOLONY and see what else is brewing this week :)

ozmosis...

Well my chickies have done it again! What a lovely show they have curated @Milan Rouge Contemporary Craft & Design in Stirling SA. Since I didn't take a single shot!

I was too buzzed by the mulled wine and champaz I only took a sip and went cross eyed! So no more for me for a bit :P Darren has kindly given me permission to post his photos as he's very sneaky and grabbed some nice moments at the opening of Ozmosis for SALA yesterday.

 Here's a sneak peak of my work too, this I did have a moment to snap I'll get some new photos while they're on show this month. It is time I popped back up the the space and selected a few more pieces to show you.

And how about some kiln filling time! Its is extreme but when you're firing tiles you have to make something largish to fill the space and I did run out of usable kiln shelves... unfortunately second hand tool come with drawbacks and a lot of the shelves have glaze damage and the last available one I wasnt happy to put in and risk droppage of such glaze bits onto my work and yes on my list for buzzing off with angle grider! yes they are that bad..

And lil big birdie taking centre stage, this piece was a tester for my SALA work but ended up in the kiln with the work! And just checking out LGH clay body in oxidation and to my surprise its works really well... So clarity on the next clay order then... loads of LGH, its suits my tile work and shinos in high fire reduction.