Friday, October 14, 2011

New Revamped Kiln

Great News--I don't have to buy a new kiln!  My kiln is in working condition again after Mike the electrician/friend came over and helped me install all new thermocouples, elements and wires.  I tested it several days ago and it worked great.  I'm good to go.  Now all that's needed is to make more stuff.

I have several orders I am working on now, so that should keep me busy. 
I dropped off part of the order from "Now and Then"--a community store in Takoma Park MD.
Check the photos out on their Facebook page:  
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000110533479&sk=wall
 Or better yet, go visit the store--they have great gift items. 

Well, let's not waist any more time procrastinating and get down to the studio.  
Lets hope that this rain will stop soon--it's getting me down.

Lets hope that next time I'll have lots of good items to share with you.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Handmade Spark - Chaya Tile-Works and Pottery - handmade porcelain tiles and handmade pottery

 Hi all.  just updated my Handmade Spark store.  Go check it out.
 Handmade Spark - Chaya Tile-Works and Pottery - handmade porcelain tiles and handmade pottery

Also, I just got my first order from my Etsy store--YEH!!!  At first I thought this must be a mistake or someone was playing a joke.  I'm just not used to selling on Etsy so I didn't know where to look.  Rookie mistake.

Lately, I've been trying to add more items to my Etsy store and figure out how to direct traffic to it.  This in and of itself is a full time job.  When are you supposed to get the artwork done?!  Perhaps if I had a personal assistant :)

I'm hoping my new relays get here soon so I can get my kiln up and running.  With the help of an electrician friend, we totally revamped my kiln and put in all new elements, thermocouples, hardware, and wires.  Just as we finished and turned the kiln on there was a thumping noise and the circuit tripped.  After searching and reopening all the boxes he found the culprit.  And so, for the second time I am reordering all new relays.
I am looking forward to having my kiln back in tip top shape.  Lets hope there are no problems with it for at least several years.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Welcome to my new pottery blog.

Hello all.  I finally decided it was time for me to try my hand at the social networking thing.  I have to admit I really don't like being on the computer for long periods of time.  I fought this for a long time. Well, I guess sometimes we have to do things we find uncomfortable and/or unfamiliar. 

I began taking pottery in 1996.  I took a wheel throwing class at the University of Maryland.  I was immediately hooked.  I loved throwing but I think even then I gravitated more towards the hand building.  I took another pottery class at a local community center, still focusing mainly on my throwing techniques.  At times combining the throwing and hand building together to create my pieces. 

Around 2002-2003 I took a tile making class at the Corcoran College of Art.  The focus of the class was creating relief tiles.  This type of art is a perfect fit for my obsession with fine details and the need for perfection.  I took the class multiple times and absolutely loved it.  I would still be taking the class if I had the extra money:)
Last Summer I took a week long Hand building workshop with Artist Margaret Bohls.  This was an amazing experience and I learned so much.  It really opened up a whole new world.  I came home full of ideas and eager to try out all the new techniques I just learned.

My new functional pottery designs were all created after this experience.
here are a couple samples.

three footed mug
Tulip bowls
sugar bowl and creamer


These are just a few sample pieces of my current work.
 Well, I got to go down to the studio for a little before the kids come home from school.  Have to start working on that wholesale order.