Amy Sanders

I just wanted to put a photo of Amy's work on here since she's coming to do my show with me. I love Amy's work and she is such a great person as well. I always likes someone's work that much more when they are a great person. Sandy Singletary usually does my home show with me but she's getting ready to go back to school so she just going to come hang out with us. I'm really looking forward to next weekend.

In my studio with Willy Nelson

Last night I took a break from my usual in the studio throwing on Friday night and Joey, my parents and myself went to see Willy Nelson and Family. ( And it really was his family, his sister played the piano and his sons where in the band). It was a great outing for us after all the went on last week. We had a good time and it was nice to go out with my folks.

So naturally today I had to listen to Willy while I worked. Joey was kind enough to take the kids away from the house so I could concentrate on working; which is what I did. I cranked up Whiskey River and went through about 3 of his disc making various stuff. It took me awhile today to get into the swing of things. I think always when I feel a bit out of sorts and pressed for time, I don't concentrate so well on throwing so I had to crash a few things. Usually when this happens I figure it is no time to mess around with hard forms or I'll waste time , which is in small amounts, so I throw things that are comfortible to me but need to be made. I got some pedistals bowls made, berry bowls and dipping dishes. I finished up the evening with decorating some stuff and throwing the base for my flower blocks. I'm determined to get those forms down because I think people really like those. I've been singing Willy songs in my head all day. You forget how great live music makes you feel until you experiance it again.
Over and out, I'm off to bed for another day. Tomarrow I tackle some casseroles.

I've been lost without my blog

Ahhhhhh, I have no idea where to begin, or what has been going on since July 11th, my last entry. If I really wanted to bore everyone to death I could go on an on about stuff but I think I'll just list the evants that has led me up to today.

- computer got zapped in a storm one night....a very "sitcome like " evening where the cat got left in the house and pee'd on my bed, the electricity was out so I could'nt find the black cat to put her outside or locate new sheets and then deal with my kids waking up because they house was pitch black. Did I mention my kiln was fireing and the placesetting in it had to go out the next day for a client?
So, here I am with no computer for 2 weeks. I've been lost.

-I had my show with my Dad, which was nice. I got to see alot of people I had'nt in a long time. Some old art teachers and friends from Greenwood. The show looked really nice and it was fun spending the evening with my Dad, Mom and doing something like that. Dad sold a few painting and I a good amount of pots and we got some nice write ups in the local paper. I guess that is the most attention I've ever gotten in that little town!

- Then we move onto a horrible week which makes all my "silly" sitcome disaters seem rediculous . Joey, my husband, lost his Dad very suddenly and it was just awful...it still is~ things keep popping into my head about him and his interaction with the family that I am going to miss so deeply. My favorite story about him is when Joey first told him what I did for a living and his reply was" what does she do for a living? She makes pots and pans? How do you survive on that?Now, at this time I had'nt even met the man and I thought, what I'm I getting myself into? But Joey just laughed and said, you have to know my Dad to see how funny that statement is. When I did finally meet Joe and was around him more and more comments like that where just his way of getting an inoccent rise out of someone and cracking a joke. He always asked me about my work and what I was up too and seemed real interested in my work. I am very lucky to have married into such a nice family, not many people can say that.

Well, I"m back on line and so glad to put my thoughts down once again. I'm getting ready for my home show next weekend with Amy Sanders. I hope some of you can make it! jen

Small steps

This week I've been making plates, bowls and mugs. I'm working on a sample place setting for someone and some plates for another customer. Pretty comfortble stuff. I like throwing these things, they are kind of like therapy some nights I think. I"m working but I don't really have to think super hard because it comes naturally to throw these things. I love to put handles on mugs but something this evening with the days events effected making nice handles I think. Maybe it had nothing to do with the noise of the day, some days you just can not throw and the same goes with handles. I'm sure only I would notice that my handles just weren't the way I think they should be - the actual mugs shape was pretty pleasing so I was happy with that. Anyways, tomorrow I have to stain everything and get it into the bisque tomarrow and through the rest of the process. Joey's going out of town for two days so I have to find lots of things to wear the kids out in the day because I'm on my own for getting them into bed at a early time so I can go out and work. Of course lately trying to wear them during the day does the same to me so I'm ready to plop on the couch come 9o'clock. Good thing I"m not trying to get a whole dinnerware set out by the end of the week! So once those items are done I'm onto stuff for my home show! This year Amy Sanders, a friend of mine from Clayworks is going to be making a "quest appearance"; sadly Sandy decided she couldn't do it this year with me. As always, I'm looking forward to the event. I love to have people come and visit our back yard full of pots and put out the teki tourches for friday nights opening!

Trip to Asheville

I went up Saturday to Asheville with my Dad. He was nice enough to drive me up there, partly because he has a truck and the other because I'm sure my mom was worried I was looking a bit to ragged to drive a 2 hour trip. So, Dad and I hopped into the truck , listened to Car Talk on the way up there and had a nice day. I always love going up to the mountains. I always feel like Joey and I missed out on not trying to move up there. Of course there would be more competing for me but there are just more things and people that we are both into up there. It reminds me of where I grew up in Ithaca NewYork because there are all sorts of interesting looking people walking around. When I was little we use to call Hippy looking sorts "organies". If your into cookbooks and your a vegetarian you should know The Moosewood cookbook. Well when I was little my mom use to take us there to eat. ( Being a kid I wasn't to keen on the organic peanutbutter sandwhiches or the carob cookies but now I feel like I was a part of history!) So, I finally got my clay and a lot of it so I have a HUGE bill to pay off (porcelain has gone up again!!!!YIKES) and now I can start throwing like a mad women for my home show in August, not to mention all the special orders I have going on. Oh, the thrill of a race once again.

July 4th

I did get back to throwing a bit on July 4th but I ran out of clay last night and found out I still could NOT get any of my clay here in Charlotte. So......Tonight I made some glazes and I guess I'll plan a trip on my own up to Asheville (which feels kind of lonely at the moment). I asked Joey if he wanted to make a family day of it but he has all sorts of house things he wants to do so I'll let him stay here and maybe take one of the kids with me on a little adventure.I put a photo of the girls up from our July 4th outing. Like I said before, I love to post photo's of the kids. I tried to get a good one of Quaid but he wasn't in the "festive mood" that night. He was just focused on the fireworks. I'm really not a very patriotic person (mainly because I find so much wrong with the county right now) but of course it is a tradition to celebrate and I don't want the kids to miss out on that. So every year I drag Joey out to fight with the traffic and we have a usual back and forth banter on when we are going to bolt for the car. As a kid my father always made us miss the finale because we had to beat the traffic. Low and behold I married someone who feels the same way. This year I was the one who wanted to run because there was talk of a huge rain storm coming and nothing is worse than dragging 3 sopping wet kids whining through a rain storm. All in all, once again it ended well and the kids had a blast and I believe the two of us did as well!
posted by Jen Mecca at 11:05 PM 0 comments

Greenwood space

Here's the space we are showing in. Its kind of dark photo's but you get the idea.

All's well that ends well & thoughts on creativity

The lusters came out of the kiln Sunday morning and at 10am Dad and I where off to Greenwood. I have to say that going through the pots with the luster on them was much more joyous than I had thought. As I was packing them up I suddenly become very attached and attracted to these "over the top" sort of pots. This was a surprise to me and also an enlightened when I thought about it the whole way down to Greenwood. ( I'll talk more about that in a minute.)

When we got to the Arts Council building ( which was the old Federal Building) I was pleasantly surprised. The space is new and very well planned and layed out. I had brand new pedestals that where huge and 6 of them had plexi-glass tops. I wasn't to keen on putting the tops over my pieces because I think that pots should be touched but with the lusters on them, I had a whole new view of my work. For once when the glass went down I really studied how much work goes into my pots and how so many times I undercut myself because I just want to move onto the next piece or I don't value there worth. Something about the luster/porcelain and pieces I made just asked to have a little class brought to them. At this time I think this was the place for it to happen! Dad got all his paintings hung and with my pots I think it looks pretty good and the space is just wonderful. As usual it all comes out well in the end after I put myself through a whole lot of unwarranted anxiety( along with the 4 other people who live with me).

Back to my "luster thoughts".................................The whole notion of what we make is who we has finally come full circle to me. There are many pots I just love and through the years I have longed to make those sort of pots but once you start creating something your brain and hands sort of take over. The end result, if its true I think is really YOU. Now to explain this a bit better, when I was working for Cedar Creek and we would go on our buying trips. Lisa Oakley and I would often laugh about how some of the crafts people looked like there work. Even after you spoke with them, you could totally see them in there creation. A potter by the name of David Vole comes to mind. He was the nicest, soft spoken guy but dressed with a little flare, not to hippies, not sloppy but just a touch of yuppie( If you will) appeal. His pots where very nicely made, soft in form, had lots of rich color and very pleasant to touch and have in your house. My mom has one of his creamers and I'm always admiring it when ever she pulls it out. So...............Where does that leave me and my lusters? Well, I am very visual and I love color( hence all the stuff I have to put on my pots), I'm pretty dramatic at times and I think my odd shapes have drama, I am a bit of a "mess" as my husband says and sometimes I find my pots reflect that and (Here's where the luster comes in) I really enjoy anything that is a bit over the top. Stores, cloths, shows, jewelry ect. I"m sort of like a moth that goes towards the light. I know I shouldn't sometime but I'm always draws to things like that. If nothing else but to just look at it. So, I think you make what you are and if you can stay true to what your hands, head and heart just tell you, it will show in your work. End of lecture
Hopefully tomorrow I can get some photo's up that I took at the art center. CHOW!

The endless sighs

Ok, scenario's from Thursday to Saturday:
Thursday day- I try to get a sitter/mothers helper here in the morning so I can quick dry/decorate my pieces for a bisque. Since I was at the beach for 4 day and it rained the whole time I was there the big things are not totally dry and the fan in my studio has not dried everything overnight. No luck with the sitter so I'm forced to have a long night and a lot of anxiety. I end up finishing decorating everything about 12 and start to load the kiln but everything won't fit. This had not taken into consideration. I had many large things and awkward shapes. I bet a loaded and unload that kiln about five times for everything to fit. I crack the lid, turn everything on low and go in to bed around 1:00 - I set the alarm clock for 2 so I can shut the lid.
Friday morning.........I wake up at 6 and relies the alarm did not go off. AHHHHHHHHHH Joey give me a lecture on why it did not go off ( just what I want to hear!) I decide that there is no need to get super upset......If I'm a day late with the work people will just have to understand. I'm really not worried about the arts council people( I'm use to explaining these mishaps to people) but my Dad.......hummmmmm that is another story. ( Your dad is always your dad). I just go ahead out to my kiln, look at the pots to see they are all bone dry and turn that sucker up to high! I might as well go for it! The morning goes on and about 1 o-clock I notice that kiln had fired off. Hey.........the pottery gods are on my side.
Friday night........I start glazing about 7 o'clock. Something comes up that day again where I have no outside help and I just have to count on Joey when he gets home. I know its going to be another long night. I glaze and glaze and glaze. As I'm unloading the hot bisque kiln I find that two of my favorite pieces have cracks in them. AHHHHHHH. I go on. I carefully try to glaze everything and relies once again that I'm short on kiln space. Its about 1 in the morning when I finally get everything but one piece in the kiln. I'm sure I've loaded and unloaded it about 10 times. SO fustrating and I"m so tired. Once again my tired risk taking side takes over and I just turn the kiln straight to high after its been just sitting on low so dry out the pots while I"m loading. I'm just to worn out to get up with that kiln for the turn ups...I need sleep.
Saturday morning.....I get up at 8 and by 10 I see that at some point the kiln has turned off. AH the kiln gods like again! I put a fan on the kiln and cut the grass, go swimming with the kids, take a nap and around 4 I start quick cooling it by putting various size blocks in the lid. When I finally start unloading stuff at 9pm my heart sinks. Glaze runs on my two big vases. AHHHHHHHHHH, the jam-jar looks like do-do. And as the three days go on I relies that I must of sighed about 100 times and not the way my yoga teachers would like me to breath!

( At the moment I'm doing a cone 19 luster firing. Tomorrow Dad and I are off to Greenwood to set up the show).

Jam-Jar

I'm still working away today. As always, I don't think I have enough new stuff to suit me. But that is just me, all of it will be new to someone so I have to remember that. Here is a photo of the jam-jar I spoke of in a post back. PLEASE feel free to tell me what you think of them. I kind rushed the feet today because I was in a hurry to get stuff done and onto the next phase of my process. I did get the piece out with the luster on it. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It could be a nice accent on non-functional work. Julia Galloway's work has lots of luster on it but I can tell she has some other "gold" that she uses, not like this one I have. There are always secrets that every potter keeps to themselves. If your don't know her pots goggle her name and her web-site will pop up. I love her work!

Beach snap-shots

This is Aydan dancing at the beach. Now that I have a digital camera I can not help but post ( of course) more than just photo's of pots and stuff like that. I'm a proud mama just like every other one.

Back in the thick of it

I'm back and back working tonight as well. My quick comments on the beach :
The kids had a blast playing in the water.
1.For once no-one was scared to venture into the waves.
2.Joey and I enjoyed playing with all the kids in the tidal pools...it was like swimming in the bath tub.
3.Family vacation, we have decided, are not really good for the both of us to "rest up". It was utter chaos with all the kids, food and organization of living with 13 people......and not everyone was there this trip!
4. And its good to be home.

I"m testing a luster tonight. I kind of feel like if I go this direction with some of my surfaces I might be marketing the "LasVegas" type of shopper. I"ve always wanted to just try it so what the heck. I threw some saucers for cups I did last week and worked on putting my "jam jars" together. I made these back in grad school and thought I'd take a crack at them again. I'm not sure I might the right decision with the handle so I may scrape them for the show but we'll see tomorrow once I get the feet put on. Once again I'm bisqueing stuff when its still kind of wet so I'll be nervous all day Thursday before I open up that kiln load. No matter what I do, I'm always a day late on stuff. Sunday we put up the show.

Finishing up for some R&R

I got almost everything finished up tonight since we will be at the beach for a few days. I did have a good long night in the studio last night and got my motivation back. I started around 6 and didn't finish up until about 11:30. I ended up doing some nice work I thought! I'm still working on the Flower-block form. I really am liking this piece a lot because there is so much I can do on the surface. I am kind of excited to start experimenting with some low-fire lusters and colors. ( It could also be a real visual disaster).

I decided to treat myself to a movie tonight while I put sprigs on a lot of things. I rented "Trans-America". Felicity Hoffman( I think that is her name) is one of my new favorite actresses. I love her in desperate housewives-she plays my favorite house wife Lynnette.( I can relate to her since she has twins and says some wacky things to people at times). She was awesome in this movie. I did after about the first 15 minute start forgetting that she was a women. Rent it if you get a chance! I'll be back in a few days!

Getting motivated

I've been having a hard week trying to stay focused and motivated on getting good things done for this show. Some of it I think is just been the week. Face it, some weeks your just kind of in a funk. I'm having that kind of week sort of. We are off to the beach on Saturday so maybe a little vacation will do me good and I'll be back to a fresh start. I am getting things made for the show but the excitement to make stuff is not there this week. I think I really need to learn to turn the TV off in the evening when I work. I just so addicted to turning it on and then I end of watching really bad shows that take my focus away from what's at hand. On weekends when I can be out in my studio with the radio and no one else around is when I really love being there and feel like I do my best. Night are hard with kids opening the door all the time with interruptions and all the background noise of what's going on inside the house. Ok......Well that is my "potters world" for today. I'm going to do some lowfire glaze test the end of this week so hopefully I'll get some photo's on here and talk more about my thinking behind that. Have a good one!

My show with my Dad

I'm doing a show with my Dad next month. Its a pretty fun "project" for the both of us. When I was really little I remember my Dad painting at the kitchen table and we had several of his painting hanging on the walls. Sadly I think pretty much when I entered school his job got more demanding and he stopped painting. About the time I decided to go back to school and get another degree in pottery, he started getting interested in painting again which I thought was great. Last year he set up this show for us at the Greenwood Arts Council ( my "sudo" hometown) and we will be showing there together in July. It will quit a contrast in process because Dad likes to do very geometric painting and of course I'm all about the organic. I know all my love for the creative came from him and its fun to do this show together.
Here are some new big vases I've been working on for the show. Lets hope they get through the first firing!

Strictly functional

I got "lost" again on the web last night. As I said before I get on here usually about 11pm after I finish my studio work and I check my email, write stuff on the blog and then some nights I go web searching. This at times is a bad thing for me to do because I either spend to much time looking at stuff , which cuts into my sleep time or it kind of makes me depressed at all the fantastic work out there that I'm competing with. I guess both of these issues where true last night. I decided to check out this years entries in the Strictly Functional show ( a juried pottery show that I have entered for the last 5 years and got rejected every time!). Some years I've gone on there and thought after seeing some pots and the slide quality -" how did they get in and I didn't"? But this year I was in awe of the work that was selected. Mostly all of it was awesome and I was very envious of the creativity and skill these potter had. You would think this would make me rush right out to my studio and work on the most creative thing I could come up with but really the opposite is true. It just makes me want to get back to basics and refine what I think I may have missed. I could go on and on about this but instead let me just encourage you to go look at this show on the web if you love pots!

My studio

Well, my studio is repaired. I have now gained about a sidewalks width of room( before a gaping hole stood there). Feels good to fix something around our house and not have to worry about wild animals walking around my studio for awhile. Last year I had a raccoon family that would wonder in every night and eat the cat food. One night at 3 in the morning I found one of them scaling the screen behind my shelf full of finished work. I of course freaked out, made some noise and the thing crawled down very gracefully without knocking a single pot off the shelf. Amazing......

I'm working kind of slowly this week. I've managed to make some nice teabowls, large bowls and pretty large vases. Actually I got the idea for my up coming class to work on bigger pots so I thought I might as well practice putting two pieces together myself since I haven't done this in a long time. Well, the results where not that good so a few nights ago I thought, what the heck I'm just going to throw a huge amount of clay and see if I can do it. Low and behold I've gotten some pretty substantial pots made out of porcelain( to bad they will shrinks down so much). I'll let you know how they turn out.

pottery buddies

I forgot to mention that I had a great time Friday night getting together with a group of my pottery friends. I love all the friends in my life but being about to talk pots without the other person getting bored by the conversation is just a addiction that I have to have. I think most potters would agree with me. I almost wish someone could tell me if its like this with all professions or is it just the crafts people that find themselves absurdly in this. I guess I can say the same is true when I get with me mom friends. Its all the need for information and gathering that. Maybe I just need to be a fly on the wall when a bunch of doctors or actors get together. I know my parents( who are both educators) use to talk about that non-stop at the dinner table when I was little so I guess it is true. ( Of course pots still seem like a more exciting conversation to me.)

photo's....

I can't seem to get the photo's I need published on here the last few nights. After I write a bit I'll try again. ( I hate computers....well I love them and hate them all at the same time). On to pots...............I just got back throwing last night. Boy it was nice. Whenever I know I have something big coming up I just start small with cups or bowls. Last night I threw some pretty substancial teabowls for my show in July with my Dad. I've put alot of good pots away for the show but relised after logging the prices for all that I had already, I need some nice smaller items to balance it all out. I also had to re-arrange my studio a bit because Mr. Green( go on Joey's Smackapple blog and you can read more about our contractor issues) anyways, he's starting on fixing my studio hole in the morning. I need to take a photo of that so you can see just what kind of "decay" I've been working in for a year. Give a kind thought to the pottery gods that while Mr.Green is working none of my stuff gets broken while I'm trying to work as well.

My other job

Joey told the story of the birthday part best, so I had to just copy this from his blog. I enjoy doing parties for the kids because I just want to see there happy little faces when all the treats come out!
Birthday Party
We had a little birthday party this weekend for the twins - who turn three. It really does not seem like it's been three years since they were born - well, I guess sometimes it does.Anyway, it was my kind of event - short and to the point, without tons of people. It was a Hello Kitty party, and all little girls, except for Quaid. This may be the last time he isn't too excited to be surrounded by all girls.We filled up a couple of little swimming pools with glycerin and some other ingredients to make giant bubbles. There was minimal whining over stuff, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.These are the three obligatory kid's pictures.
posted by Joey Lawler at 8:15 PM 0 comments links to this post
6.06.2006