Two Heads Are Better Than One

People are by and large social creatures. I think we all function better around others and often work best in teams. I have meant many artists who think of themselves as "lone wolves" and work best when they are alone to commune with their art. Poppycock.

Everyday I am lucky enough to work in the studio I miss having a buddy there. Vicki and I used to share a studio at Hood and I look back at those days as some of the most productive and fun filled time in the studio I have ever had. Having someone there was great, there was someone to hold me accountable for showing up and for slacking off. One the flip side there was someone to drag me out for tea when I needed a break. There was also another mind to bounce ideas off and to catch me when I put fingers on backwards. Now my studio is lonely in the basement where its cold, and since my hubby works long hours very quiet. Last summer two of my favorite artists came to visit, my sister Sumner and my friend Pam. Both times I spent hours working side by side in my basement studio with them and somehow those days it didn't seem so cold.

There are many ways to fix this problem, one would be get my sister to come live down here (are you reading this Sumner?). But other more likely solutions would be to try to take a class or move my studio. I like to dream big of a studio downtown somewhere that I could sell my work, or a more affordable and likely idea would be to move into the garage where there is more sunshine and fresh air. It is however not climate controled and everyone who knows me knows I am a polar bear and need my AC!


I am also glad to be working with Vicki as the other half of Curious Creatures for at least 2 shows this year. It makes those long days in the booth/gallery go by fast and gives me hours to bounce ideas off someone else. Thanks to those days at Hood I have a lifelong friend and show partner. And because we worked so closely in the studio it makes having those sometimes uncomfortable serious business discussions easier. Never under estimate the value of a good studio buddy! Until my downtown dreams come true I will have to settle for the company of the Sookie Monster, occasional visitor and many many cats so many cats. Perhaps I will give up on a climate control and move on up this summer...

Time Management

I talk, and blog, a lot about time management. Why? Because this is a concept which seems to continually escape my grasp. I am a pretty smart person normally able to figure stuff out but when it comes to managing my time so far I cant seem to do it well. The fact that I don't manage my time well really effects my work and my attitude about it.

This week as the sun comes up earlier making the days seem less foreboding my goal is to better manage my time. My hope is to roll out of bed on the days I work late by 8am and not let myself get started reading a book in the morning so I can get at least 2 studio hours, to if nothing else make some magnets and ornaments. As always its a balance and when the days are nicer I am more likely to want to spend the mornings hiking with the dogs than working.

However because of my lousy time management I feel like my production is at almost a standstill. As the year is getting going Vicki and I have secured the dates for our December show and applied to Artsfest. Granted both shows are months away but just because I haven't been working doesn't mean I haven't been thinking. I am pot boiling over with ideas of stuff to make and when my hands are in clay I feel like I am at home, few things make me happier. This weekend I got a new crackberry with all kinds of scheduling features and alarms and I hope this too will help me in my quest to be more organized. However all of this time management and thoughts on art will have to wait for today until the dogs are walked, this is what I am looking at right now:
A Sookie who's eager to have her walk on this sunny day, who has taught me from past experience if I don't manage my time well enough for her to have her walk (at least 45 mins) then I will come home to something I love chewed up on the floor, if only my life could be as simple as a beagles!

Please Vote

Please go to this link http://etsymudteam.craft-sense.com/Challenges/viewchallenge.asp?ChallengeID=33 and vote for my mini glutton in the etsy mudd team challenge! Its towards the middle and called Mine. He has some great company in this challenge and if you vote some shops are offering a 20% off coupon! So if you have time please vote and tell your friends to vote too:)

Mini Glutton Finished!

Its been a pretty slow week here as far as ceramics, as I have been working extra hours and I am pretty much out of clay. However today I managed to finish the mini glutton and hes just so cute I had to share him!


What a cutie!! Hes already up on Etsy so hopefully he finds a home soon. I promised myself I would also get the two applications for upcoming shows filled out today, but I didnt. I find the whole application process harrowing. What pictures should I send? What should I say? What if they think I am ridculous for even applying? Even though I was in Artsfest last year I still fear they may not want me this year. I am going to man up and make myself fill them out sometime this weekend. The worst they can do is say no and as I am growing up a little and getting a thicker skin I am realizing life goes on! Besides who could turn down that mini glutton?

Other Peoples Shoes

Every once in awhile we all need a real lesson in humility, this week I really needed one. I will admit I spent most of my week in hateful and jealous thoughts. Why? Well I am working more hours at the clinic and being reminded why I didn't like it there full time, I am out of clay so my outlet of art is cut off to me, and perhaps most petty of all as I dive into the blogesphere and the world of Etsy more I am coveting other peoples artistic lives, jealous of how seemingly easy it is for them and how wonderful their work is. Yes I know this is no attitude to walk around in and trust me Chris and the dogs would agree.

Two days ago I was walking the dogs and they were being especially bad, they have terrible cabin fever and because of all the chemicals on the road our walks are short at best. So understandably they were being crazy but it did not help the foul air I was surrounded in. The whole walk I thought hateful thoughts about how someone needs to walk in my shoes and see how awful it is and how much I wanted to walk in someone else's and wake up and say success!

I got home to check my email and in my inbox was my second sale for Etsy. This wasn't enough to pull me out of my funk so I went to check the news and weather, fuming at the horror that is my life. As always the news is full of people, like those in Haiti or those who have lost everything in this economy, who don't even have shoes to walk in. That was a mental reality check for me. I am here mad because I am lucky enough in this bad economy to have a job and I have to work at it and I even have sale on Etsy to top it off. I looked down at my shoes, my favorite pair of chucks and realized even though they are little scruffy I am pretty damn lucky to have them. Success is not an overnight or even an over a year thing, and sometimes we have to work hard to be able to play later.

Its so easy to get caught up in wanting what you don't have or haven't achieved that you miss whats around you. There are people out there who really have it bad and I am so lucky to be surrounded by loving friends and family, a nice house and a decent job. So instead of thinking hateful thoughts all week I thought happy and grateful thoughts. When I am in a bad mood Vicki often says to me say ten good things about your life, so here they are:
1) I have a super awesome loving hubby
2) I have awesome friends who are like family to me and support me like I am theirs and remind me to remember the good things in life
3) I found a pillow that looks just like Shippo!
4) I just got in an order of Girl Scout Cookies for the weekend nom nom nom
5) My little zoo gives me smiles all day everyday even when they are bad
6) My sister is coming to visit in 3 months (yay!)
7) I live a life style where I can afford a lap top and Internet when many others cant
8) I am slowly seeing my hard work as an artist pay off
9) New order of glazes to try came in the mail today
10) I am really really lucky to have all that I do and even though I sometimes forget I am super thankful!

Terracotta Warriors and no they arent a band

This weekend Chris and I went to see the Terracotta Warriors at the National Geographic museum in DC. I had promised to up lots of photos to gush about unfortunately no photography was allowed in the exhibit. That made me very sad but it was an amazing site to see. As a ceramic artist I always marvel at the ceramics of old. It amazes how they have stood the test of time and left such a mark on the world. These warriors and their horses were pretty amazing from any ceramics standpoint. The warriors weighed between 350-400 pounds each and the horses 750 pounds. Wow.

For most of the first half of the exhibit I kept saying ok but how did they make them? My question was finally answered in the second half. I was disappointed they didn't give more room to explaining the process but I suppose if you aren't an artist you may not find it so fascinating. They were built in teams and pieced together by section. The legs solid and the bodies and arms were coiled and then covered in slabs to be carved for detail work. So they didn't explode the heads were built separately and placed on after they were finished. The really interesting thing is they never found a kiln any where nearby so they aren't sure how these were fired. In one piece? Was the kiln built around and then taken down? I guess that's one thing we may never know.

It really was awesome to see these warriors and it really inspired me to try to go and work on great things. They are there until March and if you can get over there I recommend you do. If you can go during a week day. We went on a weekend and it was packed I suspect a weekday may give you more standing room which is always nice when taking in art.

The rest of valentines day weekend was wonderful including, dinner, brunch, a movie, flowers, finding a pillow that looks like shippo and brownies by the fire! More snow is predicted for today so we will see how this week goes!

Mini Glutton

Today I finally made it back into the studio to do some work, excited and ready for some serious sculpting for the first time in weeks. Well since I have only sporadically been in the studio since before Christmas making small things I didn't realize I was almost out of clay.

There was only enough left for one project at best so I picked the one that was first in my mind, the mini glutton jar. Those familiar with my work know my gluttons well, they are giant, fat, funny gargoyles. However their size I think holds people back from buying them so I wanted to try a smaller and functional version and I am very happy with the results: His little sign says mine and when hes done he will be a jar to hold something dear to you. I hope I made the lid right, I couldn't remember what your supposed to do but I remembered I cut the lid on the croc box when it was wet. That's the last thing I made with a lid and its ok so hopefully this guy will be too, if not well then there's a lesson there for me to learn.

I am also looking for suggestions for glaze for this:

Its based off a painting I did in college called Soulmates. Its one of the only paintings of mine that I like and I think the design translates well into clay. I am stumped on the glaze though. I am thinking maybe a crackle? I am going to order from Baileys soon and they have some awesome cone 6 sculptural glazes, any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Tomorrow Chris and I head to DC to see the Terracotta warriors and I cant wait, I am sure I will write a big gushing blog about how awesome they are full of pictures! We are dorks but history and art are the best Valentines day presents we could get for each other! Happy Valentines day weekend everybody, hope your having fun with your sweetie or if you don't have a sweetie your with a friend drinking wine cursing those of us who do, cheers!