Potterri Studio & Gallery

Happy Everything!!!

2011-12-19T06:56:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to say thank you and I am so grateful to have such wonderful customers, friends and family!

Hope your holiday's are wonderful!!!

See you next year!!!!

I need some elves QUICK!!!

2011-11-17T07:38:00.008-06:00

Festivals and orders are piling up,

and the pottery wheel and kiln are running non-stop.

Grandkids are running non-stop too with excitement!

The checking account is being abused and the VISA company is getting happier and happier!

What does this all mean?????

It's HOLIDAY SEASON AGAIN!!!! lol

New items for the holiday season are beginning to come out of the kiln...

To purchase my work please go here...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/potterri

New year...New start

2011-03-23T06:57:00.009-06:00

Got a new start in this New Year..by changing my studio around. Since I had to sell my Brent Kick Wheel ...I found that I have alot more room in the studio. So what do I do? I move stuff around! Then, I started playing around with porcelain and carving..EVEN MORE! So here are some pics of what is "NEW" around here...

And the porcelain....

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-21T11:00:00.002-06:00

The fall shows are now in the past ,
and the spring shows are coming WAY too fast.
But for now the the potter is weary,
and the studio is dark and dreary.
So out of the clay she goes,
wiping it off everywhere, including her toes.
Into the holiday spirit she falls,
putting up lights, trees and singing "deck the halls".
Because the holiday's are here,
filled with friends, family and good cheer.
The old year is gone and past,
but the memories forever will last.
As the new year quickly draws near,
one wish I have for you this year...

Happy holiday's full of love and good cheer!

Fall Calendar of Shows

2010-10-17T05:54:00.003-06:00

Here is my fall Calendar of Upcoming shows:

Peter Anderson Arts Festival
Downtown
Ocean Springs, MS.
November 6 & 7, 2010

Three Rivers Art Festival
Downtown
Covington, LA
November 13 & 14, 2010

White Light Night
Elizabethan Gallery
Jefferson Hwy.
Baton Rouge, LA
November 19, 2010
6pm - 10pm

New Orleans Art Market
Palmer Park
New Orleans, LA
November 27 & 28
10am - 4 pm

Arts Market of Baton Rouge
Downtown Baton Rouge
Corner of 5th and Laurel st.
December 4, 2010
8am - noon

Arts Market of Baton Rouge
Downtown Baton Rouge
Corner of 5th and Laurel st.
December 11, 2010
8am - noon

Arts Market of New Orleans
Palmer Park
New Orleans, LA
November 27 & 28
10am - 4 pm

What I did this summer

2010-08-11T03:25:00.001-06:00

Had a new baby Granddaughter.
Welcome to the world Savannah!

Got a new Daughter-n-law and granddaughter combo!
Welcome to the family Hope and Anna!

And... had a great time with friends and family at the first annual Crawfish Boil and Raku!

RAKU & CRAWFISH 2010

2010-06-21T06:18:00.040-06:00

RAKU & CRAWFISH

Well, we had a GREAT time Saturday

Firing the RAKU kiln and boiling CRAWFISH!!!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy!

What's going on around here.

2010-04-07T07:08:00.015-06:00

Tax stuff finished!!! YEA!!!

With so many shows, trying to compile tax stuff, our time off is usually catching up on chores around the farm. But we decided to take some time off from the studio and all the work, and cook a simple meal for family and friends, for Easter. Hubby grilled chicken and I made my mom-n-law's famous baked beans and my friend Jena's famous potato salad. It was fun and delicious!

My grandson "G" is now almost walking and just enough to get into everything. lol So all the pottery I've collected throughout all of the years, is now stored safely in my room. Away from sticky little fingers that love "shiny" things. lol. So my house is bare from about 3 feet down.

The apple tree has gotten tons of tiny apples on it, so we are hoping to have a good harvest again this summer.

We finally moved our old 4 bee hives to another bee yard, and then we get 2 more hives for our yard. We decided from now on not to just paint them white, but any color we can get. So these are painted a pretty orange. lol.

The rest of the animals are doing great. Chickens are laying, roosters are crowing, turkey is still just wandering around. All the feral cats are fixed now and happily hanging out in the kiln shed.

Adopted a new dog. Her name is Tashi and she's an Lhasa Aspa, I know I spelt that wrong. lol

Pots are steadily coming off the wheel and the kilns are steadily being fired for upcoming shows.

Check my calendar page for locations, dates and times. Hope to see you at one of them.

It's cold here so we left!!!

2010-02-24T14:30:00.014-06:00

Never thought I'd say this but hell must have really frozen over because we've had 4 bouts of snow here in south Louisiana so far! So what did we do? We went on a cruise to Costa Maya, Guatemala, Belize and Cozumel! Now back home and back to the studio!

Classes Resume

2010-01-21T10:18:00.004-06:00

The advanced class resumes tonight.

Welcome back Elaine & Jena!

Looking forward to seeing all the new work your gonna make!

Studio is now Kennel/greenhouse

2010-01-10T09:27:00.040-06:00

Who would've thought that here in South Louisiana we would be dealing with temps in the upper teens and lower 20's. We are used to wearing short sleeves and shorts this time of year. But mother nature decided we needed a little bit of "chillin" this year, soooo now, we South Louisianians have to learn to improvise.

Like, when the real greenhouse is full to the brim, and your outside dog is way too "outdoorsy" to stay in the house...then you find yourself turning your studio into a temporary Kennel/Greenhouse.

Happy Holiday's

2009-12-21T08:52:00.003-06:00

Happy holiday's full of love and good cheer!

LAST SHOW OF 2009

2009-12-18T06:24:00.003-06:00

My last show of this year will be at the Baton Rouge Art Market Dec 19, 2009. From 8am - noon.

I will be in my usual spot, so come by and say hello!

Hope to see you there!

THANK YOU!

2009-12-08T08:48:00.004-06:00

Thank everyone for coming out and making this open studio the best so far! Hope everyone had as great as time as we did! Enjoy the video and don't forget to look for yourself!

Three Rivers Art Festival

2009-11-12T08:50:00.004-06:00

Come to Three Rivers Art Festival, in Covington, La. You'll see wonderful artist and have a great time. Stop by my booth in front of the General Store. Hope to see you there!

http://www.threeriversartfestival.com/

Makin' Faces

2009-09-18T10:39:00.001-06:00

Your Momma told ya that if you made a face it would stick like that...and I just finished Makin' this face:

Cozumel is Wonderful!!!

2009-09-16T13:17:00.003-06:00

Back from a wonderful cruise to Cozumel!!! We snorkeled, we sailed on a catamaran, we kayaked (or should I say we TRIED to kayak) we roamed the beaches and we roamed the towns. We relaxed, ate and drank a little too much, read favorite books and over all just enjoyed the end of summer. But now it's back to work in the studio!

I will be at the New Orleans Art Market on Sept 26, 2009 from 10 - 4.
Come by and say hey, I would love to see everyone!

Raku Day!

2009-07-15T06:03:00.014-06:00

Well, Saturday started out hot and only got hotter!! We had a Raku party!

Thanks to potter Mark Carroll for building the kiln and for doing his demonstrations and thanks for everyone coming out to participate! The food everyone brought was great and the Pottery came out FABULOUS!

When a potter can't make pots

2009-06-16T13:59:00.006-06:00

When a potter can't make pots...what does she do???

She makes apple sauce!!!

Baton Rouge Art Market

2009-06-05T00:55:00.003-06:00

The Baton Rouge Art & Farmers Market will be this saturday (june 6) from 8 - noon. Head on downtown and see the freshest produce and the most wonderful art. I will be in my usual spot, so come by and say hello! Hope to see you there!

http://www.artsbr.org/

Summer's Here

2009-05-26T02:18:00.015-06:00

It's finally summer! With all the flowers blooming and the fruits and vegetables ripening, it's my favorite time of the year.

These beautiful sunflowers were volunteers. They came up any where our chicken coop had been, from the left over chicken seed. So we let them grow and WOW! The whole back yard is filled with these lovely flowers!

The apples are just about ready to pick, so I can make apple butter and this year, apple sauce baby food, for my grand baby.

The bees are busy gathering nectar to make delicious honey.

And, of course, the male turkey, "puffy" is his name, is still strutting around.

Welcome Summer!

Festforall

2009-04-30T04:02:00.005-06:00

Hey Everyone, I will be at Festforall this weekend. There will be great music, food and art! Come by my booth (#44), across from the Shaw center, and say hey! Hope to see you there!

Saturday May 2, 2009

10 am - 7 pm
Sunday May 3, 2009

noon - 6 pm

Festival International

2009-04-23T04:37:00.003-06:00

Come out to Festival International in Lafayette, Louisiana. Lots of music, dancing and arts from around the world. I'm in the "March de Arts" section on Vermilion st. I'm in booth number 19, next to San Souci Gallery so please make sure you stop by my booth and say hey! I would love to see ya!

Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival

2009-03-18T17:41:00.004-06:00

Come to the Fairhope's Arts and Crafts Festival. Wonderful Art and the town is a wonderful experience. March 20, 21 & 22, 2009; 10 am - 5 pm daily. Fairhope, Alabama.
Come by my booth and say hello, I would love to see you!

Wow what a winter!

2009-02-01T06:58:00.026-06:00

My daughter and son-n-law made a BEAUTIFUL baby !

The family made a new friend

My hands made some funny faces

A kit we bought made Shitake Mushrooms.

My students made my pottery class fun!

Mother Nature made a RARE Snowfall.

And our customers made the

open house a WONDERFUL success! Thank you!

Now I wonder what the rest of this winter will make in the future?

First Grandbaby!

2009-01-24T06:24:00.007-06:00

Just wanted everyone to see my first grandbaby and it's a boy! He is 6 lbs 8 oz and 19.5 inches long. Him and Kim, my daughter, are doing wonderfully! As you can tell he has a GREAT pair of lungs on him.

Happy Holiday's

2008-12-22T06:33:00.001-06:00

The studio is empty,
of pots it once had,
the potter is weary,
and just a wee bit glad.

Because the holidays are here,
Full of love and good cheer.
and the weariness she feels,
will slip away, like this year.

So just a quick note from her,
To all she holds dear,
Happy Holiday's to all and a wonderful New Year.

Where's Waldo? oops... Where's Gustav?

2008-09-09T03:56:00.002-06:00

It's like a "Where's Waldo" picture.
But this is a "Where's the pottery equipment" picture.

Here is the studio "pre-Gustav". We pulled in from outside, everything and anything.
Then the storm came through. Lost trees, shingles, and electricity. Now after curfews are lifted and electricity is back on , we are slowly cleaning out the studio. Hopefully it will be a studio again and not a storage unit. But until then "the show must go on" and I am working in a cramped space.

Now hurricane Ike is looming on the horizon. sigh.

"We don't like Ike!"

Pickled Potter?

2008-08-03T07:24:00.019-06:00

Potter packed a peck of pickled pots?

Potter grow cucumbers.

Potter cut cucumbers.

Potter make

pickles.

Potter can pickles.

Potter eat pickles.

(repeat as nessessary during cucumber growing season.)

Rubber Duckies?

2008-04-17T05:22:00.006-06:00

Well as most of you know, one of my ducks went to the duck pool in the sky and my other duck was lonely. Who said you can't buy friends? Because we bought "Nemo" (the remaining duck) some friends. 5 of them to be precise! They are very young so we keep them inside for now, and bring them outside to swim, in a little wading pool, during the day. We keep them in a room next to my studio, so all during the day I'm serenaded with duck songs. So, we now have 5 new additions to our family......Noooo wait.....we have "10" new additions....did I happen to mention that we got 5 baby TURKEYS too?

around the studio

2008-02-16T07:06:00.003-06:00

I just put up a slideshow to let everyone see a glimpse of life around my studio. The animals, family, flowers and pottery stuff. Hope ya enjoy it!

Yard Work

2007-08-15T06:32:00.001-06:00

Yard work is usually Hard work
but in this case Yard Work is different
work than I usually do. Here is a new
piece just out of the kiln.
It's a garden lantern.

Honey do

2007-08-03T05:23:00.001-06:00

Well, the time has come to pull the honey boxes off my hives and since I am not able to go out there and do it just yet ... and since it really needed to be done soon ... my "honey" did it for me.

Scared to death of anything that stings, Steve, donned the bee clothing and picked up the bee equipment. With a posture as a fully suited knight going into battle, he headed out to collect the honey boxes.

I watched in quiet fascination, from the apple trees shade, about 30 feet away. He went into my new hive first because that hive has been concerning me a little lately. I never seem to see much flight of bees in and out of it and no bees are just hanging around it's opening. For some reason, it just doesn't seem to be "catching up" as quickly as I think it should be. So he inspected it. He removed the honey box, but no honey, and proceeded to check the brood boxes. Since he knows little of what he was seeing or doing, the scene ended up like this; He'd pull a frame, describe to me what he saw and pick up a camera and take a picture. Needless to say, this took while and when I looked at the pictures, it still really didn't answer some questions I've had bouncing around in my head. So he closed up the hive, and I figure we will recheck it in a week, and maybe by then I can help too. And maybe with seeing it with my own eyes I will be able to "tell" more. Besides two sets of eyes are better than one.

Then on to the older hive (I only have only two hives so far). This hive I've had for approx a year and a half, almost a year older than my "new" hive. It seems to be doing wonderfully. Lots of flight in and out and bees just hanging out around the opening. Tons of bees everywhere and also a full box of HONEY!!! This will be the second box we've removed this season. This hives inspection was much quicker, no need to describe to me what he saw nor take pictures. Those girls are doing just fine. But I did take pictures of him in the clothes and inspecting the hive. He told me to email it to his friends and family because no one would ever believe he would or could do that.

Back to the house to extract this honey. This is the first time we've ever used an extractor. The first box of honey we removed (earlier in the spring) we just cut honey comb and let it drain into jars. This time we will do it right and use a "borrowed" honey extractor. Thanks Sherry.

In the kitchen Steve arranged the extractor and all the different paraphernalia to extract the honey. My sister Cindy comes by and both her and me are fascinated with the process. We pulled up chairs to watch it like some live play or event. We don't move and our eyes never waver as he puts the frames into the extractor expertly and spins the handle. The we marvel as pure liquid gold flows out of the spout downward into waiting jars. We get 3 gallons of beautiful honey from one shallow honey box. As as we lick our fingers we discover, WOW, it taste sooooo good!!!

Next Steve sets the equipment outside to let the bees "clean" it. And boy, do they. The next morning, I try to take a picture of massive feeding frenzy but the picture just doesn't do it justice. I think you would've had to have been there to appreciate the massive amounts of insects swarming around these honey soaked things. Besides swarms of bees, insects of all types were flying and crawling around and eating like there was no tomorrow. That afternoon, we went out there to check the progress and the feeding frenzy had pretty much ended, and the pots were as clean as if I'd scrubbed them. Next is just washing them out with hot soapy water.

The experience was amazing. Finally seeing the whole process, from beginning to end, that started almost 2 years ago for me. From installing my first set of bees to extracting their honey, the circle is now complete.

It's wonderful to learn and raise these little creatures. I know people must be getting bored when we talk about them constantly, but they are like "pets" to us, and we love them dearly. But on the other hand, it must not be too boring because most people end up wanting bees or wanting to learn more or at the very least, start loving honey. I truly think that "beekeeping" is contagious and there is no known cure. I know I caught it, about 4 years ago, and I continue to get sicker and sicker. And now, I'm happy to say, my hubby is sick with this affliction as well.

Feral Kingdom

2007-07-30T05:25:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been wild around here, and not just talking about the numerous cats that have taken up residence in my kiln shed but because the summer has been long and busy, without getting much pottery done.
Example:

4th of July the kids and spouses came over for some good grilled food, fireworks on the levee and celebration of my son's 21st birthday. Well, the food ended up being "not grilled" but instead a nice greek restaurant in town and the "fireworks on the levee" ended up being fireworks in the driveway. And as much as I dislike fireworks, I hate to admit, they were amazing.

All the kids decided they were gonna make the front yard "fireworks show" the best anyone has ever seen. ( I say kids loosely because the ages were 13, 21, 29 and 45) but all Men become kids when playing with something so lethal. So, they drove to the fireworks stand and proceeded to max out their credit and debit cards. Once home, they all were tripping over each other in a frenzy to light the first "big" firecracker. After a few near misses of property (cars, neighbors fence, etc) and body (anyone that was breathing within a 5 mile radius) they had put on a fireworks show second to none. They had did it. Every person in Denham Springs, I am sure, saw the show and it was beautiful!!! But, as the "supply of ammunition" dwindled down and the "good ones" were already spent, they decided they had done enough damage. So with the extreme high and excitement of men returning from a hard won battle, and with lots of "back slapping" and "high fives" they called it a night and started to go inside.

Much to my relief.

But once everything had settled and we were doing our nightly chores before laying down, we looked around for our little "winni" and couldn't find her.

Winni is our "pet rescued, adopted Chihuahua" with only 1 eye. She always follows my husband, Steve, around like his shadow, but now she was no where in site.

We formed search parties equipped with every flashlight we could find, and started circling the property. It was cloudy so the night was even darker and Winni is only about 6 inches high and about the same in length...very small...and because of her 1 eye she's not very good with direction. We called, we searched, we worried. Couldn't find her. So unusual for a dog that never gets further than 10 feet from people. And to make matters WORSE we noticed that my 2 Peking ducks (named Tweedle dee and tweedle dum) were missing. They have free reign of my back property and always stay near a little pond with a cypress tree. But they weren't there either. Okay, now we are really worried. 1 dog and 2 ducks were missing.

QUICK.... Call "Ace Ventura" the pet detective!

Well we gave up the search around midnight and figured they got scared from all the firework noise and left. So needless to say, we all went to bed, downtrodden and weary.

But, the next morning, Steve went to feed the all the feral felines and the chickens, and then he came running excitedly back in the house yelling "THE DUCKS ARE BACK!!"

Well, there was MUCH rejoicing! My babies are home and happily swimming around their cypress tree.

But still no sign of the "1 eyed wonder dog".

A few hours later, I was throwing some pots and I kept hearing this weird sound near my studios back door. Finally I decided to get up from the wheel and check it out. Much to my amazement there was Winni!!! Sopping wet, shaking, but otherwise healthy as can be! She was so excited about seeing all of us. We brought her inside and dried her off and then she ran to her food bowl and ate and ate until it was licked clean. She then waddled over to her little bed in front of the tv and snuggled down in it and slept all day.

No telling what all happened to her that night, but all I know is she was pooped and so far she has not wandered off any further than a few feet away. She's now a trip hazard.

Sometimes I don't know if I'm a potter, or a zoo keeper or a farmer. Or maybe a little of each in my very on Wild kingdom.

Back in the saddle again

2007-05-30T05:42:00.000-06:00

After the last festival I took some time off for a couple of weeks but now I am back in the saddle and will be at the Baton Rouge Arts Market this saturday from 8 - noon. On the corner of Main and 5th street. We are right next to the farmers market. So come buy good, local produce and browse the arts. C'ya there! (Baton Rouge Arts Market; http://www.artsbr.org/index0.html )

Show your stress

2007-04-20T04:57:00.000-06:00

Well, the kilns are continuously firing, the clay mixer is constantly mixing, the glazes are steadily being applied, and you've got a major syndrome called "show stress". The top 10 symptoms of this condition are;

1. Frantic pace as you walk/run

2. Chasing your tail instead of getting things accomplished.

3. Working , working and more working and not seeing much finished

4. Deadline date on Calendar swells in size.

5. You forgotten what day, month and year it is.

6. Your hygiene has gone to an all time low. whew.

7. You continually whisper under your breathe obscenities.

8. You pray for the day AFTER the show to get here, so it'll be over.

9. You secretly planning an escape to some island.

10. You decide to apply at Walmart for a greeter job.

So if you feel you have any or all of the above symptoms please consult your local brewery.

Take 2 drinks and don't call me in the morning.

To "bee" or not to "bee"

2007-03-29T07:32:00.000-06:00

Ever sit and watch bees? How industrious, swift and efficient they move and work? Everything they do is strictly for a "common goal" which is their production.

Honey production.

Maybe, the bees have "something" there. Maybe, we all should be more efficient and working for a common goal. Maybe, just maybe we should all be like "bees".

Whether it's something on a large scale as "global warming" or on a smaller scale like "weeding the garden" maybe, just maybe it would be swifter and more efficient if all work together for the "common goal".

Like for instance, bartering. People laugh and say that it's from another century and is not done in today's world. I for one think that's non-sense. What better way to get things done. What a better way to acquire needed or wanted things. If I have something you need and you have something I need, why not barter. Each one will be better for it. Hence, working for a common goal.

Most people think (me included) that they are an island needing no help just to prove something to themselves or others about their ability to survive and conquer. But as I age I come to find out that I am not only, NOT an island, but not even a chain of islands, I am totally and completely a "community project" on a huge continent.

Bees, growing in their cells, dependent on bigger bees until old enough to emerge. Then working fiercely in the hive until capable to go out into the world in search of nectar. Strong and confident the younger worker bees are, flying out scouting pollen from flowers, and nectar for honey, to support the common goal of the hive. Then one day they fly out never to return to the hive. Their life cycle. They've contributed their all for the common good. Same goes with humans. People, born into a huge world and totally dependent on others. Growing and becoming more and more independent as the years go by until one day they leave the house and scout out a life of their own. Strong and confident the young people are, running out scouting money from jobs and spouses for home. Until, one day, they realize that on the quest for immortality and lifestyle of being "independent" they neglected the "life" and neglected to see their "mortality" until it's too late. Sometimes being "independent" needs to be done together so as to not miss the "life" part.

Busy as bees. Together. Team work. Common goal. Sometimes can make anything you do become easier and quicker. Ideas shared by two or more become "brain storming" and great things can happen. Helping one another can be beneficial to all concerned. Trading this for that, or helping one another achieve or do something can be as rewarding or MORE rewarding than accomplishing it by yourself. Sometimes the reward for "Independence" is lonely. Who can you "high five" with? Who can you share your joy with? Who can do the "victory dance" with you. But the reward for "working together, dependent on one another" is team triumph. Tons of "high fives" and tons of "victory dancing".

So after much thought on the matter, I feel that the bee's way of life is best for them and maybe, just maybe, it's best for us too. Team work. Common goal. I've heard "It takes a village to raise a child" maybe, just maybe...."it takes a village to be a carbon being".

Now back to the hive, I have to get busy as a bee. buzzzzzzzzzz.

Countdown Commences

2007-03-09T06:05:00.001-06:00

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3....2....1...OH MY GOD tomorrow is the festival!!!

Festival day looms ahead of any craftsman like a dreaded job interview. Your await it anxiously and prepare the best you can and then as the day nears you become the worlds worse insomniac, thinking and rethinking all the things that could and sometimes DO go wrong. But you prepare and try not fret and torment.

You worry.

The day finally arrives...you suffer through it..and then when it's over, you may or may not have more money in your pocket than before, you may or may not have a smile on your face, you may or may not be coherent enough to care. But as you climb up into your vehicle, then and only then, can you breathe a sigh of relief. It's over.

You smile.

The whole festival process starts months before the actual event. That is to give you enough time to fully stress out and complete your nervous breakdown. Let's begin when you first get the application in the mail. Usually after we get them in the mail we put them someplace "safe", so we can fill them out later. The problem with storing something in a place that is "safe", is that the only person that it is "safe" from is you. Murphy is our God and his law says that when you do this, you will NEVER see it again, unless he thinks it'll be even a bigger laugh if he lets you find it. Which is usually the case and we find it eventually. Always remember we are put here on this earth for his enjoyment and he likes to laugh....mostly at us. So, say you actually do find that application, and that "murphy" is actually kind enough to let you locate it before the "due" date, then you will have to take the time and fill it out.

You sigh.

When you first fill out the application you are nervous wreck. Not about whether your work is good enough to get in the show or not, but because filling out all the information correctly and making sure you include all the bells and whistles they require, is enough stress to make a woolly mammoth loose his wool. Here are some examples of things that you must do properly to submit the application. First you must locate 4 or 5 of best slides that you own. Preferably your own work. Then sometimes they make you submit a booth slide also. This can be extremely daunting for a person who never steps outside the booth long enough to take a picture. But you make do. And after you get the slides together, you feel confident enough in your abilities that you believe with certainty that you can complete the rest of the requirements. Little do you know.

You hallucinate.

Label slides. This part sounds rather easy, and to most people it is. But to us few, who are blessed with totally "brain numbness" then it may be more difficult. You have to make sure the slide is on the correct side, make sure the up is up and the down is down..then you can proceed to write your name, the name of the piece, ALL your contact information, the medium you made it with, the process of how you made it, an arrow showing which way to insert it in the projector, and your first born's blood type information. All this has to be written legibly on a space no bigger than a postage stamp. Most craftsmen become very good calligraphers because of the extremely precise and small writing that has to be done on these slides. I still have NO idea how the jury actually can read this small of writing, but I do believe they make us do this for their amusement. I think they have contests on who can write the smallest. "hey Joe, come see this one, even with a magnifying glass I can't read it, they did gooood job". I think maybe this is how jury decides who gets the "Best in Show" prize.

You wish.

Then you take the slides, a SASE, the application, your bio, your artist statement, and any private information that you've kept in your safety deposit box for years and stuff it all into a small, legal sized envelope.

You astonish.

Go to the Post Office and wait the appropriate 4 to 5 hours in line and then you send it off. Two to three months later you receive in the mail, either an acceptance or a rejection. Which those two things are a "blog entry" unto themselves so we won't delve into them now. But in this case, lets say we skipped the crying, screaming and tantrums of rejection and actually got INTO the show.

You're accepted.

insert: (back ground music "flight of the bumblebee")
You're frantic. You're running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. You're working nonstop and not getting much done. You're studio looks like a tornado ripped through it. You're physical hygiene has become lax, and you're house is probably the health department's worse nightmare.

You're frantic.

The day is approaching and you're feeling less and less confidant that you'll actually have enough work to fill up your booth. You've decided that you have to approach congress to make some type of legislation that lengthens the day from 24 to 72 hours. The whole time you are working you're thinking "why do I this?" and bribing yourself with goodies like "if I finish this I will give myself a treat, I'll take a much needed nap or eat something". But after weeks of no sleep, you decide that sleep was overated to begin with.

You endure.

Tomorrow is the festival...there is nothing more you can make, nothing more you can do. This gives you a false sense of security and you decide that with all this free time, about an hour, you can sit and relax. But needless to say as soon as you sit, you remember that you didn't put something in the van, or you forgot to pack something so you immediately hop up and work some more.

You're anxious.

That night, knowing you need a good nights sleep...you don't. You're constantly worrying about "over sleeping" the alarm so you check the clock on the nightstand every 15 mins. The alarm finally goes off while you're staring at it and you get up. Usually for a person to get ready to go somewhere it takes approximately an hour. But because you're so anxious to get the booth set up that you shower, put on deodorant (this IS important at a hot festival), find your clothes, dress, put make up on, grab coffee (preferably in a cup) and run out the door in a fast 5 minutes flat.

You're efficient.

Now your there, at you're show. You've found you're spot, and you're setting up your booth. Setting up can take anywhere from an hour to all day depending on what you forgot at home, if there is any other vendors who claim that your booth number is really theirs, and if you don't stand around and talk.

You setup.

The show has started. This part is fun. I love meeting the people, talking, selling and EATING. Shows always have food. Most of the time it's greasy fried food that all taste the same, but still, it's food.

You digest.

The day goes by and hopefully you'll be selling and busy. Sometimes you are and sometimes your not. It's a gamble we all play. You get giddy with happiness if your selling and delude yourself with lies if you're not. "well, there are just no crowds here" or "it's the economy" or the famous "I really don't care if I sell anything".

You delude.

It's over. Big sigh of relief. Now it's time to pack up. Hopefully you are packing with a smile on your face and a sack of money tied around your waist. Packing is a joy unto it's self. You get the boxes, throw stuff carefully in them, rip the shelves down, collapse the tent, throw it all into your vehicle, get people to help you push the van doors closed and hope when you open the driver's door nothing falls out.

You exert.

Ahhhhh. You sit behind the wheel. You breathe, you quickly turn on the A/C, you sigh, you finally relax. It's over. You will actually be able to sleep tonight, and you vow to yourself you will NOT go into the studio tomorrow. Right then you decide that tomorrow is your day off. You start the engine and drive home, and look forward to the next show.

You survived.

Day day in the life of me/potters

2007-03-02T08:15:00.000-06:00

For most people the day starts off with the buzzing alarm, a shower, breakfast, then taxiing kids to school and heading off to work. For potters it seems that when the day started it was not this morning, but years ago when we first touched clay.

Potter's time is different.

Our day began years ago when we first looked at a pot and then wanted to learn to make it. Since then there has been no "morning ritual of normal working people" , it's more like a continuing cycle of never ending work and play. Whether it's day or night it doesn't matter because the pots, kilns and upcoming festivals just don't care about time. So with throwing, trimming, bisc firing, glazing, day after day, it all seems the same.

A typical day in my studio which usually starts in the wee morning hours is somewhat like this;

I awaken from a light sleep. I shove slippers on my feet so I can run out to studio and check the kilns. I notice that one of the kilns is almost up to temperature. After this observation I head back to my room to flop in the bed, forgetting to remove my slippers, and then proceed to lay awake wondering if the kiln has finally shut off or not? And because you are fretting about it, you won't go back to sleep until you get back up to make sure that it did finally reach temperature and shut off. Only then can you go back to bed and sleep pleasantly until the next kiln is getting close to shutting off. This pattern continues each night and accelerates with frequency when shows or festivals are approaching. The coffee starts brewing at around 4 or 5 am. Coffee, by definition, is a intravenous fluid that keeps potters alive. So while having my morning IV fluid, I begin doing my paperwork. Potters are well known multitaskers, because while paperwork is being filled out, your mind is making up a list of things you need to do today.

After the first pot of java is consumed you can better focus your eyes and you decide you better head out to the studio.

First things first. You need to either mix clay, throw pots or sit and stare....depending on how the caffeine is making your metabolism preform.

During the day it's a constant dance of loading and unloading kilns, glazing pots, and throwing pots. Between all of that, it is necessary to occasionally eat and answer phones. Which brings up another wonderful "gadget" that I have recently bought. A "big display" caller ID box. I've had other caller ID phones for years, but this one is special. It is a stand alone unit with a HUGE display that I can read from across the room. Now this "gadget" I truly believe is a vital "tool" for any potter, because when the phone rings you can look up from what you are doing, anywhere in the studio, and see if the caller is worth wiping your hands for. And believe me with so many telemarketers out there, most aren't.

So with the potters "day" explained in "not so explicit" detail, now I will tell you about my day. I make coffee, check email for orders, check kilns, drink more coffee, unpack cooled kiln, eat Cheerios, glaze pots, pour some more coffee, make list of what to throw, stare at wall, wedge clay, drink even MORE coffee, pack items to be shipped, make sure TV is on channel you want to listen to while throwing, cover last nights thrown pots with plastic bags to slow drying, stare at wall again...this time noticing it needs to be repainted, then get all tools and bats lined up so you can throw, wander around studio for awhile not remembering what you were looking for, answer phone and tell them AGAIN that they called the wrong number and this is NOT Ron's seafood, sit down at wheel, stare at the list of items you need to throw, get up from the wheel to feed cats who are pestering the crap out of you, go to bathroom, then finally sit down again and throw for the rest of the day. If you take this list and duplicate it for each day, you'll see what a studio day is like for me. And the funniest thing is I love it, absolutely love it and wouldn't change a thing. Maybe next time I'll have to write about a "festival day".