My Sculpture

Here is a picture of the sculpture I did awhile back. I still haven't glazed it yet. I like it the way it is and until I decide what final glaze to use, it will stay this way.

My Studio & other stuff

I see it's been awhile since I've been here. Almost a year and I know why, because my day job has been crazy busy and I've been working a lot of long hours. As a result I was spending less and less time at my local pottery studio. So what does a busy person do... get busier setting up her home studio. 

About two months ago I bought myself a pottery wheel. Woo hoo! I 'd quit looking  for quite some time and then one day I decided to look on Craig's list and low and behold there was a brand new posting for a nearly new Shimpo wheel. Within a couple days, several gallons of gas later and a chunk of change, I had my wheel. 

My next challenge was to get it set up and start using it in my spare time.  (What? Spare time?) I've since got it up on a platform of sorts and am learning to throw standing up as the sitting part is not so good for my back. In all my business and poor opportunity to practice throwing, I seemed to have forgotten how to center the clay. I have more clay slop in the bucket than I do on the bat! What is up with this? I've decided I need some expert lessons again. All my video watching of Simon Leach have helped in many other areas other than centering. Oh how I wish I could get some hands-on lessons from him right now. He lives in the US now but I'm afraid traveling to Pennsylvania for a pottery workshop is a little out of my financial league right now.  Sigh..  

I've been alternately hand building and throwing as I love to do both. This past February I managed to take a long weekend with my friend and head to San Diego for a hand building conference. I got a lot of inspiration and ideas, but no hands on work. Next time, I'll sign up for the workshop afterwards. 

I've made a lot of progress though with getting my studio set up and organized. What started out as a decent size space seems be shrinking the more stuff I get and the more pieces I make. I'm learning how to keep track of my buckets of clay slop and recycle the clay. I made a plaster of paris form for drying out my wet clay so I can re-wedge it. I need another one now for my red clay. I've purchased tools from garage sales and websites and scrounged up pieces of scrap wood for ware board; purchased inexpensive shelving from Home Depot and even made my own shelves from the old stand by cedar blocks and pressed boards. Getting water into the studio has proved to be challenging as well. I have a sink in my garage nearby, but without a clay trap I can't rinse anything out in it. These means carting everything over to the other side of the house to rinse off what I can't from my water buckets. I did purchase a clay trap system to install myself, but of course it doesn't fit the way it's supposed to and will require a plumber to do the work.... Can't anything be easy?

Honestly, I thought having my own home studio was only a dream and now it is a reality, so I can't complain too much. I am used to getting by conserving water at the studio I was and still am frequenting for firings, so I know how to do this without the convenience of a sink and endless running water. Clean up takes more time and it is messier, but I can do it. Fortunately, being in AZ I have a lot of red rock in my back yard already so I can take my wheel tools and wheel well  and rinse out what's left into the rocks without too much problem. I recycle as much clay as possible and I'm getting pretty good at it.

Well, I will stop droning on and show you some pictures of my studio and at some of the pieces I've completed in the last year.  I hope to keep this updated a little more frequently.