Super Inspiration Day

I woke up much earlier than usual today with great inspiration. I have my first street festival coming up next week and my mind is churning. My brain was thinking about other possible things I could sell at the festival. I remembered that I have several of the Valentine hearts I made last February http://anneinclayland.blogspot.com/2010/02/clay-valentines.html  as well as the Elmo magnets left over from Mia's birthday party http://anneinclayland.blogspot.com/2010/08/27-elmos.html So I got out of bed and ransacked the studio for any possible tiles to use for magnets or ornaments. With Christmas coming up, I have high hopes of making some sales at this festival. I hope it's not a huge disappointment.

After sorting through the tiles, I had plenty of time to glaze a couple of the peppers for my upcoming firing. I was working so fast as the sun was coming up. I guess I was in some kind of trance as I was painting because I don't even remember hearing birds sing or crickets, or people leaving for work. Finally after going inside to make coffee,  I listed a few pieces on Ebay, and it turns out that most of the listings were free! I guess they were running a deal. Let's hope Ryan doesn't get a bill later. HA! Then I found the magnets I need for the show at a local store! Awesome! I really thought I'd have to work harder. So that was pretty lucky.

I'm a little anxious about the show next week although I have plenty of materials to show and sell. I've never done a street festival so I hope I can make some sales. It seems like a lot of work to drag my things out there and shmooze with the locals. I hope it's worth it!

Keep it Simple

After seeing my old drawings photographed I decided to really edit them down to just a few. Less is More. And I'm calling them My Folk Art. Although I am not a true Folk Artist, I am not self taught, I do have a great love and appreciation for Folk Art. I drew some pictures in this style during my middle of the night rants with the chalk and paper and my dreams.

I first learned about Folk Art in a college course I took. I had a wonderful, passionate professor, Dr. Kristen Congdon, who loved these artists. She would meet them and sit and talk with them and really learn about their lives. And so began my love for these artists too. I began to really study the artists, collect their art and I even met a few of the artists. They always told me not to learn too much. Keep it simple. And this is a motto that I try to live by.

I have placed a few of my drawings for free download on my blog. The would make great covers for notecards or postcards. Please use them. Send them to your friends. And Keep it Simple.

Going Back in Time

Today I went through an old portfolio to look for some drawings that I will make into Art Postcards. Back in college I was really into drawing with pastels. I would draw my dreams in the middle of the night, and even give my beloved cat, Sneezer, a piece of chalk and let him bat it around the paper. He was drawing too!

Going through my portfolios of the past reminds me of who I used to be and how far I have come. It is a time travel of where I was back then and memories of dreams that only make sense to me. These things I would never remember if I had not written them down, or drawn a picture of it. I see where I was influenced; by books, teachers, friends. Sort of like a photo album, but more personal.

I think have a few different series to use as postcards: Angels and Demons, Sex, and Flowers. Some of these I will post online for free downloads that fans can print themselves. I will also have an option to buy the cards already printed. I am a big fan of sending out personal notes. I guess I just like to write!

Anyhow, please check back soon for the downloadable postcards. I need to photoograph and post.

Lights, Camera, Action!

I had my first photo shoot for the peppers last weekend. After my bad firing, I went into panic mode and quickly re-glazed and re-fired the peppers. Even though I had hooked up the kiln wires not quite right, somehow I lucked out and the firing went as planned. The peppers looked great! Ahhh, what a relief! All of my pieces went into this firing and the pressure was on to have them completed and looking awesome for the shoot. My friends and I had planned the shoot several weeks ago and had been working up to this moment.

I arrived to my friend's house and the photographer and other artists arrived shortly after. We set up the room for the shoot by covering the windows and blocking out all other light sources, set up the photography lights, and tacked the photo paper onto the wall. I set up my pieces and the photographer got to work! What a great job she did! The peppers look fantastic! And the high resolution camera she used picked up the shine of the glaze.

Now I have to do my part in marketing these things. I've listed them on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnneInClayland
And I will post on Twitter and Facebook to try and generate some fan base. I am also looking into local outdoor shows like farmers markets and art shows. Just in time for the holidays, I hope my fans will find a place in their homes for my work. The pieces are truly beautiful, one of a kind and of a limited edition. They also make for great collector pieces if you'd like to group them together.

A Bad Week

I had a bad week last week. All kinds of things went wrong... my water system blew up and we lived like Little House on the Prairie for a few days - washing hands out of buckets of water, dirty dishes piling up on the counter, and taking sponge baths for a couple of days. Next, my daughter and husband came down with Roto Virus, vomiting through the night (and on me as well) and a 2am hospital visit for Mia. And to top things off, what would be more complete than a faulty kiln firing? The peppers that I have been so feverishly working on for weeks, though not completely ruined, are a mess right now. Somehow... I guess I didn't put the cone in correctly, or I got a faulty cone (yes, lets blame the cone and not me).

Anyhow, the cone is fused to the sitter inside the kiln. I called for help and it looks like I can fix it. The glazes on the peppers didn't vitrify, so the kiln must have under fired. I am so glad I went out there at 10pm to check and see if it turned off. The latch fell which should have turned off the kiln but the kiln was still running. I have enough experience to know to shut if off manually and check it in the morning when it has cooled. Although this feels like a disaster, I have faith that things can be saved. I did lose a couple of peppers - the glaze fused the lids shut. But that is a glazing issue. I'm still learning. These stupid vertical lids! They are so difficult! So once I get the melted cone scraped off the cone sitter I should be able to re-fire the pieces and get some good results. Hopefully? My photo shoot for the peppers is this Saturday. I better make it there with something to show for myself.

My Karmic Reward

I feel like I was rewarded by the Universe this week.

For the past few weeks I have been going through stacks of books, clothes and household goods, purging things I no longer use or want. I got myself into an organization tizzy and for days I was clearing out cupboards and shelves, and even one person from my life! It became addictive and refreshing to create empty space. I picked up my book on Feng Shui to start over again.

Something about the fall makes me want to start fresh; open the doors and windows and let the air rush through the house. There are new birds here as the fall has almost arrived. I heard a new owl last night. Now there are two.

The pile in my garage had grown large enough and I decided to load it into my car to drop off at the thrift store. I went inside to look around and I found the cedar chest I've been wanting for two years. My heart soared! It was $80 and a little beat up, but still a beauty. Refinished, these things run $400. Of course I bought it and now it is home, awaiting dusting in my garage.

More Peppers

My progress seems unreal lately. I have been churning out these things like a madwoman. I am so happy to have found a system that seems to work. I can pour two molds each day while working on the previous days' molds. I don't want you to think these are production pieces. Though they are, they are still handmade and each one is sculpted by me. The mold serves as a template. After I remove it from the plaster cast, I cut each lid and add some decorative finishes onto each one. Each pepper is an original. I had my tarot cards read recently at a friend's house. The cards said that I would experience a new beginning in the fall. And that my problems of the spring would seem forever away. This was the first time I'd had my cards read by someone other than myself. It was a great reading. She was surprised at the good fortune of my reading. Anyhow, it is just fun to see the connections here. I am quickly filling my kiln for the next firing.