Saturday, October 20, 2007

Studio Recycling

What a treat it is to get my hands on a box of fresh new clay. I have been reclaiming all of my scrap pieces for the past few months so I haven't played with fresh clay for awhile. I spent all day in the studio and have a bunch of fantastic bowls waiting for me to trim them tomorrow morning.

I love the fact that potters are recyclers by nature. It not only saves a lot of money, I feel that it is my small way to help the environment. I know exactly the kind of waste that I create and know that I do everything that I can to minimize it. I even reuse my broken bowls in the garden so they won't be found centuries later in the dump by some archaeologist. When I get tired of the bowls in my cupboards, I give them to college kids so they have something a little nicer in the kitchen when they first move out on their own. I also donate seconds to the Salvation Army. Why not?

Another way I cut down on waste is to save the water that I clean my glaze brushed in. I decant the water until I have a nice bunch of glaze splooge. Most of my glazes use similar chemicals so they are compatible and I have found a few nice colors by accident. I can't use the splooge for functional ware because I'm not sure that it is food safe, but I can use it for my pendants. The only disappointment so far is that I can never reproduce the same recycled glaze color twice!

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Fusion Pottery and Glass Show

I have a fabulous hubby! I thought that he would be tired of my pottery talk by now but it was him that suggested an afternoon rendezvous at the CBC building to see the Fusion Pottery and Glass show. There was quite a variety of potters that showcased traditional porcelain, gas fired dinnerware, Raku, non-functional sculpture, you name it - they had it. They even had a wheel for demonstrations. I was drooling over the large vessels that I just know will end up being recycled at the end of the day.
You can check out several artist websites from the Fusion page. I always find it inspiring to see so many styles and techniques in one place. Happy mudding!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Coffee Shop Blogging


Its Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and I would need several pages to list everything that I am thankful for. Besides the best turkey stuffing ever, I guess I have to be thankful for my computer crash a few weeks ago. After being off line for a few short weeks, I could already see a dip in traffic and sales on my blog and Etsy site. I know, that doesn't sound like a blessing but it let me know that everything that I was doing prior to the crash must have been working. All of the posting, commenting, listing, and chatting did make a difference. I am not quite back in full swing yet as I still need to get a few more programs up and running, but I should be in good shape before the holiday rush.

The other 'crash' related blessing was that I was able to use my Etsy earnings to buy a little laptop. Now I can do my blogging at one of my favorite cafes, Remarkable Bean. I love this little independent cafe for so many reasons. They roast their own beans in house so we can see the beans turn from green to chocolaty brown while we sit in the luscious scent of them roasting away. They have organic selections, a range of teas and of course their famous homemade cookies, quiche, and other snacks. In summer they have the most delicious freshly squeezed lemonade, too. One other huge benefit is that they have free wireless access. Other larger coffee chains expect $7.oo per hour from your Visa or higher monthly rates that I can't afford. Thank you Remarkable Bean for letting me feed my many addictions all in one place!

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

I'm back...almost

Well, I learned my lesson. Always back up your computer. My heart thumped and my stomach dropped and I felt pretty woozy when I found out my computer just wouldn't turn on. Not even a hum or flicker of light. I was lost without my computer.

Luckily it was just my power supply that died. My buddy Jai took my hard drive and copied it for me. (I love my friends!) Now I just need to dust off my Visa and get a new computer. Maybe a laptop so I can blog at my favorite coffee shop Remarkable Bean. They have free wireless so I can access everything while I drink my organic dark roast McCaw coffee. Yummm!

Another bonus, since I couldn't sit in front of my computer all week, I spent a lot of time in the studio. I started making ramekins. You know, those little dessert dishes for creme brule and custards. I should have everything up and running by the end of this weekend so look forward to some new pics in my next post.