It's Big Crafty Time!

I don't get out to do shows much anymore. I love getting to chat leisurely with folks about my work and watch them find pieces they love - not something I get to do when I'm not in the gallery. It's fun, but it's exhausting, and happily my own gallery keeps me busy filling inventory, plus I have an eclectic mix of clients that grace me with many opportunities to design and make new work. 

That being said, The Big Crafty is a really, really fun show. Plus, it's here in my town, and a lot of other artist friends who I don't get to see much are likely to be in the show or attending the show, so it's a win all around. I get to see friends, plus spend the day chatting with folks about my work. 

Conversation Plate by Holly de Saillan

This year will be a bit different in two ways: my usual cohort and table partner, Holly deSaillan (clay & mosaics by Holly de Saillan), will be at The Big Crafty, but she's filling her own entire space this year, and I can't WAIT to see her new work! I'm still happy filling half a space, so I was thrilled when Angelique Tassistro (Fly Coop Studios) agreed to apply with me and share the space. And even better, we're right next to Holly!

Olive Dishes by Angelique Tassitro 

The other difference this year is that I'm taking the opportunity to try some new designs out on my work that I bring to the show. To keep myself from going too crazy, I limited myself to drinking vessels - in fact that's all I'll have at this show: mugs, tea bowls, tumblers and cups. I'll have a few of my current designs, but I'll also have a larger grouping of sgraffito and relief-carved pieces in new designs. Some will enjoy their fun at The Big Crafty and happily retire, but some will find their way into other facets of my work.

New work, new glaze, new firing fun!

I hope you'll come by and check it out - you'll only find it at The Big Crafty, or you'll have to wait and see if/how it shows up again!

The Big Crafty is on Sunday, July 12 from 12-6pm in downtown Asheville at the Asheville Art Museum. Vendors will be outside and inside, and you'll find me and Angelique inside, on the lower level, at space #48.

Riverview Station Holiday Market

The Village Potters will be taking part in the First Annual Riverview Station Holiday Market, and we hope you'll come kick off the holiday season with us! Our Feature Gallery will feature wonderful holiday gift ideas, and we'll have our festive best out for you, along with some light refreshments and holiday cheer. And Santa himself will be there too! Join us at The Village Potters and wander throughout Riverview Station on Friday, December 5, from 4-8PM!

Continuing a Legacy

I have been given an incredible honor - Marty & Eileen Black, who have recently retired The Potter's Mark studio and gallery, have given me their process and glazes/recipes for their signature line of pottery, in the hopes that I will be able to continue the legacy they've built over the past 30+ years.

I am indeed honored and very excited about what possibilities lie ahead with this opportunity. Currently, I'm in the process of testing two of the most popular glazes, their signature 'Red', and the 'Spirit' glaze. The first tests of using these glazes on my clay body in a different kiln were very encouraging, but I won't begin regular production in any of these glazes until I have consistent results in several firings. After I nail down these two glazes, I'll test through others. While I may not carry items in every glaze, my plan is to be able to fill replacement orders for long time collectors in any glaze they have. I will only produce bodies of work in 2-3 glazes for show and sale in The Village Potters' gallery and in other regional galleries, all under the name "The Potter's Mark Line". 

The overall list of items that will be offered will be less than what Marty and Eileen originally carried, as  they, working together full time, were able to carry over 50 items, many available for wholesale as well as retail. I will have to pare down that list as I will be working solo. I'll also be carrying on my own work - if you check out my website 'Portfolio' link, you'll see that I've added a section for The Potter's Mark. As I continue the tests and achieve consistent results, I'll begin posting samples of the glazes that will be available. But testing is imperative, and cannot be rushed! If you'd like to keep up with my progress, I invite you to join The Potter's Mark mailing list for monthly updates and opportunities to win very special, very one-of-a-kind test pieces during this process. You'll also get first dibs on placing orders once that time comes!

 
The standing bowl, above, is The Potter's Mark signature Red Glaze. On the right, first test firing in my kiln. Encouraged to get red at all, but still some work to do!

For those who have been collecting The Potter's Mark wares, I will be carrying the most popular forms, and while I will make every effort to stay true to the spirit of Marty & Eileen's forms, they will be different as different hands are making them. I would never attempt to copy their style - indeed, one of the reasons I have been given this great honor and opportunity is because our styles, while different on the surface and in our decoration, have much in common when you look at the base forms. I believe that when current collectors see the range of forms available, that they may not have or may not have considered, with Potter's Mark glazes, they will be very pleased to add them to the collection.

Stay tuned for more!

Sunday, July 7: The Big Crafty!

Where I'll be this Sunday:

Sunday, July 7 from 12-6pm

And the only thing more fun than returning to The Big Crafty is doing it with with a good friend! I'm very pleased to be sharing a booth with the excessively talented and lovely Holly de Saillan of Holly de Saillan Clay & Mosaic. Come and see us, along with over 100 other fabulous indie artists and craftspeeps.

conversation plates by holly de saillan

The Big Crafty happens this Sunday, July 7 from 12-6pm, downtown Asheville, at the Asheville Art Museum. Admission is free and in addition to a celebration of all things handmade, you'll find local food, beer, and some toe-tappin' tunes. 

new/more work in the 'smokey shino' glaze coming soon!

I'm loading the kiln today for some kiln-fresh goodies to show on Sunday - come by and see what's new!

smokey shino

smokey shino

A look at the new Shino application on some sake sets and bottles (above) and other new service/dinner ware (below). I moved recently, and because of a busy studio schedule I was lamenting not being able to just stay at the house and get settled. Be careful what you wish for - significant plumbing needed doing, so I've been at the house most of the week and will be most of today. Not able to really settle in until the plumbing is done, and definitely not able to tend that busy studio schedule! So I'll just look at the pretty pots and make longer lists of what's to come...

'starry night' and 'dancing brush'

As the Kiln Cools...

Some new things that came out of the studio in the last month:

returning to an old favorite: personal sake sets

visualizing sumptuous dishes in my sumptuous dishes

little soldiers

It seems to be in the air, as many if not all of my studio mates at The Village Potters are also exploring new forms and designs. These pots are all cooling in a glaze kiln today, and tomorrow I'll get to see how they look!

Studio La Chouffe: Community & Collaboration

It has indeed been a busy summer, and anyone who only follows me here can tell it from the lack of regular posts (something I'm always trying to improve). So thanks for following if you're still paying attention here, and if you didn't know, you can also keep up with the many doings of Crazy Green either on the facebooks, or on my webpage (linked on the right side bar) or via my endeavor as one of The Village Potters at our website or facebook page. Thanks again.

studio la chouffe

Something I've been wanting to do with this blog is to highlight other sources of my own inspiration. In this case it comes in the form of a visit to Studio la Chouffe, the home of Holly deSaillan clay & mosaic. Holly and I became friends when we both had studios at a community clay studio, and we have remained mutual fans, sources of inspiration and instigation for each other.

My first goal was just to highlight her wonderful slip-straw built studio where she makes her beautiful mosaics, and show how her unique approach of tumbling her clay and glass components makes her works beautiful to see and touch. Well, that's still my goal, but Holly was recently commissioned to make a large (over 30 feet long!) mosaic for the private 'Visiting Garden' at the Department of Social Services in downtown Asheville. Her "Appalachian Animal Parade Mosaic" will feature animals of the area along with tiles representing indigenous plants, and her approach to the project most definitely fits the description of a collaboration, and a true community collaboration at that. The mosaic, and the entire Visiting Garden project, is the brain-child of talented native plant specialist Sadie Adams of Growing Native Nursery.

Holly de Saillan, unloading more ceramic shards

To make a mosaic of this size, Holly will use a combination of glass and ceramic shards, along with ceramic tiles. For the tiles that depict indigenous plants, Holly had help from the kids attending the Asheville Community Design Lab through Roots & Wings School of Art (where she will teach this fall). 

native plant tiles (even poison ivy!)

The tiles will line a portion of the wall, and ceramic and glass shards will make up the animals. For the ceramic shards, Holly has called upon Asheville potters to share their rejects and broken pieces*, and I'm very happy that my glaze tests and 'oops' pots will have a good home and a second life in a beautiful piece of art that will bring much happiness to children and their families visiting this garden. 

array of donated pieces awaiting the hammer and tumbler.pieces shown donated by myself, Sarah Wells Rolland, and Kyle Carpenter

My studio mate Sarah at The Village Potters has also made some contributions, and I'm sure more members of The Village Potters will be donating by the end of the commission! 

one of Holly's beautiful mosaics greets you on the path to studio la chouffe

I made a visit to Holly's studio to see the initial process involved in getting ready for this installation, which she will begin in the next week and will complete by the end of August. That seemed daunting itself to me, and after seeing what she's doing to prepare, it's no less daunting in my mind, but having seen Holly's work on other levels, I know she's just the person for the task!

the sweet little 'hula kiln' that will tirelessly fire all the tiles for the Appalachian Animal Parade

Studio la Chouffe is, as I mentioned, of slip-straw construction, and I'm happy to say I helped there too! After the studio frame was built, we had several work parties to fill the walls with a mixture of clay slip and straw bale, packing in beautiful colored bottles that now bring beautiful light into the studio.

inside the cool, clay walls of studio la chouffe, with beautiful, diffused dancing light of many colors!

Holly's partner Basil has continued more studio construction, including a gorgeous back deck. Holly's work and esthetique add to the landscaping that they've done together to make the studio grounds a welcoming place for humans and critters alike.

another happy member of studio la chouffe

I also mentioned Holly's unique approach of tumbling her glass and shards. It's hard to describe the difference this makes. Tumbling of course takes the sharpness off the edges, and gives glass shards a soft hue  and actually brings more depth to the tones in clay shards.

the tiny tumbler, hard at work!

Her little tumbler has been working 24/7 since she started preparing for this commission, making her what I like to call a "small batch" mosaic artist. Each time the tumbler completes a cycle, she has another box full of shards ready to go in, and as they come out, they get added to piles of other shards that she carefully sorts based on how they'll be used in the mosaic.

chards, out of the tumbler

I've already made this into a much longer article than intended, and I've only scratched the surface! So this is just the introduction - you'll learn more about Holly as I continue to follow the progress on this project, and you'll get to see the mosaic wall develop before your eyes! Take note and follow closely, because this finished project will not be open to the public, but only to those families visiting the Social Services office.

If you have been following me at all, you know that I've been happily immersing myself in the experience of being a part of the Collective at The Village Potters, and the collaborative atmosphere that is leading toactual collaborations with my studio mates. Collaboration is nothing new in the art world. Many gifted artists find alignments with others and I think it's very natural that they explore the 'what if' of working together. I'm happily experiencing that in my own studio, recently beginning a series of collaborations with Sarah Wells Rolland, the first of which is now showing in The Village Potters Gallery. One of the pots I'll be donating to the mosaic project is an early glaze test in preparation for that collaboration, and it makes me so happy to know those pieces will be a part of another piece of art!

*any Asheville-area potter with high fire (cone 10) shards to donate, please contact Holly deSaillan via her website. And if you're on the facebooks, you can follow Holly's progress in her Appalachian Animal Parade album on her page.

Holiday Home Show!

Just a little reminder about the upcoming Holiday Home Show that I'll be doing with two other fabulous artists: jewelry designer Stephanie Onel and painter Susan Finer. Our gracious and generous host for the afternoon is Kristin Fellows, and our work will look even more beautiful in her lovely home!

We hope you can join us for an afternoon to celebrate the season, as well as the end of "Buy Local Week" - you'll find some great gift ideas whether you're shopping for others or for yourself (just as important!).

The deets:

When: Sunday, December 4 from 12:00 - 4:00pm

Where: Home of Kristin Fellows, 177 Lakeshore Drive, Asheville, NC 28804

Parking: please park on Shorewood as the drive is quite steep!

What: beautiful hand crafted pottery, stunningly designed jewelry, and sensory satisfying abstract paintings! Plus light refreshments and a whole lotta holiday cheer.

Into The Village!

This falls into the category of 'everything I'd wished for, but way more than I'd hoped for'. If there's anyone who didn't hear about it, I have now officially moved into The Village Potters to become one of the Resident Artists as well as an instructor in their (our!) Teaching Center. Yay!!

Honestly, I've been so lax in blogging lately, and the last year has been so very, very ... well it's just too much to try and whittle down into a paragraph, so why not let's just pick up our story with Lori happily and excitedly accepting the offer to join The Village. The first phase of moving was a delight; with the help of some good friends with a parade of hand trucks and dollies, we moved my 'mini' studio set up that was in another part of the building over to the other side, down the dark elevator and into the new space. There's more studio to re-discover from my storage unit, much of which will be used in the Teaching Center, but that waits till after my next firing. I'll fire off-site once again, as it will be a month or two before we get the kiln installed here, and then I'll be all in one place and with a most excellent group of artists and mentors!

my new studio space, before phase one of the move-in

Phase One - ready to work, with some favorite studio juju in place

I am beyond pleased and excited to be joining my fellow Village Potters Judi Harwood, Cat Jarosz, Melanie Mitchell Robertson, and Sarah Wells Rolland. I'm already cherishing the friendships that are developing, and I can tell you right now, the artistic relationships will have a tremendous impact on my work in the very best way (ie, they're gonna kick my butt). Case in point: among my first tasks is to start building a portfolio for application to the Southern Highlands Craft Guild.

The Gallery at The Village Potters

Right now, the Gallery is open (Mon-Sat, 10-6), and if you're in the area you can stop by and see the work of all five resident Village Potters, as well as that of other regional artists. I'll be in the gallery on Wednesdays, so come by and say hi if you can! We're going to take the next month or so to get everyone moved in, and to begin our first session at the Teaching Center. I'll be teaching classes for beginner and beginning potters, much like I did in my old studio. The classes will run in 10-week sessions - check out more details at the website.

And now a very special word about how one gets to a place like this. I've had tremendous support in all shapes and forms since I've embarked on this pottery kind of life, even as I've been out here 'on my own', and I hope I've always properly expressed my gratitude. When this opportunity came along, I knew I'd need help in making it happen. It's a lot easier to say that than actually do the asking, but ask I did, and I am humbled and honored by the support that has come in all forms, from encouraging words to monetary investments that are indeed making the difference in my joining The Village. So a very big thank you to my "Village", which stretches over years and across many regions. Those of you who have made that investment will start seeing updates here (why, here's one now!). The new website is under development, and that will include a special place of thanks to all who have made this possible. Anyone curious about that whole thing, here's the link to the original letter that went out. It's going to be pretty crazy over the next month or two as we all get settled in, but I hope to keep updates here much more frequently.

And if you're in the area, please come by and check out the new studios, gallery and teaching center. Give me a heads up and I'll give you the tour! And please come celebrate with us as we host our Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, November 19 from 6-8pm. We'll be open our regular hours that day, but at 6 we'll put on the party music, bring out some nosh, and word is there may even be some fire dancing! I hope you can come join the festivities at The Village!

Holiday Home Show - Sunday, November 14!

Updated the address, and wanted to let anyone coming know that parking is best along Cumberland Drive.  The end of the driveway will be marked - hope to see you there!

TRANSITIONS: An Odyssey Resident Exhibition

I've given myself the evening off to make soup and fend off a throat tickle, so while I'm catching up on catching up, I thought I'd throw a shout out for an event sure to be the highlight of the Studio Stroll kick-off! "Transistions: An Odyssey Resident Artist Exhibition" will have its opening reception on Friday, November 7 from 5-8pm at the Odyssey Studios Gallery. There are many very cool events in the 'hood on Friday to kick off Studio Stroll, but only this one will feature Joey's Pasta Salad (if you've been to one of our receptions, then you know you want to come!).

Once again, I'll be opening a kiln, unloading and taking pots directly to the show, so if you come early, you may still feel the warmth of the kiln! Along with me will be recently former Resident Artists Joey Sheehan and Suzanne Hobbs, and current 'senior' Residents Courtney Murphy, Sarah Danforth and Robert Francis. Rounding out the group is newer (but no longer even the newest!) Resident Artist Beth Flanagan. Together, we represent members of the Residency program over the past two years, and among us we well represent the theme of 'Transistions'.

If you'd like to see more information about each of the artists, along with event details, etc., you can check out the blog - go now and then go back as it's constantly being updated with new artist profiles.

Hope to see you there!

OrganicFest!!

As the official potter of OrganicFest (my own title...I may get there and find out it's a shared title this year!), I'm happy to return for the 3rd year to OrganicFest. When I first moved to Asheville, I signed up for it (then just in it's own second year) as a way to give me a goal to make work in my first six months. I'll keep doing it as long as they'll have me, and I'm happy to promote sustainability through offering locally made, reusable ware that holds organic foods beautifully and is made using recycled materials with my own local-artist hands!

OrganicFest will be downtown Asheville this Saturday, September 6, on the streets around Grove Arcade. My booth is #18 (one of my very favorite numbers) on Battery Park Avenue, toward Page Street. If you're in the area please come by and say hello! I'll have work out of the kiln that's cooling today, plus some fun treats to take away with your purchases. I'll also have brochures about classes and workshops, and information about the upcoming Empty Bowls event benefitting Manna Food Bank. All that in one little booth and the whole rest of the festival to enjoy! Hope to see you there....