May 5th, 2013

Sprucing up the outside spaces

I don’t know about you, but I am constantly in transition.  I realize that’s why I don’t blog that much.  I’ve been afraid to commit to anything because I invariably change my mind.  I had a great conversation with Lori Watts www.finemesspottery.com   around the kilns down at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts www.watershed ceramics.org. We were firing the soda kiln and testing out some new glazes.  Lori blogs all the time and she said just say “I tried that and it didn’t work for me”.  It’s  such a simple sentence and I am taking it to heart. Thanks Lori!

So here’s what I’m trying on this great journey with clay.   I am committing to my home and my studio.  Ha ha, that’s funny. I am ‘trying’ my hand at committing!

Reworking the studio space at Hallowell Clay Works

I’ve always had one foot out the door, looking for the next big thing.  It’s time to settle into my beautiful studio and my nice little property here in the great little city of Hallowell, ME.    Lucky for me I have lots of wise pottery friends and I have to give  Rob Seiminski of Bog Pond Pottery a huge thank you for that nudge in the right direction.  He does amazing wood-fired work and has a gorgeous place up in Phillips, ME  www.bogpondpottery.com  Rob looked around my space and helped me see it differently.  Since I built the studio 2 years ago I hadn’t quite moved into it fully.  I needed shelves and a show space and some serious reorganization.  With the help of Patti Scronce, one of my wise pottery students, we tackled the project.  I mention all of these friends because I would be floundering without their help.  I’m humming the Beatles song now,  “I get by with a little help from my friends”.   Brian Alexander from Oak Pond Construction is responsible for the great new shelving system and other construction miracles around my home- including my studio building.  So I’m having an Open House on May 11th and 12th as part of the Maine Pottery Tour. www.mainepotterytour.blogspot.com for a map and more info.

In the process of all this commitment I am shifting my work again. You could say I am committed to change!  I’d love to be one of those potters who makes work and sells a lot of it.  Actually, I’d probably be bored with that.   I am the kind of potter who loves to teach.  While making beautiful objects is definitely a part of what I love.  I also love the interaction with people.  I thrive on sharing what I know and as I get older I learn more and not just about clay.  My teaching is incorporating Astrology.  No, not the BS you read in the papers, but the actual study of planetary movements and natural cycles.  For those of you who are skeptical, all I can say is you just don’t know what you are missing.  For those of you who have experienced it, you know powerful it is to have the insight that astrology can give you.  I feel like everyone can benefit from this knowledge, so I am offering classes in Astrology and Clay.  I don’t  have any role models for this, so I’m making it up as I go.  I also offer a Kids Clay Adventure which is about finding and using your own clay.  Over the summer I’ll be taking kids out into the woods and fields to find their own and make it work for them. This ties right into the earth based lifestyle that I am creating.   The other big thing that I am working on is a Bereavement and Clay course in conjuction with Hospice.   This is a project near and dear to my heart as many of you know my grad school experience.  If you don’t here’s the short version- My father died in a auto accident when I was 9 years old.  I wasn’t included in the funeral ceremony and we never really talked about it as a family.  I had repressed any real expression of grief until my mid life transits.  At this time, after a divorce and entering grad school, I found a safe environment in which to process that 30 year old grief.  It was the best and most uncomfortable experience I have ever had.  It is my hope that I can provide a similar environment for people to express grief.  We suffer losses all the time, divorces, illness, death and most of us stuff it so we can keep moving.  This class is a way to let it out so we can move on.  It’s for everyone and the coolest part is you get to play with clay while you do it!  It’s not all bad and it’s not all horrible.

At the end of the class we’ll fire our work in either my raku or the wood kiln.  There is something transformative and magical about firing that way, as anyone who knows it will tell you.   So…. That’s  just some of what I am doing right now. I’ve got some other exciting projects around teaching at  the Good Will Hinckley School and Watershed’s Mud Mobile Program for now I close. For more info about any of my classes check out my website www.hallowellclayworks.com  I hope you are well.   Peace.

Maine Craft Guild MDI Show 2012

 

I spent the weekend with 100 + very talented craftspeople.  To me, there is nothing more inspiring than walking around a fine craft event and absorbing all of the talent and years of dedication.   I was continually amazed at how clever people can be!  I can only say that the Maine Crafts Guild is one of the finest gatherings of artisans in the state of Maine.  If you have a chance to attend one of their shows please go!  You won’t be sorry, even if you don’t spend a dime, it will be worth it.  I am very excited to be counted as a member.  The next show is August 10th -12th at the Atlantic Oceanside Hotel in Bar Harbor, ME.   If that’s too far for you and you are in Maine you can find us again at The Maine State Museum in November.  Of course, I will also be at the Common Ground fair in September with many of the MCG members and most of Maine!

I’m fairly new at the fine craft circuit.  I have never been great at sitting in a booth NOT making anything, but I really enjoyed this show.  I think because I have found a new way of working that has opened up a lot of possibilities for me.  You might already know that I completely changed my work since going to grad school.  I now work with Maine clay and Terra Sigilatta.  I dig my own clay and once-fire everything.

Diatome teapot low fire maine clay wheel thrown and altered

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am making less and less functional pottery and moving toward highly decorated, hand carved and painted vessels and wall pieces.  Look at the pieces in the booth shot.  You’ll see a ‘giant’ microscopic mandala on the right with some special star fish and a sea biscuit flower on the left.    Thanks again to Meaghan Chaney Gumpert for her influence and inspiration on those wall pieces.  I will continue making teapots and the goofy creature tumblers are too fun to let go of quite yet.  I am working on commission pieces for homes and corporate offices.  My work is biological in nature.  I love nothing more than to use patterns from nature in new ways and to make seen the unseen.   I love trees, leaves, microscopic creatures, crazed fish and goofy ghost-like monsters.   I just got home, but I’ll be getting ready for the next show and I am excited to start some new work.  Until then, enjoy the beautiful day and hope to see you soon!

Feb 13, 2012 Mudmobile, Pots, Classes

Watershed Mudmobile school project with Malley

Studio update.  I’ve been working hard coming up with some new ideas for work to bring to CraftBoston.  I’ve also been doing some work for Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts http://www.watershedceramics.org  They have a ‘Mudmobile’ which is basically a mobile clay classroom.  This time I went up to Rumford and worked with the kids from Holy Saviour.  What a great little school they have there.  Anyway, I was raised Catholic and did the whole Catholic School bit myself, so I wanted to do something that was always special to me.  I am a sucker for churches.  I love the architecture, the alters, the pillars, the woodwork, the pews and of course, the stained glass windows. These are some examples of what we did and when I got back to my studio I knew that I had to do some of those myself, not with religious themes, but more of the cathedral of the outdoors that I really love.  I think the kids did a great job, we all had fun and I’ll be delivering their pots back to them soon.  They are in the kiln as we speak.  If you are interested in having the Mudmobile come to your school check out their website or call 207-882-6075.

Stained Glass Window 3x6" Maine Clay

 

I’ve also been trying out a new theme of tall thin bottles. I’ve been carving intricate designs on them mostly inspired by microscopic sea creatures.  The designs in nature are spectacular.  It has been great fun.  I have a few tea pot designs in the works as well.  I decided to really step it up for this Boston show.  I want to make the best work I can, take my time, and enjoy the process.  The idea of slogging out a million pots just doesn’t appeal to me.  These are special.  I know I don’t have a whole lot of time to screw around, so I’ll just make what I can in the next few weeks and see what happens.  It is a little nerve wracking to work in such a professional arena, but I am feeling good about my work, my process, and how folks have been responding.  Thank you!

Malley's bottles and closed forms for teapots

I am also thinking about running a 6 week class starting in April.  I know I’ve been waffling on this lately, but I miss teaching.  I miss helping people figure out how to make their hands do what their brains want them to do.  If you are interested let me know.  I am only taking 4 students.  Classes will be on Wednesday evenings 6-8:30.  You can email me at hallowellclayworks@myfairpoint.net

January 19th, 2012

Happy New Year!  Just about everything is new for me right now.  I’ve been working in the studio to get ready for CraftBoston, which is at the end of March.  I am going with a lot more ‘big’ work than I’ve ever tried.  Remember the Watershed Residency coming up in June?  Well, it’s titled “Woman, Spouse, Mother; One woman doing it all” and it’s about….well, it’s different for all of us, but for me it’s about balance.  It’s about juggling EVERYTHING and being good at it.  I’ve made the decision to cut back on teaching for a little while and cut back on ‘production’ pottery.  I simply don’t have the hours in the day.  I am focusing on the things that matter the most. My kids and making pots, ok my dog and my honey fit in there too, but you know what I mean.  So The plan is to really take my time and make some super fantastic hand made pots.  To give them all my love and attention.  I want to make them count.  So here’s what I’ve been working on.

Large Tree Wall Platter 18"x18"

Wheel Thrown Vase 12" Made with Maine Clay. Unfired

Dec. 18th, 2011

Gathering clay for creating

My new Year’s resolution will be to post more about what is going on.  It’s almost Christmas and this fall has been a blur.  It’s all been very good.  I was accepted into the Maine Crafts Guild at the November show at the Maine State Museum.  I also reconnected with some of the folks at MOFGA (the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association) about doing some more products for their country store.  If you don’t know Mofga check them out at www.mofga.org  They are one of my favorite organizations.   I also had the pleasure of creating special mugs for the Natural Resource Council of Maine for their annual Polar Dip and Dash.  Save the environment and jump into icy water after a big run on December 31st, 2011.  It’s a great cause and one very close to my heart. Check them out at www.nrcm.org    Iseem to specialize in the organic, environmental movement….hmmmm.  I like that.

Since I haven’t written in a while this feels like a good excersise to recap all the good things that have happened.  I had a great clay dig outing with some amazing folks.  Thanks so much to Deb and Connor Fahy, Claudia and Noel, Rusty, and Debbie Caldwell.  It was a beautiful day along the Androscoggin River and we gathered a 1000 lbs of glacial marine clay. That helps me get through the winter until clay digging season comes around again.  It was nice to share my sacred clay space with such positive people.  I am very grateful for all of their help.

Other good things… Liz Profetty and I BOTH got into the CraftBoston Spring show!  Wow!  We are excited to show off our stuff to a new crowd.  We took the train down to the Holiday Craft Boston show last weekend to scope it out and I am pleased that my booth will work nicely and look really good.  Can’t wait to create some new work to debut!

I also applied to be a presenter at the PechaKucha at the Waterville Opera House in January and I was accepted.  They liked what I do and now I get 6 minutes of fame. 20 slides 20 seconds per slide.  Thus gives me a chance to perfect my elevator speech and present to a few hundred people.  I think I will skip the acapella version of my performance this time.  Maybe.   

I have a great opportunity to take a business workshop with Jim Lyons from Action Coaching in Falmouth.  It’s a chance to set-up an action schedule for 90 days for the business.  I am going to need some help organizing because I have alot going on.  I didn’t mention the dvd…. I am working on a dvd for digging clay and making simple forms for beginners.  It should be out this spring.  OK, I think that’s it…..  Yeah, I know, it’s a busy time, but it’s fun and I can’t imagine doing anything else. 

 

 

 

October 12, 2011

It seemed like a good time to check in. My issue today is why does it seem like I am not getting anywhere?? I know that’s not entirely true, it’s just that this is a very slow process. So where is it that I want to be? Why am I unsatisfied with where I am now? Let’s recap for a second….. I want to be working in clay full time….hmmm, I already do that… I want to show my work in good galleries….ok, I have some of those and I am working on adding more. In fact, I am meeting with Liz tonight to go over some good galleries that could potentially carry our work AND we’ll be drinking a beer while we work. That’s all good. I want to do some performance work in addition to the clay work- OK, you are working on the Day of the Dead Show to be performed at the end of this month! I want to do more clay workshops with hospice. I am currently enrolled in hospice facilitator training….. It’s all happening so what’s my problem? I have zero patience and I am trying to do too much. I think that’s it. I am living my dream, the money kind of trickles in, but it’s flowing in not out-that’s good. I am fully fed and my home is secure. There is an underlying frustration and stress that I’d like to get at. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to do all I want to do or make the money I’d like to make. I know this mindset is troubling. I will be doing a residency at Watershed next spring and the topic is One Woman, Mother, Spouse, doing it all. This topic is rich. The idea of how a woman juggles a creative career, children, and relationships is fascinating. My kids are 10 and 13. There’s alot of running around and I have joint custody with my ex. It’s still alot of work! I might have to make a list of my priorities and cut some things out, but what can I cut out? Friends? That seems crazy, but that seems to be what is happening lately. I just can’t be as social as I once was….or…I need to combine social and “networking”. At any rate, there needs to be some organization to help me manage all these aspects. Maybe I need to look at how much I take on at a time. I know that the stress is not good for any of us. Yoga has been very good for me, but even now I feel like I don’t have time for yoga and that seems counter-productive to the way I’d like to live. We are heading into holiday season and I am a little nervous about my mental health. I think the other missing piece is that I’ve been so busy promoting my work and delivering pots etc. that I don’t have my hands in the clay. The clay is really what heals me and keeps me grounded. How does one person do it all? Male or female? Is there some magic schedule that I don’t know about? I’m doing a show with the Maine Crafts Guild in November a week after my performance, AND having and Open Studio 2 weeks after that. Maybe that’s too much in addition my beautiful kids, a terrific relationship, hospice training, and the steady march of the holiday season….. Did I mention I teach classes? Hmmm. I’ve gotta think about this. Any ideas? Helpful hints?

Sept. 30th-After the fair! (the first one)

Malley Mug made with maine clay $40-

The booth

I can’t believe how time flies. I wish that I had been writing everyday because it would be so interesting to go back and relive this whole experience. I will try to write more often. I think the last time I wrote I had just gotten into the fair (The Common Ground Country Fair), which in my book is the fair of all fairs. Well the last few months, yeah months…. has been wondering HOW the heck was I going to pull this off. I had to mix all of my clay, make all the work, build a booth, move my studio, and run a whole summer program for kids, make all the MOFGA mugs, AND spend some quality time with my kids as well. All I can say is that I have some incredible friends. Everyone pitched in and somehow it all miraculously came together. Big thanks to Brian Alexander of Red Oak Construction for building that booth, Donna Colucci for showing me how to organize my calendar, Wendy Martins for help in the studio, my apprentices, Jrai Mendall, Isabella Pignattello (sp?), and Monica Gilbert, Not to forget August Hagen for all of his vibrant energy and healthy young back! Ok I sound like i won a grammy, but seriously…Mom- you rock! Wayne Ladner you are my best cheerleader and head engineer. My kids even pitched in and priced, wrapped pots, and Hazel ran my checkout station like a pro, she’s 10 years old. Thank you!!!! The best part of the weekend was all the great feedback I got from people who don’t even know me. That felt sooooo good to have people smile and enjoy my work. I am feeling very wealthy from all the love. I was also able to apply for the Maine Crafts Guild and secure a spot in their November 5-6 show at the Maine State Museum. That feels good to be approved of by such a talented group of artisans. So, all in all the fair was a huge success. I now have the booth built so it should theoretically be easier next time. I was painting and hanging lights right up to the wire this year. Phew! I need some new pics up here don’t I? OK, let’s see if I can remember how to do this….. Thanks again!
OK, pics are in. Liz Proffetty, my clay buddy and support, also had a great weekend. We’ve both applied for bigger and better shows- Craft Boston and the Smithsonian Craft Show. So we’ll see where this goes, but for now we are still potters (I thought seriously about applying for a job at Lowe’s there for a minute) and loving all the hardwork and most of all the positive feedback. We thrive on that stuff!