Sawmill Pottery Workshop & Show

I currently have a show in conjunction with the workshop I taught at Sawmill Pottery in Putnam CT, July 7 & 8. The show runs through the end of the month, so there's still time to catch it if you're in the neighborhood. It's a great little studio run by some lovely people. Monthly shows open during the "First Friday" event in town and the artist gives a talk about the work. It's quite a lively scene, with live music and a lot of the local businesses participating. The weekend workshop was a lot of fun. We focused on plate and platter forms from molds and I introduced a lot of new surface techniques to try.

They did a great job of displaying my work

Dot Burnworth, founder

 

 

This weekend is Somerville Open Studios weekend in the Ville! About 400 artists will be participating this year- more than ever! The weather is going to be ok- not good enough for sunbathing, but perfect to stroll around and see some great art. You can preview locations and artwork on the SOS web site. 

The studios will all be open  
Saturday and Sunday from 12-6, with some of us participating in a  
Friday Night Preview from 6-9pm. Jade Moran next door and I will be open and serving refreshments, so stop by for some wine and cheese in your travels!

artTile 2012

I just shipped my tiles to Ohio for the artTile 2012 show at indigenous in Cincinnati. Thirty-five artists send over 1000 tiles- wish I could be there to see them all. Makes me want to quit making everything else, I love tiles!

Craft Boston 2012

I'm glazing like mad to have work ready for Craft Boston in a couple weeks!

Continuing with my Homegrown series- bees, blossoms, beans- I've been experimenting with a new technique, oxide transfer, that allows me to make a decal of my own  drawings and apply it on top of the glaze. I love the color, a rich brown, and slightly scratchy texture of the line quality.

I'll have an octopus platter or two from the Coast of Maine, maybe even a sample from my next series, Domestic Arts.

The show is at the Seaport World Trade Center on Boston's Waterfront, March 23-25. Print out a postcard (On the right sidebar) for a discount at the door. Hope to see you there!

Back to Work, 2012!

Bee & Blossom Yunomi

My Yunomis have gone to AKAR, and the holidays have passed. I've had some time to mull over my next body of work and figure out where I'm going next. I've also been trying to work on my website and archive some of my best work from the past. I've created a portfolio of Tool Tiles that  that I made for an installation at The Society of Arts and Crafts a few years ago. My new assistant Meryl and I are making many more tiles than I could alone and I think I'm going to have to revisit this theme!

TOOL TILE- Hand Saw 4 x 8

Holiday Open House

The weather is making it seem like there is plenty of time for holiday shopping, but  it's already December! Erin and I are getting ready for the annual Holiday Open House at the Highland Ave studio. We plan to start early on Saturday, so stop by on your way back from the Winter Farmer's Market at the Armory. We plan to have coffee and tasty goodies from our new favorite cafe across the way, 3 Little Figs, so stop by and say hi, get in the holiday spirit and see our new work. If you can't make it to the shop I'm adding new items to my Etsy store every day!

birdies get ready!

Terrariums - Terraria?

Which is correct? Both, I think. I've been doing some product development for my family business, Achla Designs, which mainly manufactures garden products- outdoor furniture, arbors, trellises and a lot of ornaments and things for feeding and attracting wild birds. We also have a line of items inspired by Early American traditional items found at Colonial Williamsburg. These include glass cloches or bell jars, which were used in colonial times to protect delicate plants from cold and drought. Organic Gardening magazine recently did a feature that describes their use. 

planted with peperomia, two types of moss and tiny toadstools

I thought the bell jars would make great terrariums so I made some ceramic bases and planted up a few. I used a combination of plants I ordered, some bought locally at Pemberton, and some moss from my backyard. I'd like to try some orchids. These are not the production prototypes- those will be introduced in the new year- just an experiment, but I really think they are fun. I included a Pre-Colombian mushroom god figure and some painted wooden rabbits from Oaxaca, Mexico.

without the lid- croton, rabbit foot fern, mosses and oaxacan bunnies!

creeping charlie, rabbit foot fern, mosses with mushroom god icon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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So many possibilities to create miniature garden scenes! I plan to have some in the shop for the December Open House.