primalmommy on sun 22 jan 06
I may be early, but I am already in the throes of my annual
crisis-of-confidence over producing NCECA mugs.
Somehow the stuff I make the rest of the year is fine, even good -- and
if it's not stunning, it's good enough for the annual seconds sale at
the guild.
But I can't tell you how many times I have made the mugs I owe Lori
Leary and Marta-the-Hun in the past year... and then rejected them. See,
they would have to equal in thrill factor the pieces they gave me in
trade, and I just can't get there. In just over a month I will see them
again, and will want to have pots in hand.
Then there's the mug exchange in the clayart room. At the Indy NCECA I
made a tricky thing that people politely said "oooo" about, so I made a
similar thing last year. David Hendley rolled his eyes and said, "It's
the same thing you brought last year!". So now I have assigned myself
the task of making something NEW and passably good.
The fact that it doesn't have to be a mug is just further bewildering.
Too many options. And I kinda hate making mugs anyway, and don't make
them unless I have to.
Add to that the Regina Brown sale, and the stash I have learned to have
handy for clayarter swaps so I don't go home with cool pots in exchange
for a promise.
I moved one wheel into the basement, since my studio is too darn cold at
night. Even with the woodstove blazing out there, the clay is cold
enough to make my arms ache, and we pay 11.4 cents per kw/h so I don't
dare crank up the heater! It's bad enough firing the kiln. So now I do
big projects out there and small throwing down by the rumbling furnace
in the "laundry mines". Being very careful with dust -- I think the cat
litter box generates more.
Anyway, I just stopped by to whine ;0) I've been busy working on the
oh-so-dull wholesale orders and a few much more interesting custom
orders. Also, I lucked out with classes -- My 10-wheel, 10-students
guild class filled up and I ended up with 10 people on a waiting list,
so the guild let me open another class! It's great to have a whole
studio full of beginners and a second group of mostly veterans. Between
the two adult classes and my kids' class, I'm really enjoying teaching
this session. Unlike the mug situation, I really believe I am good at
it, which helps. Instand feedback helps immensely, and that's one of the
bennies of teaching. I am putting together a bag of tricks for a
workshop in the fall, so I am testing out a lot of new ideas and keeping
track of which ones are the crowd pleasers that produce a nice body of
work. Ideas always welcome.
Meanwhile we had a rare glimpse of sunlight yesterday, so I got outside
to clear some brush, check on the bees, scrabble around in the winter
garden and generally recharge my flagging spirits. I'm so glad NCECA
comes in March -- there is so little to get excited about this time of
year! Even the garden catalogs seem too distant to be very inspiring.
Yours
Kelly in Ohio
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Victoria E. Hamilton on sun 22 jan 06
Kelly -
Whoa! I got it!
It's been a generation since I've been to NCECA, and I'm throwing mugs out
of every clay I can think of. Today it was English Grolleg! So, I know I
have to s l o w down when throwing with cream cheese.
My hope is that what I create will be "acceptable" in Portland.
Yikes! I'm not usually this critical or worried any other time.
BTW, I read all your posts and many of them resonate for me with times past.
I look forward to meeting you face to face.
Vicki Hamilton
Millennia Antica Pottery
Seattle, WA
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of primalmommy
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2006 08:15
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Mug anxiety
I may be early, but I am already in the throes of my annual
crisis-of-confidence over producing NCECA mugs.
Somehow the stuff I make the rest of the year is fine, even good -- and
if it's not stunning, it's good enough for the annual seconds sale at
the guild.
But I can't tell you how many times I have made the mugs I owe Lori
Leary and Marta-the-Hun in the past year... and then rejected them. See,
they would have to equal in thrill factor the pieces they gave me in
trade, and I just can't get there. In just over a month I will see them
again, and will want to have pots in hand.
Then there's the mug exchange in the clayart room. At the Indy NCECA I
made a tricky thing that people politely said "oooo" about, so I made a
similar thing last year. David Hendley rolled his eyes and said, "It's
the same thing you brought last year!". So now I have assigned myself
the task of making something NEW and passably good.
The fact that it doesn't have to be a mug is just further bewildering.
Too many options. And I kinda hate making mugs anyway, and don't make
them unless I have to.
Add to that the Regina Brown sale, and the stash I have learned to have
handy for clayarter swaps so I don't go home with cool pots in exchange
for a promise.
I moved one wheel into the basement, since my studio is too darn cold at
night. Even with the woodstove blazing out there, the clay is cold
enough to make my arms ache, and we pay 11.4 cents per kw/h so I don't
dare crank up the heater! It's bad enough firing the kiln. So now I do
big projects out there and small throwing down by the rumbling furnace
in the "laundry mines". Being very careful with dust -- I think the cat
litter box generates more.
Anyway, I just stopped by to whine ;0) I've been busy working on the
oh-so-dull wholesale orders and a few much more interesting custom
orders. Also, I lucked out with classes -- My 10-wheel, 10-students
guild class filled up and I ended up with 10 people on a waiting list,
so the guild let me open another class! It's great to have a whole
studio full of beginners and a second group of mostly veterans. Between
the two adult classes and my kids' class, I'm really enjoying teaching
this session. Unlike the mug situation, I really believe I am good at
it, which helps. Instand feedback helps immensely, and that's one of the
bennies of teaching. I am putting together a bag of tricks for a
workshop in the fall, so I am testing out a lot of new ideas and keeping
track of which ones are the crowd pleasers that produce a nice body of
work. Ideas always welcome.
Meanwhile we had a rare glimpse of sunlight yesterday, so I got outside
to clear some brush, check on the bees, scrabble around in the winter
garden and generally recharge my flagging spirits. I'm so glad NCECA
comes in March -- there is so little to get excited about this time of
year! Even the garden catalogs seem too distant to be very inspiring.
Yours
Kelly in Ohio
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Merrie Boerner on sun 22 jan 06
Hi Kelly,
I'm looking forward to seeing you and lots of my Clayart friends !!!!!
I have a cup for you.....to add to your anxiety ;>)
Soon....very soon,
Merrie
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