spare time?

well yes time for other things does exist! as i have reminded myself this past month or so, on hiatus from my chilly, damp studio...
finally finished the quilt i started for N's birthday (which was in, well, november...). i like to quilt, or i like the idea of quilting, but don't do it often. was fraught with sewing machine woes, the snapping of many needles, and the extra time it takes to try and make it work with what material is at hand rather than head to fabricland for that final 2 metres... many old pajamas and shirts and scrip scraps went into this quilt... really freed up some storage space!
here's the finished product! snuggly! and really cozies up N's room.

oh the simple stencil

ever held a fabulous piece of pottery & thought how the heck did they do that?
well my approach for my regular work is fairly simple: slip & stencil.
slip being a liquid coloured clay that i mix up from a top secret recipe.
stencil being a basic mylar shape that i cut out. why mylar? so i can wash it off & use it again. a HUGE step up from when i first started using stencils & cut each one out from newspaper. paper works great but isn't reusable & thus very inefficient for any kind of "production"...
so i thought i'd share a bit of my basic process with some photos in case anyone is interested.











start with a leather hard piece, here a dipper bowl
























wet the stencil & adhere to the surface.
sometimes the stencil will lift in places & slip with go underneath, ruining your nice clear lines & making some work to clean the lines up.












poor slip over stencil (or dip piece into slip).
let it set up until it's no longer shiny












pull the stencil off & voila!

giveaway on mayamade

tomorrow, nov. 28th, the lovely Maya of maya*made is hosting a giveaway of one of my new knitting vases & a couple of dipper bowls. I've really been enjoying getting to know Maya, and her site is great, so check it out!
here's a sneak peek of the vase that will be on her site tomorrow:

studio tour

well everyone likes to have a little peek around in someone's studio, that's why studio tours are so much fun! so here's a little look inside & out of the studio space i spend so much time in....










this is the front of the quanset hut that the studio is built into. my sweetie's studio is also in there, as well as large open workspace and storage above. and home to a few mice and haven for evilina, our resident feral cat...











here is some of the inside space, with my studio door.










it's not very large or very glamorus, my well used studio. home built with shipping pallets, and scavenged wood...it serves the purpose, but i do dream of a more spacious, insulated, airy light space....
this is looking staright ahead from the door.










and this is looking to the left. and that's it! (remember how i said it's not very big? about 10 x 15 ft)











work in progress....












here's a quick look inside my sweetie's studio/jam space, where he was painting with our wee one. and she was jumping on bubble wrap, giggling.












this is another angle of the inside space as you are walking out.










here is the sign just outside the gallery garden, a sweetly welded piece from a woman in parksville. i traded her some bowls. great deal!











my sorely neglected gallery garden. the pathway is quickly being overcome by wild strawberries and plantain. seems when i have time to garden it's usually frantic digging/planting/weeding/watering/harvesting in the veggie garden. really must give this space some more love.











here's the little gallery space. this little building was my dad's darkroom for years, and housed in the quanset hut, where my studio is now. some friends helped PUSH it outside (it was on caster wheels) and get it onto the skids i built outside. then we (a and myself) slapped a roof on it & punched in a window & voila.










and here's a view in the gallery.











and lastly the building that houses my artistic benefactors, my parents. without the cheap rent they grant me (not to mention childcare, cookies, cups of tea, and watering the garden) i would be making pinch pots on a corner somewhere. yes, the house is round, made of metal, & it turns!

thanks for taking a look & feel welcome to come by the real studio!

Upcoming show, new work

If you happen to be in Nanaimo, or know anyone thereabouts, please drop-in on this show, should be some great work!

Stencil Madness X 4
4 artists, 2 stencils let's see what happens...

Tanya Streeter-Wilson - textiles
Grant Leier - paintings
Katherine Moore - glass
Faro Sullivan (Dirty Girl Clayworks) - ceramics

Join us Saturday September 25 4:30 to 7:30 for a little party. If you can't make it then the show will run for three more weeks -unless the work is all bought up! In addition to the lotus and bird stencils that all four artists are using there will be more of our work depicting our favourite stencilled imagery such as dragonflies, crows, swallows, hummingbirds, herons, trees, bikes, bunnies and more.

--
Artzi Stuff
309 B Wesley Street
Old City Quarter
Nanaimo BC
250-716-8989
www.artzistuff.jimdo.com
Join the Artzi Stuff Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Nanaimo-BC/Artzi-Stuff

*****************************************

as part of the show i have been working on some new ideas using trays for cup sets. here is the four lotus tumbler set with tray that i made (excuse the very average photographs done on the floor and in front of my studio door, quickly as N was napping, but you get the idea). I also made a couple of tea for two sets, but they are still cooling in the kiln. these pieces have ben really fun to make. think i will keep making time when time allows, like after the xmas rush. am just skipping along to keep up with things these days. yikes! i have enjoyed making more of the framed platters as well & am pondering the effect of pairing the textures with the stenciled imagery. see how far that can be pushed. and am dreaming up some more intricate stencils (am drooling over a book of japanese stencil designs...).



























oh yeah. also wanted to mention that i will have a virtual table during october on poppytalk handmade (with new work!) and a sponsor spot from october-december on maya*made
exciting stuff! and will post when it's all up and running.

a little colour

well you remember the first framed platter pieces i made? I have the second generation, these with some colour! it's pale, i know, but I am easing into it (and the photos are a little washed out). Tried a few different sources or texture and have since made some texture rollers which i used on the third generation (not yet fired). amasing how hard it is to squeeze in a little experimentation here and there! but i already started working on xmas orders, so i guess i know what's in store for the next few months...


bike love. with tread.








pig for fun. with different tread.









two trees. yes, with cedar.
not very original, i know.






let me know what you think!

art in the next generation

Well this blog is not meant to be about proud mom posts, but i have been thinking about art and kids a lot lately and so couldn't resist this photo of my daughter showing off one of her paintings (ahem, rather "mixed media" pieces), which she hung in a local kids art show.

some days it seems so hard to find time or desire for any art, and some times it is the most important thing (don't you just love it when the first your toddler asks at 7 am is "can i do some painting" or "can i make some clay"?). How to strike the balance with all the other great things to fit into a day (like riding bikes, cooking, reading, swinging, swimming, playing, gymnastics, napping, running, jumping, singing, dancing, hide&seek, sorting buttons, giggling, climbing, telling stories, looking for animals, watching boats, kayaking, picking berries, gardening....sigh).

as parents who are artists, we try to consciously bring art into every day life. sometimes that simply means having art on the walls (which my sweetie regularly rotates around the house to keep things fresh, and to see how long it takes me top notice). sometimes that means painting, gluing, sewing, sculpting, cutting, experimenting, getting messy inside outside & all around the house. it makes one think about how to talk about art, what to do with it, why we make it, how it shapes us all from the very start. I'm not trying to mould N into an artist, but do hope she has an appreciation for it as she grows.

on pondering why i've taken to reading blogs, one great reason is how many fabulous craft & art ideas i get from other parents out there. so many people sharing their great artistic ventures & processes. i am thankful for that. and while there are many many great sites out there, one good compendium is the crafty crow.