Ding-dong, garden bells!

My latest pottery jag is making hanging garden bells. They are fun to make—incorporating a little throwing, some big hand-built animal and round beads, and some Pacific coast driftwood. This bird bell measures 11-inches from the top of the bird to the bottom edge of the bell. It's the biggest one so far. Besides birds, other animals include a chicken, rabbit, fish and dog. 

I cleaned house!

It's hard to believe how many pieces of pottery that I have made and accumulated in this house over these past two years. Pieces that I deemed flawed, ugly or unsellable in galleries, were included in this weekend's spring pottery sale at the Potters Guild. The sale which coincides with the Toledo Botanical Garden's annual plant sale brought in a steady crowd. At first I was reluctant to participate however it was worth the effort monetarily and I got rid of a lot of excess inventory. Fifty to sixty pieces were sold at mostly bargain prices and I only brought home about 8 pieces which will now be donated to the 577 Foundation's Harrison Rally Day sale. Although I am very happy with the outcome, all in all, I still dislike peddling my pots and prefer letting the galleries do the selling for me.

Scott & I intermixed our work on these tables at this weekend's sale.

Busy April plus save the date!

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Angelwood Gallery 

celebrates spring with art for your garden and home!

Printemps 2012

Opening: Saturday, April 28, 7 to 9 p.m.

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I've been constantly busy since this seems to be the time of year "my" galleries are restocking their inventories—the museum store, Hudson and Angelwood galleries. I lost some studio time when I was in Rhode Island visiting family so in hindsight it 

was fortunate that my Florida girlfriends trip fell through due to flight cancellations.

I am debuting my wall plaques this month that I started working on this past winter. I like them and how often does that happen? I'm hoping others will too so I can keep making them. The plaques allow me to do the type of images that are similar to the linocut prints I had been making.

Angelwood has an "garden-theme" opening on Saturday, April 28. It is always the "in" place to be that evening with food, friends and a stocked gallery. All the artists' best works are usually sold that evening. On Mother's Day weekend the Toledo Potters Guild has a seconds and clearance sale that coincides with the Toledo Botanical Garden plant sale. I'm just faced with the dilemma of selling what I consider to be seconds and clearance versus not selling and just discarding those pots so no one ever sees them. I'll have to decide soon but I did volunteer to work a few time slots during the sale.

Working in the my own studio is really the best—I can keep check on the kiln firings and pots drying, work at any hour and when something should go wrong, I am the only one to blame. However it has been fun working at the guild with Scott, Stan and all the ladies (too many to name) that I've gotten to know. It's really nice to eat out with, bounce ideas and learn from the other potters. At the guild, I am using stoneware, oftentimes brown, so it keeps it out of my home studio so there's no cross-contaminating. I am experimenting with different surface techniques, using their extruder and learning to make my own glazes in their chemicals lab. Up until recently, I have only been using the costly prepared glazes. My goal is to develop a few reliable glazes that can become my "signature" colors. It will save me a lot of money and I'll be able to depend on them.

In addition to being productive in the studio, these past months I took the online course on surface techniques with Diana Fayt. Although I did not keep up with the suggested projects, I did pick up a few worthwhile tips and some techniques that I had not tried before such as mono-printing on clay. It really was a great way to have a workshop without traveling and times when I wanted. Questions were answered, feedback on posted student work was given and there was chat group on Facebook. Diana also seems to be someone whose company I would enjoy. I'd do another if offered.

I really need to get out and start working in the garden however I've been told I have an OCD and it's clay-making!

Don't Ask Us, No. 2. Remember my no. 1, a linocut print?

New toy!

New slab roller (ignore the mess in the background, it's my basement)

Have neither time (or is it patience) to write on this blog right now. However, I am enjoying my (new to me) slab roller. I was able to buy it from Maggie, a fellow potters guild member, and it is in excellent shape. I could have managed without one but it sure is nice to have it. It makes perfect slabs. I plan on doing larger handbuilt pieces and this will come
in handy.

This starts the third week of my e-course on ceramic surface techniques with Diana Fayt. I am picking up a lot of good ideas but have not been diligent about doing all the projects. Hopefully I will have more to post later after my Florida trip next week and the next wood kiln firing.

A lot of fun going on!

Cups of Fire: 2012 National Ceramic Cup Exhibition 

It's already February and so much has been keeping me busy since the start of the year. Last month I made and dropped off 18 new pieces to the museum store last month. Sales have been excellent and I am so happy to be represented there.

Last month I was officially accepted as an active member at the Toledo Potters Guild located at the Toledo Botanical Garden. I attended my first meeting and have met some very nice potters and I now get to see some old friends as well. It's as much a social club as a place to do pottery. It is my intention to try some different clay bodies and experiment with different techniques since I have access to lots of chemicals and equipment there. So far, I've made several pieces and had several lunches with friends including long-time friend, Scott. I am also able to order my clay through them so I can get the maximum large-order discount. I expect to get about 500 pounds of clay sometime next week.

Tim and I went up this past weekend to see Cups of Fire: 2012 National Ceramic Cup Exhibition at the Clay Gallery in Ann Arbor. They did a wonderful job setting up this show. I am happy to have three cups included alongside the work of some notable ceramic artists.

You might have noticed that I renamed this blog, formerly Cheryl Takata Ceramics, to Bits of clay, to differentiate it from my website which bears the same name. I also did it to distinguish this blog from my other blog, yackety-yack.

Recently I have been at the 577 Foundation making a few pots so I can participate in the student wood kiln firing that will be done in March. It is always a fun time. All these activities have not deterred me from working in my favorite space, my own studio. In fact, my newest projects are wall platters/plaques. I love making them and it is my hope others will like them as much as I do. We shall see.

New work: Running Rabbit wall plaque 

Enrolled in a ceramics e-course!

For the past year I have been following the work of a California artist, Diana Fayt. A potter friend, Ginny, got me started when she gave me an old Ceramics Monthly (June/July/August 2009) which featured Diana's work on the cover and an inside feature. She thought that I'd relate to her work and she was so right and I have often wondered about some of Diana's ceramic surface techniques.

Then potter Kristen Kieffer posted a link on Facebook to Diana's e-course offering on ceramic surfaces. It was just the professional development I was looking for—hands-on projects, work from home (no traveling), on my own schedule, instruction and feedback from someone whose work I admire. The course lasts 6 weeks and starts at the end of February. I'm not sure exactly how it all will work but it appears Diana has it pretty well organized. I'm already enrolled, have seen the suggested supply list (which I already have most items), joined the private Facebook group to interact with the class, joined the private Flickr group to share images of group's work. I'm psyched!

If others reading this are interested, please check out Diana Fayt's site: http://theclayer.typepad.com/

A good start in the new year

New pieces featuring my latest faux bois pattern.

It's mid-January and I am still making a lot of pots! The museum store requested 10 or more new pots so that was good news since the holiday buying season is now behind us. Several decent checks have come in from November and December sales and I am pleased. It is certainly an incentive to keep at it.

Membership in the Toledo Potters Guild is juried in January and this year I finally decided to apply since they had had a hold on new members for the past year or so. Fortunately I was one of the three that were chosen this week. I was juried in as an active member which means I can participate in all guild activities and sales. The Toledo Potters Guild offers workshops and studio facilities including gas, electric and
raku kilns, wheels, extruders, slab roller and glaze chemicals to members. This should come in handy for the occasional project. That and the camaraderie with other potters was the impetus for joining now.

This weekend I drop off my three cups that were juried into the Cups of Fire: National Cup Competition at the Clay Gallery in Ann Arbor. I look forward to see the other submissions however the show does not open until next month.

I just emptied my first high-fire kiln of 2012. I just love having a home pottery studio!