tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91363759230740231832011-11-27T16:32:45.978-07:00Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.comBlogger121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-20150035128985405222009-09-18T08:30:00.002-06:002009-09-18T08:44:59.395-06:00

Sometimes the less they stay the same!I was recently reminded of the whirlwind my life has become in the last few months when an article that I interviewed for was published on the Handmade News Blog. I enjoyed reading it, it was done just on the brink of some extensive changes for me. I also noted that it had been a while since I had written a blog entry, and these things seemed to occur about

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-70660384925735936282009-06-19T09:28:00.004-06:002009-06-19T09:41:04.950-06:00

Last night I attended the 13th Annual Brickyard Bash Benefit Auction and 2009 Resident Exhibition. I saw the most wonderful work - cups, mugs and teabowls for the cup auction, the fine work of artists all over the country for the silent auction, and the mind-blowing holy smokes pieces that are in the live auction.The resident work this year is spectacular as well. Some of the best work I've seen

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-38827217189475257002009-06-14T18:45:00.005-06:002009-06-14T21:05:06.231-06:00

From the last post you may remember that I've been doing a lot of reading lately, catching up from a stretch of hard labor. While catching up on my reading, I was inspired to give myself the challenge of focusing on a singular form.The form that I chose to explore is the jug form. I learned to throw this form as a cylinder first, keeping the lip and neck tightly compressed and collared then

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-51489952485416417932009-06-04T10:22:00.008-06:002009-06-04T10:54:03.725-06:00

I have been reading a lot of journals lately, and wanted to share with you a quote that I read in the May/June 09 issue of Clay Times:"I really don't think there's any artist worth mentioning who hasn't been inspired by the natural world." -Peter CallasFor some reason this has been ringing in my head. Thoughts of natural textures I use in my own work go carroming through my

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-40156703547422909152009-05-29T15:49:00.003-06:002009-05-29T16:24:03.666-06:00

I have recently been catching up on my reading. Since the end of March I had been working on a late 19th century house that had suffered some fire damage. The family was also requesting some remodelling. Needless to say, between that and my own home renovation projects, I haven't gotten much time in the studio, or time to keep up with ClayArt, or read Ceramics Monthly, PMI, ClayTimes, Studio

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-25507968383460637742009-05-17T17:39:00.005-06:002009-05-26T22:25:06.259-06:00

I participated again this year in the annual Downtown Helena Spring Art Walk. It is usually very lovely, weather-wise, as it was again this year.In the foreground here, you can see my friend Julia who has a lovely voice and sings with her bossa nova band "Rio". The trees have just started to leaf out, and our downtown is a walking mall, with these fabulous old buildings from the late 1800's.

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-22744045142146271672009-04-26T17:21:00.006-06:002009-04-28T12:39:49.642-06:00

I participated in the annual Erotic Art Show here in Helena, MT this last Saturday and had a wonderful time. I have to say, the level of art has improved immensely over the years. The slide show of erotic photography always seems to get the most attention, but the artists who are bringing their work to show are bringing some really nice pieces. There is black and white photography, oil

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-35957473108397395692009-04-05T15:15:00.004-06:002009-04-05T16:04:55.373-06:00

I was thinking about texture, color and patterns, and the artists who are inspiring to me that use these markers for their own work. I kept coming back to what I originally fell in love with in ceramics, particularly wheel-thrown functional work -- Form.When I came back to ceramics as an adult, I was fortunate enough to enroll in a summer class at the Archie Bray Foundation. I am grateful

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-33273471194163773712009-03-27T07:46:00.003-06:002009-03-27T07:59:28.597-06:00

Work that inspires me:Miranda Howe has made work that draws me like a monster magnet since I first came across her work when she first became a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation in 2004.She has a gorgeous deep blue glaze she uses on the interior of some of her cups that is just amazing.I urge, urge, urge you to look at her website: www.MirandaHowe.com and when her work is shown near you, I

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-26968112139217276272009-03-19T09:12:00.005-06:002009-03-19T09:40:50.205-06:00

Work that inspires me:I met Jennifer Allen when she taught a decal workshop in Helena, MT at the Archie Bray Foundation in 2007. The focus of the workshop was the making and application of decals - screen printed, laser printed, and commercial to various surfaces.At some point one of the participants asked her to do a throwing demo because her forms are so intriguing. After being a studio

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-3892820268288373302009-03-12T09:10:00.011-06:002009-03-12T10:22:54.840-06:00

Work that inspires me:Recently featured on the cover of the March/April 2009 "Pottery Making Illustrated" Amy Sanders' work is beautiful, functional and full of pattern and color.From the 14th Annual Strictly Functional National. Click here to see more work from that show.From the Ceramic Arts Daily website.From the American Craft Council: Baltimore Show 2007.I am attracted to Amy's color palette

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9136375923074023183.post-1188915392909440702009-03-09T11:18:00.004-06:002009-03-09T12:13:09.275-06:00

It occurred to me about a month ago that my pottery continues to be attractive to other potters, but not necessarily to the general public. I reached out to a few respected people for critiques.Now I was looking for actual critiques. Not the kind of "oh you are wonderful, don't change a thing..." critiques. People who love you give you those kind of critiques, because they don't know any better.

Zephyr Valley Potteryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15796746209131284414noreply@blogger.com1