busy workshop around here lately
I’ll be at Sundog starting today. Please stop by and say hi!
technical tuesday: freezing temperatures
So I’ve always known to “never let your clay freeze”. It was just one of those things you were told and you followed without question. I know, it’s water expansion…don’t do it. Well I didn’t question what exactly would happen, that is up until the other day when I was in a need to know situation regarding exactly what was going to happen to all of the supplies in my studio as the temperature started to dip. Was everything at risk – glazes, slips, underglazes, mixed china paints?
You see since moving this past summer we have yet to install any heat into my new studio space. Yeah duh I knew winter was coming, we just hadn’t figured out how we were going to separate the double car garage/studio space into two separate work spaces. One for clay, the other for building custom bikes. So I know, I know, procrastinating is never the answer. But we did, and then this happened….
Pretty maybe, but with the crunch of pre-holiday sales looming it was frankly not invited. My studio temperature crashed, even with the kiln firing. And one night I went to go out only to see that the temperature was this…
That’s Celsius folks. And bloody cold. Needless to say I had to wear a different uniform to work that day:
And as you can see my water pail was forming a layer of ice already.
So the rest of the night was spent moving leather hard work and pails and boxes of clay into the basement and out of harm’s way. But the entire time I wondered to myself what exactly was going to happen to all of my supplies if I hadn’t gotten to them on time. What would have been salvageable and what would have been a goner?
So today I share some links with you that I found useful and I share the hope that you find yourself in much more pleasant climates in your own studio spaces : )
http://www.dogwoodceramics.com/misc/freeze-warnings-for-slips-clay-and-glazes.htm
http://www.highwaterclays.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/feature.display/feature_id/93
And on a happier note I did have some nice results in the kiln lately. Just in time for the upcoming sales. I’m finding myself having more fun with the functional stuff lately. Feeling inspired, but at the same time looking forward to the sale season to be over and done with so that I can sink my teeth into some figurative sculpture pieces I’ve had bouncing around my head for a while now. More on that in the new year…
Forage round up (a long overdue post)
It’s been a
while now that I’ve been intending to fill you in on a pretty amazing event I
was involved with late this summer. I’m sure I mentioned Forage {a gathering of ideas & makers} at some point, but my
intention all along was to actually share some of the knowledge and experience
that I gained at the symposium with you all.
while now that I’ve been intending to fill you in on a pretty amazing event I
was involved with late this summer. I’m sure I mentioned Forage {a gathering of ideas & makers} at some point, but my
intention all along was to actually share some of the knowledge and experience
that I gained at the symposium with you all.
But where to
begin? Forage itself was an
interesting project to be involved with from it’s infantile stages. I believe
it was Kari Woo and Mariko McCrae that got the ball rolling in the beginning
inspired by the ALT Design Summit that brought together a range of bloggers and cultural producers
for a get together to share knowledge and build community. I basically was a tag along in the brainstorming process of how, what, and
where we could create a similar event. Ideas with those two incredible women
don’t take long to turn into reality and soon enough there were lists of
possible participants, locations, topics to be covered and the like floating
back and forth through emails and google docs. A few other great minds like Cathy Terepocki, Lia Tajcnar and Bianca Gignac joined the brainstorm and once the excitement started to
build there was no turning back in our minds. This had to happen.
begin? Forage itself was an
interesting project to be involved with from it’s infantile stages. I believe
it was Kari Woo and Mariko McCrae that got the ball rolling in the beginning
inspired by the ALT Design Summit that brought together a range of bloggers and cultural producers
for a get together to share knowledge and build community. I basically was a tag along in the brainstorming process of how, what, and
where we could create a similar event. Ideas with those two incredible women
don’t take long to turn into reality and soon enough there were lists of
possible participants, locations, topics to be covered and the like floating
back and forth through emails and google docs. A few other great minds like Cathy Terepocki, Lia Tajcnar and Bianca Gignac joined the brainstorm and once the excitement started to
build there was no turning back in our minds. This had to happen.
What was it
exactly? Well the idea was to bring together a group of cultural producers,
artists, designers, photographers, small business owners, bloggers, writers, art
historians and the like for three days worth of keynote speeches, panel
discussions and show and tell all related to basically anything to do with
independent artistic production and small business. There was a lot to cover,
but with the invite list of participants and attendees growing steadily there
was plenty of talent to pool from to cover such topics as:
exactly? Well the idea was to bring together a group of cultural producers,
artists, designers, photographers, small business owners, bloggers, writers, art
historians and the like for three days worth of keynote speeches, panel
discussions and show and tell all related to basically anything to do with
independent artistic production and small business. There was a lot to cover,
but with the invite list of participants and attendees growing steadily there
was plenty of talent to pool from to cover such topics as:
Growing our Brands
The Professional Practice of Blogging
Seeking the Love; How to find your Audience.
A Curious Cocktail: Mixing Art, Life and Business.
Opening and Running a shop. Brick & Mortar versus Online.
Show me the money: Grants and Other Creative Sources of Funding.
Does
Diversifying = Diversion?
Diversifying = Diversion?
Building a Team:
In Partnership we Trust.
In Partnership we Trust.
There was a
lot of meat to sink out teeth into; a range of topics that would appeal to many
was the idea. And in the end I think that the symposium was incredibly
successful as a inaugural event that was pulled together online and mainly
thanks to the tireless work of Mariko and Brian McCrae from Feedlot Studios.
lot of meat to sink out teeth into; a range of topics that would appeal to many
was the idea. And in the end I think that the symposium was incredibly
successful as a inaugural event that was pulled together online and mainly
thanks to the tireless work of Mariko and Brian McCrae from Feedlot Studios.
FeedlotStudios, the home and workspace of ceramic artist extraordinaire -Mariko MacCrae, on
Gabriola Island just off of Vancouver Island,
was an idyllic getaway location that served as a perfect environment of quiet
and focus for the event. This also meant that the attendees were part of a
small intimate group of about forty due to space restraints. This in the end
encouraged a more relaxed environment for exchange. Panel discussions had the
feel of a cup of tea between friends as attendees as well presenters all had relevant
contributions to the discourses.
Gabriola Island just off of Vancouver Island,
was an idyllic getaway location that served as a perfect environment of quiet
and focus for the event. This also meant that the attendees were part of a
small intimate group of about forty due to space restraints. This in the end
encouraged a more relaxed environment for exchange. Panel discussions had the
feel of a cup of tea between friends as attendees as well presenters all had relevant
contributions to the discourses.
But okay,
enough of that right? Your wondering what it was that we actually talked about.
Well that will be hard to sum up without being verbose. But allow me an
attempt.
enough of that right? Your wondering what it was that we actually talked about.
Well that will be hard to sum up without being verbose. But allow me an
attempt.
Bianca
Gignac really set the tone for the three days with her Keynote on Growing your
brand by walking us through how she went from an idea to a sustainable income
generating online travel based business. She was motivational in her
discussions of the challenges and process. Business from this point on seemed
to be a focus for most of the presenters.
Gignac really set the tone for the three days with her Keynote on Growing your
brand by walking us through how she went from an idea to a sustainable income
generating online travel based business. She was motivational in her
discussions of the challenges and process. Business from this point on seemed
to be a focus for most of the presenters.
Myself I was
there to speak to social media initiatives and how to balance life, art and
family. The space I’m at currently in my career being a bit of a staled work in
progress since the birth of my second son meant that I was there less to talk
about a successful business plan but rather how to stay creative, motivated,
visible and engaged in a community even when daily life takes over.
there to speak to social media initiatives and how to balance life, art and
family. The space I’m at currently in my career being a bit of a staled work in
progress since the birth of my second son meant that I was there less to talk
about a successful business plan but rather how to stay creative, motivated,
visible and engaged in a community even when daily life takes over.
I gleaned a
lot from the business practices of others. I marveled at the dedication and perseverance needed to get the job done. Independent artists are some of the
hardest working people I know. They are creative minds, object producers,
accountants, researchers, marketing agents, international shippers, bloggers,
critics, teachers, volunteers, parents and good friends all in the course of a
day. For me I realized that I needed to walk away from the expectation I had on
myself that while my children were young I could realistically make sculptural
work, design functional objects, blog, teach, get my work out there and still
have time for dinner and bedtime stories at the end of the day. Same as there
are a million models of how to run your business, there are also an equal
amount of consideration that needs to go into all the decisions and
realistically sometimes you are not in the right time and place in your life to
do the things you want or need to do. I walked away with insight for building a
five and ten year plan. I now have a better sense of what I can do in the
meantime while my children grow that will still nurture my creative projects long
term.
lot from the business practices of others. I marveled at the dedication and perseverance needed to get the job done. Independent artists are some of the
hardest working people I know. They are creative minds, object producers,
accountants, researchers, marketing agents, international shippers, bloggers,
critics, teachers, volunteers, parents and good friends all in the course of a
day. For me I realized that I needed to walk away from the expectation I had on
myself that while my children were young I could realistically make sculptural
work, design functional objects, blog, teach, get my work out there and still
have time for dinner and bedtime stories at the end of the day. Same as there
are a million models of how to run your business, there are also an equal
amount of consideration that needs to go into all the decisions and
realistically sometimes you are not in the right time and place in your life to
do the things you want or need to do. I walked away with insight for building a
five and ten year plan. I now have a better sense of what I can do in the
meantime while my children grow that will still nurture my creative projects long
term.
But are
these tangible things I could write out in a list for you to follow? I wish.
these tangible things I could write out in a list for you to follow? I wish.
Some of the presenters had built their business to the point where they were at capacity; where for further growth dramatic shifts towards industry, partnerships, and employees has to be considered. Would my artistic practice ever get to that stage? Would I want it to? Not sure if I’m the type to hand over any sort of control. And I questioned for me if that would inherently change the mandate and philosophy of my work. Mandates and philosophies can shift over the years, grow and be edited. So I guess I have to think about what the core values I (and subsequently) my work stand for.
One of the key ideas that was tossed about was about the creation of a personal story. The idea of building and selling a brand makes what we do seem very commercial, but it is a relevant discourse. To put the tone of a personal story behind the creation of a brand; the idea that you’re selling yourself, your story, a humanity and connection through the objects you make, can be beneficial to success. How do we convey through images, text, artist statements, blogs, and social media marketing tools the nature of our work, the values that are instilled, a desire for the consumer to covet our work, our story, our desire for the creation of handmade objects?
I was really inspired to hear personal stories of how different artists have gone about this. There were many examples of crafters that I’ve long admired and to gain insight into the inter-workings of their success was inspiring. I think the general feeling most of us left with was that anything truly is possible and that community could play a big part of our individual success. Mariko ended the event with a great talk about the different collaborations and initiatives that Feedlot Studios has taken on in the past few years. She was notably gracious in her thanks to that many members of the community that have been a part of her story. I think we all felt very similar that we owed a great deal of thanks to others, that collaborations small and large (with individuals and industry) could be of benefit, and that none of us work in a void.
There were inspiring people everywhere, a serene environment to relax, inspirational work to surround ourselves with. I doubt there was anyone not in agreement that a similar event would have to be organized for next year and each subsequent year after. There are simply too many topics to cover, too many ideas to share, to many stories to tell. I personally will be active in my interest and involvement for this type of event in some way shape or form to happen again. Canada is a wealth of creative minds and this should be celebrated and showcased.
One other treat of the symposium was to hear Julia Krueger speak of her own studio practice as well as her tireless work in areas of curating, research and writing. She is a craft historian extraordinaire and we as crafters are so lucky to have such passionate people around. She will be instrumental in the writing of a Canadian Craft History, I’m sure of it. She is already well on her way. Just check out the guest post she contributed on musing shortly after the symposium.
So I am entirely grateful to all the wonderful people that contributed to this event. I’m sure this is only a base from which to grow and build community. A sincere thanks must also be given to the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Without their financial support I wouldn’t have been able to attend this event. They have been amazing in their support of my practice over the years and I am thankful yet again for their support of my practice and the arts and crafts in Saskatchewan and Canada.
A very VERY good day…
Well it’s not often in my life that I get the rockstar treatment by being flown across the country for an awards ceremony, so I savored every moment. The Canadian Clay and Glass sure does put on an amazing show. I was beyond honored to be shortlisted for the Winifred Shantz Award, and to top it off an extra special treat was to have the keynote speaker be none other than Jack Sures, a Canadian Ceramic treasure, and one of my very first ceramics professors. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he is a huge part of the reason I am doing what I’m doing today. It was fantastic to have sometime to enjoy his retrospective exhibition at the gallery, a must see if it tours anywhere near your hometown.
This little piece of mine was up in the gallery when I got there! (yeah!)
And here I am with the incredibly talented Eliza Au who took home the top prize.
Many Congrats Eliza!
All in all not too shabby a day. I meet some lovely people, soaked in some wonderfully encouraging words about my work and had a full 24 hrs of quiet away from the family which was enough quiet to fill my mind with newly inspired ideas for some new pieces…
A huge thanks to everyone at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery for all their dedicated hard work and support of Canadian Ceramics. Beautiful gallery, amazing staff, wonderful experience. And thanks to everyone who sent me such lovely words of encouragement over the last few weeks. Your support and kind words mean the world to me. Cheers!
You know where i’ll be next weds….
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