Left Hand = Michigan

This past October, I was one of the many potters that attended the Potters Council trip to Tuscany. The attendees  included potters, clay artists, non potters, spouses and friends. My husband Brad gave up duck hunting for this trip of a life time. My travel mates represented Australia, England, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, Singapore, Israel, New Zealand, Texas, California, Georgia, Washington and Florida. Being from Michigan, I constantly pointed to my left hand to show them where I lived! This was an amazing group of people to be with for 14 days. Marcia Selsor lead the group with great expertise and knowledge.

The purpose of the trip was to study architectural elements at La Meridiana, International Ceramic school with guest instructor Marcia Selsor. Also, owner and potter Pietro Maddalena introduced us to Buchchero or “Black” firing process during the second week of the trip.

We stayed in Florence for three nights in a convent that hosts travelers in a beautiful and safe setting. Our room was on the second floor (8 flights of steps) without a personal bathroom. But there were plenty of rest rooms available when needed. It was a great experience, who needed a bathroom, I was in Italy!

The first morning we walked to the Bargello Museum through the beautiful streets, taking in all the sites and snapping wonderful photographs. We arrived in the Palazzo near the Duomo, and as I was in the middle of the  square I realized that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. I can’t describe the feeling but as I turned I saw 18′ sculptures everywhere by Michelangelo, Donatello, and della Robbia. I was overcome with a flood of emotions. To my surprise tears ran down my cheeks. I had instant recall from all of my art history classes so many years ago. Watching over 100 slides a class, yup it paid off! This set the tone for a very meaningful, and emotional trip of a life time. As I was wiping the tears away, Marcia leans over and says “I want to stand next to you when we San Vitale.”

Pistoia, Piza, Faenza and Ravenna all held beautiful sights, history, museums, artist studios, great food, wine and the best beer ever. I took 100′s of photographs and used 10 batteries capturing the beauty of each minute. Pizza is probably one of my most favorites so I ate whole pies every day I could. Brad, not fond of any Italian food was lucky to find ham and cheese sandwiches and some great gelato. We were sitting in a small cafe, eating when tears appeared again and Brad asked “What’s wrong?” All I could say was “I’m eating pizza in Italy!” It just doesn’t get any better than that.

La Meridiana is where dreams come true in clay. So many wonderful instructors, workshops, demos, and pottery from awesome potters. I learned so many things and have brought back so many ideas to keep me going.

This trip has made a huge impact on my life. Wonderful friends, stories, adventures that I will continue to post about in the future. I know I will return to Florence and La Meridiana within the next couple of years. If I play my cards right, I hope to move there and stay a very long time.

In front of the Duomo - Florence

This year Red Mudd Studio will featuring 12 artists along with yours truly. There will be pottery, jewelery, baskets, photography, paintings, fiber and much more. The sale is November 19 & 20 with lots of free parking, hot apple cider, goodies and some wine and beer.

I just returned from Italy and it was a blast. Took over 1,000 photographs so I will have a CD going so everyone can see.  You can currently see a few of them of facebook and the Red Mudd Studio facebook site. BIG NEWS! When I was in Ravenna, I took a clay impression of the architecture at Basilica di San Giovanni Evangelista, a church first built in the year 425. These tiles will be for sale along with an information card explaining the details.

Last we had 400 guests, help me make my goal of 401, please bring a friend. We have grown this show for five years and each year it keeps getting better. I have a waiting list of artists so next year we are expanding!

In Over My Head

I excel at procrastination, it is my best feature. It’s at the top of my resume and is my finest quality. I have several weeks to prepare for the Holiday Pottery Sale at Red Mudd Studio on November 19/20. I set a goal of 320 pieces. Does the small stuff count like Michigan tiles and wine bottle charms? I made 85 stinking charms in one afternoon. I am behind the eight ball on these bread and butter items. I’m lucky enough to have two wine shops purchase them wholesale to sell in their lovely little shops gracing the pretty reds and whites! Normally I have a shoe box full of the Michigan tiles. Do you think I can complete? It doesn’t help when I drop a box of pottery onto another box of pottery and break 14 at a time. So every day it seems like a become a Michigan tile making machine and hammer out about 16 at a whack. I’m just not seeing the end results with each kiln load producing a handful at a time. What’s up with that?

The More Than Mud exhibit was a smashing success! I’ve sold many of the never been seen before wall pieces which is very exciting. There will be a lot of these new pieces up in my studio before the big Holiday sale. Stop by my studio anytime if you can’t make it to Studio 1219 before October 2nd.

Most of you know what I am  talking about, when I mention “The X-Stitch Girls.” This group of 11 women has being getting together once a week for the past 23 years. It first started out as a class I taught through Adult Education at our local college. It grew and moved on to a home where we would gather and stitch. Decades later, not too much stitching but a lot of laughing and slamming!

Tonight we experienced “Cowboy Candy” dip, “Tim Tam Slams” and found out one of the girls is “equipped.” Looks like we were priming the pump because tomorrow several of us will be traveling to Partridge Creek for a day of shopping, eating and more laughing.

We travel often on little jaunts to areas in the state of Michigan we find interesting. We have a yearly trip to Sommerset Mall during November for some heavy duty shopping. Three girls and their spouses will be traveling to Italy in October and I will be going to Italy week later to study pottery at La Meridiana. During the summer months one gal hosts “Happy Hour” every Friday evening for drinks, dinner and dip in the pool.

You get the picture. These women have done countless acts of kindness and would give up their left kidney if asked at a drop of a hat. Count your blessings and your friends. I am truly blessed to be in this league of women. Their support and friendship means everything to me.

Please note the brand new refrigerator in photograph behind Ann. Rose was a trooper as she hosted the month of September without a refrigerator!

Ann slam!

TimTamSlam!

The “More Than Mud” exhibit at Studio 1219 will feature Jason Stier, John Henry and myself. The show runs from August 16 to October 2, 2011. The Opening Reception for “More Than Mud” is August 19 from 6-9 pm. Studio 1219 is located in downtown Port Huron.

The pieces on exhibit will feature my new “Loft Art” series which captures textures and layers that resemble the noise of our lives. Some of the industrial pieces have been fired four to six times. Firings range from oxidation, reduction, Raku and pit firing.

You will be surprised with the range and the mixed media of the work. I have reached back to my college days and started to paint canvas using oil pastels, watercolors and chalks. Interesting fibers, ceramic disgards and a little bit of “junk” are incorporated into these pieces. Experiments with low fire glazes, stains and metallics create a unique body of work.

I hope you can join me at the Opening Reception on August 19 from 6 – 9 pm. All guests will receive a tiny treasure while supplies last.

Visit the Dirty Girls of Clay on the Thumb Artists Studio Tour June 18, 2011 from 10 am – 5 pm To see all of the artists visit www.thumbstudiotour.com. For your very own Dirty Girls T-shirt for $12, send me an email at: contact@redmuddstudio.com

Visit the Dirty Girls of Clay on the Thumb Artists Studio Tour June 18, 2011 from 10 am to 5 pm. I will be a guest artist at Laurie Conger’s Studio in Port Austin, Michigan. Many great artists will be a part of the tour, go to www.thumbstudiotour.com for more info.

The artsy fartsy t-shirts are only $12 each! A splash of purple on vegetable dyed goldenrod tees are available in all sizes. For all of the details, email me at contact@redmuddstudio.com.

This wave has been no anklebuster but just a steady stream of wet spray! I am truly blessed and grateful for all of the wonderful things that have happen to me since September 2010. It’s been one heck of a wave I’ve been riding, kinda like a tidal wave. I would prefer smooth sailing with all of the opportunities that have come my way. Each day the phone rings and I get to do something new, bigger and better than the day before. No complaints here.

Today I discovered why I have struggled in the studio since January 2011. No water and being sick in bed for 15 days have not helped me get my work done. I always manage to distract myself with something other that is more fun to do rather than producing the body of work I need to sell at my shows this summer. I have avoided the wheel like it’s the plague. I should say, I’ve avoided the  wheel to do functional pieces. I’ve played on the wheel to make fun things and I have produced a nice line of work that was submitted for the Detroit Institute of Arts and for my upcoming show I have in August at Studio 1219.

I’ve decided I don’t like making functional anyone. There, I’ve said it. But in reality I have to sell functional to keep making the fun stuff. This summer customers might notice a change in my tent. One side will be limited functional pieces and the other side will be my “Need to Create Side” just for fun. I hope you all will enjoy the new work and the familiar pieces with a few twists.

Maybe as this wave keeps me focused, the new adventures will bring it closer to cowabunga!

The Girls

The Plate It Up exhibit was a huge hit! All of the plates were auctioned off with the proceeds going to the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. This wonderful non profit helps artists if they have a fire or flood and will purchase new equipment and materials for the artist.

The big news! The Mary Lou Zeek Gallery which hosted the exhibit has now put the collection into a book. Looks like I’m published! I am so proud to be a part of the show and hope the new owner of my plate enjoys it.

Went to the Detroit Institute of Arts yesterday to see the “Fakes, Forgeries and Mysteries” exhibit with friends. When you exit out of the exhibit you enter a smaller gallery/gift shop with Michigan artists work. I brought in five more wall pieces for the show. My good friend Cathy Martinek walked up to a couple looking at my work and said “Would you like to meet the Artist?” I had a wonderful conversation with Pam and Jim Lepping from Livonia, MI. They had purchased three of my pieces and were back this weekend for more! They are redoing their bathroom and my work is now in a place of honor. I guess this means my work is in private collections – go figure. I’m so happy to be able to do what I love and meet the people who enjoy my work. Since September 2010 my world has been incredible. Selling very well at my holiday pottery sale, receiving the “Outstanding Business of the Year” from the St. Clair Chamber, my work is represented at the DIA, and my work is in State Senator Phil Pavlov’s office. It just keeps getting better and better.