My gardens are growing!

I've never had a garden in a yard.  Most of my houseplants die. I even over water air plants. I never seem to mix the powder that keeps bouquets fresh in a way that makes them last..... but my painted flowers don't need dirt, water, or any other help to stay colourful.  I'm pretty pleased with them!

Plan to stop by the Mountainside, Spring 2016, Pottery Show and Sale

The room is set up and 30 plus potters are awaiting your arrival.  There are many new Potters' Guild of NJ member showing this Spring, so it's a selection like you've never seen, even if you come every time.  We're looking forward to seeing our old friends and meeting new ones, so come on out!

Remember - Mothers' Day is a mere week away, Fathers' day is only a little later, and there's nothing wrong with buying that special something for yourself.  Plus, pottery doesn't get old or outdated, so you can hang on to that perfect piece until Christmas (if you have real will power!)

PGNJ Spring Mountainside Show
Community Presbyterian Church
1459 Deer Path, Mountainside, NJ
Saturday,April 30, 2016 (11 AM to 5 PM)
Sunday, May 1, 2016 (Noon to 5 PM)

Official flyer for Mountainside

The Reveal

I realize as I look through the pottery pictures I've posted that I have teased with a few shots of unfinished work. Perhaps it's time for a reveal of the results of those firings.  Here's a small sample of what will be available at the Mountainside show:

Inventory Day

I bet most folks don't really know what goes on behind the scenes in preparation for a pottery show.  Sure there's the making: throwing, drying, painting, bisquing, glazing, firing each and every piece.  Then there's the loss in all that - this show I've lost 4 large bowls that I was really counting on to fill in space on my display - they shattered while I was working on them, broke during glazing, the glazing failed.... and all you can do about it is sigh and think "well, it's just mud".

But today I completed the most despised of all the tasks - the dreaded inventory.  Yes, in order to participate in a multi-potter show, one must provide an inventory for the accounting team.  and that means laying everything out, deciding what pieces are similar in effort and size for  "fair" pricing. Then the really big decision: what price tag am I going to put on this?  The thoughts that swirl make one dizzy: What would I pay? How much work is in this? What other costs went into it? Is there really any profit for me or will I only break even?  How will this compare to the prices others are going to charge?  How will my work measure up to the other work in the room? What will a customer pay?

Sometimes the last question I ask is" Is it worth all of this hassle?  It must be, since I can't seem to stop.  I need to sell so that I have room for more. So, today I spent over 6 hours sorting, pricing, compiling and finally I am finished.  Everything is packed and ready to go to Mountainside for the Potters' Guild of NJ spring show and sale.  It's always a good one, and just in time for Mothers' and Fathers' day.  Remember: everything tastes better when eaten from pottery.  And when there are 40 potters on hand, you know you'll find the right thing for yourself and every gift on your list.

Mountainside Show - coming up April 30, 2016

The month before any show is always interesting, in that "holy cow, what do I have to offer?" way.  To that end I am trying out painting without the hard edges.  I can't wait to see how this one finally comes out.  Diameter of 10 inches and depth of 4 inches, before the firing, so maybe 9" by 3.5" when it's all done.  I think I'm heading for a vintage fabric look - like an old tablecloth or dish towel, but right now, in my imagination, I'm loving this.

Always Learning (or Old Dogs)

Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks?  I took a crash course in tile making last year and turned the doodles from the margins of meeting notes into fun tiles for ornaments and pencile holders.  It's always a fun challenge to learn the basics and keep them in mind when a sticky problem comes up and you're trying to create something that has taken shape in your head, but you can't quite figure out how to bring it to fruition.

It must be Spring!

Alright, the calendar may not agree with me quite yet.  But, based on the last kiln load, we can expect the flowers to show up any day now.  I'm expanding my garden to include some new favourites.  Stay tuned, I think I saw some other buds coming out!

Scatterbrain Rattles

It's already time for getting inventory ready for the 2016 Spring Mountainside Show and I'm working on a few new items that make me smile.  Rattles that fit in my hand - the perfect thing for fiddling at my desk during an annoying phone call...