I had a wonderful time in Lander giving the Potter’s of the Wind River (POWR)  a workshop.  It was a two day workshop last weekend.  Lander is about four hours from Cheyenne.  And it is the home of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School).  When you arrive in Lander you notice something is a little different there, for a Wyoming town of almost 7,000 people.  It’s not your average conservative Wyoming town.  Because of NOLS Lander looks like and acts like it is a small Boulder, Colorado.  The people either are super athletic outdoorsy type or ranchers.  It is a very interesting mix. 

I really love Lander, especially after this last visit.  All 15 spots filled in the workshop, and most of the people were experienced potters.  The pressure was on I had show them something new.  Thank Goodness I had a few tricks that no one had seen, such as my love of decorating with office supplies. 

I started off showing everyone my glazing techniques, and my love of office supplies.  We spent the day glazing and did a quick fire that night, so everyone could see the results the next morning.  I did everything backwards for this workshop.  We glazed the first day and then made things the second day, I figured I do everything backwards this just made sense to me. 

Here I’m showing everyone my deep dark secret.  Garage sale dots and a paper punch. 

Here are pictures of everyone working away. 

Some of the stuff that came out of the kiln.

The second day of the workshop building stuff with slabs, and getting your aggressions out. 

Thanks to Deborah Britt and all her hard work getting me to Lander, I got to have a great time meeting new people, hang out and talk a ton about ceramics.

I have a few interviews that are waiting to be published.  Because of our recent computer problems I wasn’t able to get them out.  I even lost one when my hard drive crashed.  (Sorry Paul!)  But I think everything is resolved now!!  I hope.  Look for interviews from Paul Barchilon, Shelia Hrasky, Melody Ellis, Bebe Alexander, and Lisa Pedolsky.

Two posts in one night.  I’m trying to catch up with everything that has been going on. 

I am very excited to be the featured artist on Art Palaver this week.   If you don’t know the Art Palaver blog it is about helping artists sell art by offering resources to help you better market and promote yourself and your art.  The blog has some great advice and artist features.

It’s been a crazy and fun week.  I’m trying to catch up on some blogging.  And we are still having computer problems.  I’ll be glad when they are all resolved. 

Last week Michael Wisner came to Cheyenne to give a workshop.  He makes absolutely beautiful ceramics.  I meet him years ago, Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass.  His workshop was a two day intensive workshop about Mata Ortiz pottery and Michael’s contemporary southwestern pottery techniques. 

    Here he is showing us how to use bisque molds to coil build in the Juan Quezada – Mata Ortiz style. 

Michael makes his patterns from hack saw blades that have been shaped into a pattern.  Of course Michael makes it looks so easy.  I can tell you from experience, there is nothing easy about making this pattern.  When I brought my pot home, my husband’s comment was, “Yours doesn’t quite look like Michaels.”  If you notice here, my coil pot is not pictured here. 

Michael makes his own brushes from hair.  The brushes he makes draws incredible lines.  In this picture he is cutting some hair from the back fo her neck.  I didn’t realize I would be getting a new hair cut in this workshop.  ha ha.

The second day we fired our peices.  We rakued them in the eletric kiln which was super exicting.  Here are some pictures of me lifting the lid, while the kiln is at 1500 degrees.  A pyromaniacs dream!!

It was a great workshop.  If you ever have the opportunity to take a workshop from Michael, I know you’ll learn tons and have a wonderful time.

I was asked to make some salt and pepper shakers recently.  Someone asked why I never made salt and pepper shakers with the amber, green yellow combination.  Well, the answer is I’ve never thought to.  I think I was afraid that the green and amber glaze would run.  I love this combo in bowls.  Here are my experiments in that glaze combo on salt and pepper shakers. 

Also, I took these pics.  What do you think?  How do the images look?  What do you suggest for the next around of images.  I would appreciate all the help I can get.

Thanks

Connie

This has been a tough computer week.  We have three computers and all three decided not to work.  One is in the shop, this one I’m using went to the fix it place, the very nice man fixed it on the spot, and the last one the wireless isn’t working.  Since school is out I don’t have that computer to use.  I went to school in hopes of using my computer, but it was already bagged and tagged.  Any my room was completely torn apart for cleaning. 

These two posts show the majority of my DIA (Denver International Airport) commission.  I left out 15 bowls.  The biggest vessel(the first one shown) is going to Denver’s Mayor Hickenlooper, and the others and the bowls are going to Denver’s City Council, and some other people  sometime in July.  I was told that everything is on display in the DIA offices.  I hope to make it to Denver before July to see Wesley Anderegg and Jen Allen’s shows, and hopefully my stuff at DIA.   If you want to see the entire DIA commission click here  and here to see the ones that went to Japan.

These pics are my work.  I know I have a lot of hot spots, but I don’t know how to get rid of them with shinny glazes.  (Suggestions Please!!)  Please tell me what you think….  

Last Monday, Memorial Day I drove down to Denver to deliver some work to Plinth Gallery.  This Friday (June 4) is the opening of Jen Allen’s show (see her interview below) and the third anniversary of the gallery.  For the festivities Jonathan Kaplan, Plinth’s owner asked if I would bring a few pieces down for the celebration.  I’m delighted to have work as part of the birthday, and thrilled to be having a show at Plinth in the fall of 2011!!!

Here is Jonathan in the back room of the gallery with my work.  If you’re following the interviews Jonathan was interviewed on my blog in February.  If you missed his interview click here.

Saturday was a big delivery day, Laura from DIA (Denver International Airport) met me at Plinth to pick up the rest of the commission.  It felt really good to get it finished and delivered.  It was a lot of late nights making pots for them.  (I will post images of the pots in the next post.)  They will be on display in the offices of DIA, until they are given to Mayor Hickenlooper and the Denver City Council in July.  I’ve been told that they will send pictures of the event.  I’ll post them on the blog when I get them.

Another view of the back room of the gallery and Jonathan.  I love the built in shelving for the mugs and cups, a potter’s dream.  Plinth is the only gallery dedicated solely to ceramics in the Denver and Front Range region of Colorado.  It is  located in the River North Art District (Rino), which is Denver’s new and fast growing art area.

A view of a very small part of Hayne Bayless’  show and work, and the front of gallery.  Also a few pots made by Lisa Pedolsky, who is going to have an interview on the blog soon.

I wanted to get more pictures of the gallery, but these guys were waiting soooooo patiently to go to the Denver Zoo.  I was rushed with the pictures.   We had a great day at the zoo, with my friend Sherry and her kids.  It was so fun to watch the kids discover the animals.  And I got to use my new found knowledge of exotic animals, from my extensive studies of  Go Diego Go, The Wonder Pets, and Dora the Explorer.

Cheers!!

Here is the family with our new drinking ware .  (Vander had to have a little help with his cheers.)  We are  taking them out for our first drive.  The tumbler in my hand is made by Brooke Noble.  It is sporting a beautiful woodpecker.  On the other side, it says “PECKER”, which just cracks me up.  The pottery pilsner is made by Jim Gottuso of Sofia’s Dad’s Pots.  The other side of it has a hand imprinted on to it, for better gripping power, after a few.  And last cup is a Diego cup of Go Diego Go fame.  Brooke’s tumbler followed me home from NCECA, Jim’s pilsner came to us via the mail from Jim’s Esty shop, and Van picked out his Diego cup from the Tar – zhary boutique.  As I opened the box that had Jim’s cup, I found a cute little surprise from Jim’s assistant, the amazing Sofia (aka “the bug”), she slipped in a little tile that she made.

I just found out that my work was accepted to 500 Vases by Lark books.  I’m very excited about the whole deal.  I’ve been lucky enough to be published in a couple of magazines, but this is will be my first time to be published in a book.  It has been such a long time since I applied, I had thought of it once or twice and assumed I had been rejected and never received the rejection letter.  The juror is Julia Galloway.  The book will be out in bookstores this coming fall.  Here are the pieces that got accepted. 

I’ve donated this bowl to Anderson Ranch Art Center for their 30^th Annual Art Auction to held on Saturday August 14.  More than 200 works of art will be auctioned live and silently.  My bowl is one of the silent ones.  I thrilled to be in the same show as Cindy Sherman, Damien Hirst, and Adam Fuss.  (Can I say that?  Even those these guys are in the live auction and I’m in the silent auction, that I’m in a show with them?)  You can preview the works starting August 3, in the galleries there at AR.  ….Soooo, if you are in Snowmass, Colorado stop in and see some amazing artwork.   

The money raised goes toward the educational programs at the Ranch.  If you haven’t been to Anderson Ranch is well worth your time and money.  I love it there.  I’ve taken many workshops and taught a few kids workshops there.  The Ranch has been so generous to me, and given me many scholarships, and I’ve learned so much there.  I’m so pleased that I can give back to them. 

I have also donated a small bowl to The Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center to their fund raising event, Sensational Small Stuff Invitational, April 15-April 23.   The Nic’s show all works have to be approximately 5” x 7”.  It’s a fun show and always great to see what gets donated.  Auction night is April 23, make your way over to Casper, Wyoming and buy some Sensational Small Stuff.