What I do on vacation :)

I am finally finished a commission for a Monopoly board. It was specifically created for a couple's 50th wedding anniversary. Each square is a specific celebration of their lives together. It was so much fun to create, but after three 12 hr days of continuous painting I am really glad it is finished. Here is the final result:























This past week I've been on vacation. I finished the monopoly board and made molds of a dinnerware set. I'm pretty pumped about it. So excited in fact that I cast them too early before the molds dried completely, and so I'm waiting on the casts SLOWLY come out of the molds. :) I worked on some bowls also and today I hope to finally finish a teapot I've been making.
I've felt self motivated and my desire to go to grad school has grown exponentially. I still want to stay in Savannah for another year or two to continue to build a portfolio (that will hopefully get me into a great ceramics program) and achieve a few other goals. It has felt so good to be in my studio and create. I hope that one day I get the opportunity to be a full time artist, but for the time being, the little vacations like these are really good for the soul.

Studio tour and working with Terra Sig

I have officially moved back into my studio at my house. There are so many benefits to having a personal studio. I realized last night how much I enjoy working in my backyard. My wheel faces the door, so I can see squirrels and birds frolicking about in the trees and grass when I throw. The studio is not without its cons, like it doubles as a garage, I don't have running water or air conditioning, and the electricity is limited to a standard outlet. Fortunately, I have enough power to run the essentials: wheel, heat gun, fan, and stereo. :) Here are some images of my space. It is quite small, but it causes me to be more efficient. I only wish that I had my kiln hooked up so I wouldn't have to transport my work, but I currently don't need it (or the bill) because I can use SCADs.

Images: (starting top left) view of studio from my backyard, my studio upon entry, looking to the left, looking to the right, view from my wheel, and my friendly new pet Raul who was not harmed by my fan :D

Current projects: I am working on a complex teapot that I would like to submit to a juried show (deadline quickly approaching in May!), but I'm still considering how to finish it. We'll see if it will make it in time or not. Also, I am working on a Monopoly board made out of clay. I am kinda exciting about it, because I don't drift out of my functional mode often. The board is for a 50 year wedding anniversary. Apparently it's a new trend, because a friend of mine was commissioned to do one as well. It's kind of bizarre, but it's a project that pays. :) As well as all of these projects, I'm still trying to keep my gallery stocked. I'm working on some tumblers. I have also been using my terra sig and having fun burnishing on them. Here they are: