Category Archives: Art and Motivation

There are no mistakes.

When glazing, I often dip one glaze over another to get the results I want. Some turn out beautifully and become main studio glaze and others, not so good. I have had anything from swamp scum brown, to burn scar pink/yellow, to simply running off the pot and destroying shelves. Much like Christmas morning, you are never really sure of what you will get when combining glazes.

I had my last Tuesday night Clay Class a few weeks ago. It has been a busy time, and keep in mind I am so unorganized. I was running fairly fast for me. I had the trade show looming, pot orders to get out and working at the Post Office. When I set up the studio for glazing, grabbed the wrong bucket for the ladies to dip first and then second to get my Moonshadow glaze.

This is the glaze I thought I was setting up for.
This is the glaze I thought I was setting up for.

It’s a small studio, 600 square feet. I use  32 gallon garbage cans for glaze buckets and I had out six large buckets and three, 5 gallon pails for glazing. There are 7 ladies in the class all glazing at once. In the mix, I put the wrong bucket out. All the ladies used it thinking they were getting Moonshadow. The glazing class is fun and a little crazy.

We all love the way it breaks.
We all love the way it breaks.

 

 

 

It

 

 

 

It wasn’t until the next day, I discovered that we used the wrong bucket. All the ladies that wanted Moonshadow had glazed it wrong. I had no idea what the glaze would be. I had a good idea it would be in brown family, but what brown? Swamp scum brown, snot green? I was fairly sure it wouldn’t run off the pot, both glazes were the same base so they would work together, but to do what? I told the ladies it was wrong and asked if they wanted to come back, wash it all off and reglaze. In my mind I was saying ” no, no no” I had no time for another class. As it turned out, neither did they. They/ we decided to let it go and see what we would get…..what could happen…… What happened was beautiful. I am so happy to add “Sage Brush” to my line of glazes.

Sage Brush glaze in a sage brush.
Sage Brush glaze in a sage brush.

This is the first text I did. We took it out and put in a sage brush, just for fun. You can see where it got its name.

Then I applied it to more pots to get a better idea, and it is a keeper!

 

Mugs for hot and cold beverages.
Mugs for hot and cold beverages.
I like the way it breaks on the texture.
I like the way it breaks on the texture.
Inside and outside on a bowl.
Inside and outside on a bowl.

 

There are no mistakes. I thought I really goofed up and ruined everything. This is the result. It’s my new glaze, Sage Brush. It is the colour of the local sage brush.  I would like to say that have been working all this time to formulate a glaze that represents the area and our new home…..

I guess I could say that….. Yeah… that’s it…..The new glaze is the result of two years of study and represents where we live and the impact the local environment has on my work………Yeah…..

 

 

Give me a bit more time and I will work that into an artist statement. ……Maybe not.

 

Until next time.

Cindy

 

Aging 101.

My Mom had her 101st birthday last week. Mother was 45 when I was born and have been watching aging first hand for a long time. She is in an extended care home, confined to a wheel chair and hasn’t walked in years. Mom suffers from dementia and lives a in half  of a hospital like room with another lady that is not as infirm, but everyone there is there for a reason. Spending the last four days visiting Mom, others in the home and the staff, Lesson #1 in Aging 101, is that aging is not for wimps.

Lesson #2 be happy. Make whatever choices you have to make to ensure that you have a life that makes you happy. Happy where it counts, in the pit in of your stomach where all the true answers are. Don’t make choices motivated by fear, money, comfort, what others think, or any other reason. Make choices  you honestly think that are best for you. Not easy to do, but as we learned in Lesson #1, aging is not for wimps.

Lesson #3, Work, it is imperative to healthy and happy aging. It keeps our sense of self worth and ego. Wake up everyday with a purpose. If you don’t have one, get one. Make lists that are far to long to finish in one day. Doesn’t have to be a “job” in the traditional sense, but work. Find a way to keep your body and mind moving and fit. It’s easy to slide into a slow and lazy life, again, we can apply Lesson #1 here.

Lesson #4, Don’t take life personally. That often is a tough one.

Lesson #5, Don’t life too seriously, no one ever gets out alive.

Lesson#6, Make your own lesson plan.

It was an interesting week, seeing my Mother and sisters. Mother is 101 and us sisters are not getting any younger either. As I have watched Mom age, if have watched us girls getting older too. We have all aged very differently and our lives have few  similarities. I have two sisters and they have the responsibility of Mom and I only get down there when I can.  It was good to get together, but at the same time, it was an education in aging. Aging 101.

Happy Birthday Mom
Happy Birthday Mom

I found this video after I posted, but just had to add it! It made me happy to do so.

Until next time,

Cindy

 

 

 

AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

Cindy-Lou, Cindy-Lee and more videos.

Coutts AB is a village of about 250 people. Last week a customer wanted to mail me a cheque to pay for a bowl and she asked for my address. I sent her the address, but what I didn’t tell her was that she could just send it to ” Pottery Cindy, Coutts AB” and I would get it. There are only two Cindy’s living in Coutts. I am Cindy-Lee and the other is Cindy-Lou. We are both friends with the lady in the Post Office and Tracey, the post office lady,  would know which one is Pottery Cindy.  If for some reason Cindy-Lou got mail for Cindy-Lee, she would walk over to my house and give it me. There are only about 15 streets and avenues in total in Coutts, so walking all the way across town to deliver a letter is not a problem. Being new town, everyone knows where the new people live.

We have been busy in the studio making pots and making videos. Here are the next two episodes in the saga of Studio Life in Coutts.

 

 

 

Winter has returned. Last week we were out walking in our shirtsleeves and this morning I woke to -18C with a nasty wind. Dang….. I am looking forward to spring. I am hoping for a cloudy start to the day tomorrow and that little smelly groundhog does not see his shadow. Fingers crossed! No more winter.

Until next time.

My signature

 

 

 

 

AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

Casseroles, wine coolers, fast cars and big city.

The video blog is so much easier and quicker than writing a blog. When I write the blog, I will write, and then go back and read, change a few things, and then think about it a bit more and maybe do a rewrite.  It can take me long time to get to the point where I hit “Publish”. The video blog is completely off the cuff. After I am done, I often forget what I have said. It is fun, fast and then finished.

Here is Episode 9.

Yesterday we were in Lethbridge selling raffle tickets for a shiny red Corvette. It is a local fund raiser organized by the Milk River Kinsmen Club. Towns that participate get a portion of the money the car raises. Coutts will use their share for community events. We like to do our part.

For more videos, please check out The Clay Teacher on YouTube.

Until next time.

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AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

Sunrise in Coutts, blue and pink.

Pots, Ponytails and Popeye.

Today  was a beautiful day. The sunrise has moved along the horizon so can see it again from my living-room window. This morning I watched the sun come up on a day that warmed up to fourteen glorious degrees Celsius, or about 60 Fahrenheit.  We live in Coutts, as far south in Alberta as you can get ad still be in Alberta. However it is  Alberta and it is January,  and temps in the teens is wonderful gift.  I left the studio early this afternoon so Jim and could go for a walk. A walk without cold, wind, ice, coats, hat or a scarf. Just a lovely walk in the warm sun in our shirtsleeves. It felt good to be out and about.

This morning we shot the next in our blog series, Episode Nine, and how to throw a casserole. Yesterday we shot Episode Eight.

Until next time.

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AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

 

How does it feels to be shot?

We have been creating videos and them putting up on YouTube for a few years. It is a little odd and uncomfortable to see yourself up there. Over the years I have gained, lost  and gained weight, aged and have gotten better at speaking. I have often said that I am much taller, thinner and younger than I am in real life.  This next venture or adventure is exciting. Recording my day to day life in the studio will be something that I, if no one else, will find fun to follow. To be able to look back a week, month or in time, years, and see what I was making and how I made it, will be, again, for me at least, interesting. To be able see how much work I do, or don’t do. We will include town people, friends, and anyone else who will let us aim a camera at them and talk. The interview with Sharon the Librarian was only the start.

How does it feel to be shot? I guess the best word I can think of is flattering. I am always sensitive to how I look, not being tall, thin or young, but we get new subscribers daily. People must like what we are doing and what I have to say. We all want to be liked. “They” seem to like the videos. It feels good to be shot.

Here is Episode 7.

Friday afternoon the kids came and we made Garden Gnomes. It’s not quite spring  or gardening time, but we will be ready with Gnomes when it is.

They made wonderful gnomes! It was a fun afternoon.

It was a good weekend. Winter left with temperatures in the teens and high winds to blow all the snow away. I am glad to see it go. I am sure it will be back, but tomorrow is to be another day of temps in the teens. I will enjoy the warm days while they are here.

Until next time.

My signature

 

 

 

 

AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

 

I’ve been shot.

Jim posted the first few videos we shot and I have let a few days slip by and I a few videos behind. Here are episodes 5 and 6. Please keep in mind, I am much taller, slimmer and younger than I am in real life.

 

For more information about the library, here is a link. We have episode 7 waiting in the wings. I will post that soon with pictures of the gnomes the kids made Friday afternoon.

Until next time.

My signature

 

 

 

AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher

 

 

 

 

Friday Video Blog – Reclaiming Clay

It’s Friday which is kid’s day at the studio. Wow were they wound up today! After a couple of weeks of cold weather it has warmed up a bit and they all found a new well of enthusiasm to tap. We made polar bears and I’ll add some pictures later. Here is today’s video blog which shows a little bit about reclaiming clay.

Hope you are finding these interesting! The next one will be Sunday.
Bye for Now

Things got a little violent.

Yesterday I was playing with a face vase and I didn’t like his eyes. Today I ripped off his eyebrows and rearranged his brow bones.  I then added some ears, but  they looked too low.  I sliced off his ears and put them back on a little higher.

Front view of Face Vase
Front view of Face Vase

 

Better eyes but low ears.

 

Better eyes but low ears.

Slicing
Slicing
Sliced.... that's gotta hurt.
Sliced…. that’s gotta hurt.
After slicing and reattached.
After slicing and reattached.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had fun playing with the vase, but I am not sure you can really tell the difference in the higher or lower ears.

Ears a little higher.
Ears a little higher.

 

 

 

 

We are going to Medicine Hat for clay tomorrow. Work is picking up and I won’t have a lot of time for funny faces, ripping off eyebrows or slicing off ears.  But it is fun when I do.

 

Until next time.

My signature

 

 

 

AKA Mrs. Clay

Old Blog

Out of the Fire Studio

The Clay Teacher