The Clay Teacher Blog

Casseroles, wine coolers, fast cars and big city.

January 28, 2015Art and Motivation, Life in a small town., New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, Casserole, clay, community, Corvette, Coutts, customers, fun, Lethbridge, life, Milk River Kinsmen, Potter, pottery, small town, The Clay Teacher, video, wine cooler, workCindy Clarke

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.

AKA Mrs. Clay

Pots, Ponytails and Popeye.

January 26, 2015Art and Motivation, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingclay, Coutts, customers, fun, life, new life, pottery, The Clay Teacher, video, walking, workCindy Clarke

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.

AKA Mrs. Clay

How does it feels to be shot?

January 24, 2015Art and Motivation, Glazes, Life in a small town., New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, Bad hair day, customers, friends, fun, glaze, life, marketing, new life, pottery, The Clay Teacher, video, workCindy Clarke

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.

Standing gnome. — Sample for the students to follow.

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.

AKA Mrs. Clay

I’ve been shot.

January 24, 2015Art and Motivation, Life in a small town., New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, Coutts Public Library, customers, friends, fun, neighbours, pottery, retirement, small town, The Clay Teacher, video, workCindy Clarke

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.

AKA Mrs. Clay

The Mess on the Floor

January 19, 2015Life in a small town., New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, customers, dinner set, fun, pottery, special order, The Clay Teacher, video, workjimwillett@theclayteacher.com

Here is the latest video blog. As you can see I did some trimming yesterday. First order of business will be to clean that up! We did walk a mile this morning just to get the blood flowing.

I’ll add some more about the weekend and today’s activities later when I get home.

Cheers!

Friday Video Blog – Reclaiming Clay

January 16, 2015Art and Motivation, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, clay, community, Coutts, fun, kids, polar bears, pottery, reclaiming clay, small town, The Clay Teacher, video, workCindy Clarke

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

Now You Can See Me Everyday! (Is that a good thing?)

January 15, 2015Art and Motivation, New Video, News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, life, marketing, pottery, The Clay Teacher, video, workCindy Clarke

Hi!

We’ve decided to add a video blog to our YouTube channels showing the day to day process! Here’s day one and day two.

We’ll see how productive I am today!

Later!

Things got a little violent.

January 12, 2015Art and Motivation, Fun and Family, News, Pottery, Sculpture, ThrowingAltered clay, art, Coutts, ears, eyes., Faces, fun, pottery, sculpture, The Clay Teacher, VaseCindy Clarke

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.

Better eyes but low ears.

Sliced.... that's gotta hurt. — Sliced…. that’s gotta hurt.

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

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.

AKA Mrs. Clay

No clay and time to play.

January 11, 2015Art and Motivation, Fun and Family, Life in a small town., News, Pottery, Studio Life, Throwingart, clay, community, Coutts, customers, fun, motivation, new life, pottery, retirement, sculpture, small town, The Clay Teacher, workCindy Clarke

Last week we had planned a clay run to Medicine Hat, but the weather was so miserable we stayed home. It has been around minus 20 with a lot of wind making it a good time to stay home. I have pots I should be making, but I am almost out of clay, so I took some time to play.

Face Vase profile.

His eyes still need a little work.

I will rip his eyebrows off in the morning, I don’t like them. I will give him his pupils and add a bit more “meat” to the area. It is good to see a picture of what you are doing and get a different perspective. I don’t like his eyes, but I think the changes will help. I enjoyed playing with his face and it doesn’t matter, at this point, if I like his eyes or not. I like playing with them. It was a nice day of working with face while talking to my daughter on the phone.

Friday was the first day back for the kids class. We had a good turnout and they made some Arctic Scenes. They did a wonderful job, even the little ones. I thought we might as well celebrate the winter as we certainly have been having our share.

One little boy thought that if a few extras on the piece were nice, more had to be better. We are still working on, less is more.

I got the few pots trimmed that I made last week,

But then I had to clean all over again.

Tuesday we are planning the clay run. We have to drive to Medicine Hat, about 2 hours away. We will make it pay trip with a Costco shop, a stop at Super Store and a few more stops. After a couple of stores, I am more than ready to head back home. The longer we live in this small town, the more I prefer it to the city, even a small city like Medicine Hat or Lethbridge.

Until next time,

AKA Mrs. Clay