the morning after

I started to write a post two days ago but was so beside myself with joy that I just couldn't focus. One minute it was tears, the next minute the hairs on the back of my neck would be standing, and then there were the gleeful tourette like squeals that would escape from my mouth at random moments. I haven't worried too much about what people think. I see that many people around me are experiencing the very same thing. You all know what I am talking about...It begins with an O.
(and we all like things that begin with an O!)

And just look at all the smiles on your faces!

If you want to see some celebratory pottery happiness just
press this button.

Now I can focus again!
It felt so good to get back in the studio yesterday and work until my legs ached from standing all day. I am cooking up some new things for my upcoming Studio Sale on December 6th. I'll post more information about it as the date gets closer but mark it on your calendars not to miss it.

Oh and speaking of calendars...I have been getting many emails inquiring whether there is a 2009 calendar and I am sad to say there is not. I got so darned busy with all my back to back shows that I just couldn't pull it off. It's good to take a break and who knows maybe I'll make up something special and limited edition at the last minute.
If I do you'll be the first to know.

Now it's time to get to work!

moment...um

I am not sure why but for some reason I have lost my blogging mojo.
I think it is a little like exercise, when you do it regularly you feel great, all glowy and fit but as soon as you get out of your routine, it's harder to get back to it. Ironically while I have been away from blogging I finally got back into my running regime...and you'd be proud of me, I ran seven and a half miles on Sunday but my poor blog isn't getting any mileage from me is it...It's just sitting in cyberspace, eating sweets and getting more lethargic by the minute. It's not that I haven't been working in the studio either, quite the contrary. I have had so many deadlines this summer that I never got a break. In fact I feel like I am ready for summer to begin now and the thought of autumn and winter coming up makes me feel uneasy. I am not ready for sweaters and hats yet. And Christmas, please, don't even mention it! The good news is that I have so many wonderful things happening right now and coming up well into 2009. In fact I am pretty booked with shows through 2009...Some really exciting ones that I am already scheming for.


But enough of me moaning about my atrophied blogging muscles! I want to give a shout out to my friend Ayumi Horie, who just had an interview published in American Craft Magazine. All you aspiring and not so aspiring potters should give it read. Ayumi lets you in on some of the things 'they' never told you in Art School about making a living from your work.
I guarantee, you will be inspired.

Also my show at Warm Springs Gallery opened on Saturday. Most of the work seen in these photos (plus some things not in the photos) are available here.
Here is a link to my fickr photo set of all the work that is in the show. If you are interested in any of the pieces please make your inquiries directly to the gallery.

OH and just one more thing, then I'll promise to stop bugging you.

Have a look here.

Okay, that's all I am going to say for now.

Other than that,
I've missed you all terribly!
And thanks for not forgetting about me.

P.S Thank you Etsy!

making a mark

canteen vase

Today I sat in on a workshop given by Nancy Selvin at Heath Ceramics.
I've had the privilege on a number of occasions to hear Nancy speak...I think the first time was back in 1991 when I was an art student at the California College of Arts (and Crafts). But that was not the first time I had set my eyes on her work. No, it was a handful of years before, I think in 1987, when I took my first ceramics course I happened upon a postcard with an image of one of her pieces. It had her trademark delicate markings, loose but with intent. It was obvious to me even then, when I was a complete novice, that this was a person who had a mastery of a medium I did not know much about. I was impressed and inspired by what I saw. I wanted to make work like that. It was a remote dream, it seemed impossible to me, especially when I was churning out heavy bottomed, gloppy glazed ash trays from my pottery class.

Early this morning as I drove towards Sausalito across the Golden Gate Bridge, with its familiar cloak of fog wrapped around its towers, , I began to think about my own journey as a ceramist. It hit me what a great influence Nancy has been on me. I never had thought about it in concrete terms like that before. I also realized just how far I had come in my own journey as a ceramic artist. From that very first class i took, fantasizing that maybe, just maybe, someday I would make beautiful work like Nancy. Well not like Nancy, like my own but you know what I mean. I realized that I now give workshops like Nancy at wonderful places like Heath. And then with a little more thought it occurred to me... I have done it! Of course I still have long way to go, and so much to learn, we are really never there, but I have found my own place with this crazy medium.
Best of all I am still in love with it.

During the class I decided to tell Nancy the influence she has had on me and to thank her for her dedication to what she does. Seeing women like her, committed to doing what they love and doing it well is really the best kind of example anyone can give.

Nancy asked us to introduce ourselves at the beginning of the class.
You know the usual, your name and what you do.
When it was my turn I said;
Hi, my name is Diana Fayt and I am a full time Ceramic Artist.


Thank you Nancy!

dinner party

the bird & the dogwood
three piece place setting
2008

I don't know if you remember but back in January I mentioned I was invited by Santa Fe Clay to participate in the La Mesa show at this years NCECA conference. The exhibit features place settings from over one hundred and fifty nationally known ceramic artists. For those of you not in the know the NCECA conference is the place to be if you are a true clay geek. The conference hosts talks, demonstrations and exhibits on all things ceramic. Bet some of you didn't even know such a thing existed!? All the fancy pants clay folks and the who's who attend the conference. It is the place to be if clay is your thing. I've heard many a story about this event...it's all *dirty*
talk of course. It is shameful to admit but I have never been to one. It seems I am always at the opposite end of the country of where it is being held but one of these days I will go in person. This year it will have to be enough to have this place setting go instead of me.

***


Thank You Santa Fe Clay!

a little help from my friends

12"x10" oval platter with swallow and red poppy

I had a recent house (& studio) guest stay with me this past week. I thought it would be fun to mix it up with the photographs and add a new "live" element and Wilfredo kindly obliged. He even dawned his lovely stripey sweater for the photo shoot. I do think he might of been bit disappointed that the above platter was not filled with doggy kibble.

The platter along with many other new items will be going off Swallow Gallery in Brooklyn.

Happy weekend friends!

minty, pale & golden

medium deep bowls in mint, lotus and straw

So its been a while since I have actually shown anything ceramic, hasn't it? The last couple of months the work was flying out of the kiln and straight into boxes and was being shipped off to far away places before I even had time to get to know my own creations. My children left without as much as letting me button their coats. Luckily they went off to warm and safe homes where they are loved and very appreciated. The above three went to a new store that just opened up in Napa Valley, called Fete. I scrambled to get the work finished in time for their store opening and there was a moment when I did not think it would happen. Luckily the fates (no pun intended) were with me and I had a number of pieces for the store that I was quite proud of. It was a nice contrast to the sense of constant disappointment that I felt I was creating by not having things to the stores when I promised. In the end I got most things done with the exception of one special order that I am on the third round of remaking because the plates keep peeling. So what is a girl to do? I did my best. I worked hard. Really hard. Besides there is January. Sweet slow sleepy January. I am using this time to catch up on all the things that did not get done before the holidays but at a more reasonable pace. Thank god for January!

4th & clay is here to stay

Hello Friends,

If you are in the area please be sure to stop by this weekend and give us a visit. We will be open Saturday and Sunday from 11a.m until 6:00 p.m.

There are so many wonderful things to behold (and to have)!

like this...

Work by Josie Jurczenia

and this...

Work by Rae Dunn

and this...

Work by Diana Fayt

we had an unexpected guest Artist visit us this past weekend and he left us with this...

thanks Mel!

This Friday is our grand opening party from 7 until 10p.m.
Come on by and help us celebrate the opening of this fabulous new gallery!

sculpture in front by John Schnick

See you there!

rooster research

large platter 17"x17" (this piece is unfired at the moment) with salt & pepper cellars as a chess board. These items will be available from my show FOLKLORE at the Candystore
November 8th through December 7th

It has been interesting thinking about folkloric traditions and imagery and how I might reinterpret them with my own visual vocabulary. Having come from a culture where the "old world" still very much exists (Hungary) these motifs have always been a part of my everyday life...As some might say "normal". My family immigrated to the United States in 1956 from Hungary, escaping the Russian occupation. I also lived in Hungary when I was nineteen (in 1983-1984) and in the early part of this century I worked with a ceramics factory in the south of Hungary in a town called Hodmezovasarhely (translated it means the the town on the beaver plane, which if it were in the United States be called...Beaverton). The opportunity to work with the factory came via a fabulous woman named Maggie whose company, Synergy Designs, worked with the factory in Hungary producing table top and decorative ceramics. Maggie took me under her wing without ever having any design experience other than my own studio work and my Hungarian heritage and together we created a line of ceramics that was produced under my name for her company. (Synergy Designs is no longer in business and the line was discontinued in 2002). It was at this time I had the most amazing opportunity to get an up front view of my own heritage's ceramic tradition. I have to admit at the time, the whole "folksy" motif did not really do it for me. Never the less, I am never one to disregard things completely just because it is not my "thing". I can always find something to appreciate. I was able to see the hand painters working on traditional designs and I spent a lot of time looking at the factories private collection of traditional Hungarian ceramics. I saw more rooster motifs than I care to admit. Though I was not aware of it then something was quietly brewing in my psyche and poof out it comes now, seven years later, in these new pieces that I am creating for my upcoming show.

get in line

I wanted to pop in and show you that I am still up to ceramic no good...This little grouping is a commission that I just finished for some very lovely people in Washington State. The couple whom I made these plates for have a farm and wanted twelve salad plates that represented the farm so I did a series of fruits, flowers and branches for them. They have put together a table setting of mix and match work from various Ceramic Artists. I love this idea! For me it is like I will be sitting down in the company of the guests at their table AND also amongst peers and fellow Artists as well.

I am starting to prepare my new studio space for my big move. I have to admit that it has been difficult for me to focus on work while at my studio with my impending move. I keep catching myself daydreaming about where I will put my tables, should I or shouldn't I paint the shelves white, etc. Joy of all joy's I will finally have a large wall to hang work and put up my little bits of inspiration. I have been crammed into a very small amount of space for a number of years now. I have made the best of it but lately I have been spilling out everywhere so the extra space all to myself is not only necessary but super exciting as well. I'm gonna make it nice and organized and pretty too!

Off to work now...Happy day all!

ready, set ...go

three canteen vases
(for sale this weekend at the ACGA sale)

The calmness of this image is deceiving. I am using it on purpose to psyche myself out into believing I am calm. I am calm, actually, though a bit overwhelmed with all the little stuff that needs to get done for this weekends sale. Craft sales are like playing "store" for a weekend. Imagine starting up a brick and mortar business from scratch for just two days. That means, build the building, make all the stock for the shelves, make the shelves, set up all the business stuff, make sure you have all the bags and packing, price everything, set it up and then clean up, make yourself look pretty and become a shop keeper and be pleasant to everyone who walks through your door (even the not so nice ones) for two days straight, then tear it all down and pack it all up. Then go home and flop on your bed in exhaustion. It is a little intense but you get a kind of rush from it all. Momentum, it is all about momentum. I have to run now, have a building to build and a shop to set up! I will think about looking pretty tomorrow. Please come on by to the ACGA sale this weekend if you are in the area. I would love to meet you if I haven't already and if we have met then lets catch up!

more, more, more

I am feeling a little badly these days...Have I been neglecting you? I have been kind of absent lately, haven't I ? The reason being I have been so busy making way too much work for the upcoming ACGA show on July 7th & 8th. I have this vision of piles of bowls, plates, platters and large groupings of vases. Everything stacked sky high and clustered together! I think my vision will be realized but it makes me a bad blogger for it.

The moon is starting to get full and I am in one of those wild eyed moods and my brain is on fire. I have been also obsessively been thinking about my upcoming show, that will be in November, at the Candy Store here in San Francisco. That may seem like a long time away, god forbid thinking about November in lovely June...but that is the way it is with this slow and tedious medium, we have to think way ahead of the game. I am kinda crawling out of my skin with my ideas for the show. Suffice to say it will be thematic with some color restrictions except for red! I'll keep you posted on its development as the time comes closer. Speaking of the Candy Store, my friend Annie Galvin is having a show there of 100 of her paintings and the opening is tonight from six until nine. Rumor has it margarita's will be served (we love rumors, don't we, especially when they are about margaritas!)

Also my very dear friend, confidant and most admired ceramic artist and business woman, Laura Zindel, will be my next guest blogger! You will want to check back for her post, she will be covering a topic which I think everyone will find very interesting. Plus we get to see some of Laura's gorgeous work as well. Oh and I can't leave out one more opening that you should definitely check out if you are in the area. My very good friend and partner in crime and crazy adventures, Jeanne Lorenz (think the two of us riding to Death Valley on her 1976 Honda 450 back when we were Art School students in 1992), is having a show at Bucheon Gallery which opens tomorrow, Friday June 29th. Jeanne is an amazing painter and the show is sure to be a good one. Hope to see you there!

closer to hand

I am so excited to introduce this weeks guest blogger to you!
::
Back in December
Renee wrote to me asking me what I call the dreaded question..."What is your process?" I wrote back, trying to gently couch the usual response I give to people who ask me to give missives of my process via email (I don't even teach workshops on my process...sad but true, I am a hoarder this way). Which is, thanks for writing, but sorry, I'm not gonna tell you. I hate doing this but as much as I believe in sharing I don't believe in sharing everything. I try to be nice, give a little something in return without giving away my secrets but never the less I know it pisses people off.

Renee, did not respond right away to my answer of "no". Then about a week later she did...She was honest in telling me that she felt sort of "miffed" as she put it but then thought about it a little and what I got in return was a very thoughtful and understanding response.

I was so impressed by Renee I thought to myself; Man, I wish this girl lived closer to me... She's my kinda lady! Bold enough to ask questions, strong enough to take the answers (even when they aren't what she wants to hear), honest enough to tell me what she thinks, thoughtful about the information and kind enough to tell me she understands.

Well the rest is now history. Renee and I exchange emails as often as our busy schedules allow. If we did live closer to one another, you would most definitely find me loitering about her studio, chatting, sharing stories of clay battles won and lost and maybe even sharing a few well guarded secrets.

Welcome aboard Renee! We are so lucky to have you.


::

First, a word of thanks and appreciation to Diana for being such a dedicated blogger.

Reading about the struggles and successes of a
fellow potter motivates me to work harder in the studio. At times,
living way out in West Virginia leaves me feeling alone in this crazy
pursuit of making pots in the 21st century. It's amazing how a few
well crafted words have spurred new thoughts and approaches to my
work.

 Reading and responding to Diana's blog has given me the chance to
develop a dialogue with friends I have yet to meet.   Thanks One
Blackbird for hosting guest bloggers like me.  It is my hope that
these guest blogs will encourage other clay artists to create a
larger community of bloggers who know about all things clay.

I have been making pots since my freshman year of college.  Viewing
my transcript would reveal a very eclectic education; I knew that
college life should be about learning all sorts of things.  Much to
the chagrin of my mother, the one passion that has remained constant
is my love of clay. After leaving school, I was lucky enough to fall
into situations that facilitated my dream of being a potter and I
have had a clay studio for the past thirteen years.  My current
studio is twenty paces out my back door and is painted  a fetching
color of purple.  When I look out at my perfect purple cottage, it
makes me smile.

While I have had this constant desire to make pots, I have also had moments (or even years!) of distraction. Along with making pots, my life has been full. I am now moving into a new place in my life. My son is nearing his sixteenth birthday and my studio, which was actually slated to be demolished before we purchased it, is finally in order. I now have more time and energy to invest in my work and I am quite excited to enter this new phase in my life.

Over the years, I have pursued several different venues for my
pottery. I have worried with craft fairs (the lost business cards,
missing wrapping paper and the curtain that would not stay in place),
gone the route of consignment (the errant dust bunny nestled in your
pots, people who know nothing about your craft in charge of selling
your work), moved on to work only with galleries (nice, but pricey).
Yes, each outlet has its own particular down side. These experiences
have lead me to look for a better way...

In 2001, I went to Haystack, where I was Jack Troy's teaching
assistant. He wisely advised the class not to overlook our local
market. I remember him saying, "Your neighbors will not let you
down." He assured us that galleries, no matter how lovely, come and
go. I knew this to be true, even for "star" potters--Jeff Shapiro
once told me a story about a gallery that perfectly illustrated
Jack's point. Jeff was asked to make coffee cups for a four star
gallery that was representing him on the east coast. He was so
honored, he gave the gallery owner a good price and got busy making
the cups. They were to be commemorative cups, stamped with the
opening date of the gallery. When he went to unload the kiln, the
glaze had pooled in the stamped area making it illegible. Again,
back to the wheel to make more. After all of this effort, the
gallery owner got what he wanted. Guess how the story ends?
Shortly after delivering the cups, the gallery let him know they no
longer wanted to represent him.

This story allowed me to see the strength in Jack's advice and
reminded me of a phrase I'd heard: "closer to hand." I find power in
these words, and when I am grappling to make a decision I ask myself,
what is closest to hand? It often clears my mind and allows me to
see what is right in front of me. My goal is to sell my work
locally, giving myself the pleasure of meeting the folks who want my
pottery in their lives. I plan to take this year to explore things
that are closer to hand for me...Check out my progress on my new
blog: The Pondering Potter.

daisy chain

I feel like I have been away for ages! I have been a bit distracted by family visits and graduations these days but now that is all over. I was finally able to get back into my studio today. I always get the nicest feeling when I walk into my studio after I have been away. Like visiting a very dear friend. I love that feeling. I packed up orders, loaded the kilns, finished a large bowl, counted and recounted the work on my shelves as I am preparing for the annual Association of Clay and Glass Artists sale on July 8th & 9th. If you live in the Bay Area please come on by. I will have all kinds of work for sale plus there will be a whole bunch of other great ceramics and glass available by other talented artists as well.

The guest blog feature will happen again this Thursday! I am so excited to introduce my next blogger that I want it to be Thursday now!

Till then friends!

daisy chain bowl 10.5" x10.5" x4.5" available $320

vacationing with ayumi

Did everyone have enough cake? I certainly did. After a few false starts I am very honored to present my first guest blogger, Ayumi Horie. It seems no matter how much we potters and ceramic people try to take some time off from our work we have a very difficult time staying away from anything clay.
::

For our vacation this year in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Malmo, Sweden, I promised my partner that I'd keep work related interests to a minimum so that I could take a break from work, but of course it wasn't so easy. I saw many things that I hadn't seen before and others things, like old pots that look one way in a book, look very different in person when the details can be seen and appreciated. Here are some ceramics that moved me in some way.

Our one predetermined ceramic event was to visit Delft to go to the opening of my Swedish friend, Jen Forsberg, at the Terra gallery. What a treat to be able to see these pieces in person! They are at once abstract and concrete in the way that a form can materialize based on what can kind of time can be spent in the making. You can see in these pieces the shorts spurts of focused time that went into them. Notice, too, how differently the black and white clays hold space around them.

This colander from the Rembrandt House in Amsterdam made me want to get back into the studio and bump up the scale of my work. Even though it's slumped in the middle, I love the smartness of the lip and the dumbness of those coiled handles. I don't mean dumb in a pejorative way, but mean it in the sense that it's the easiest (dumbest) solution to the problem of how to pick up a heavy, hot pot. Coils don't have much sculptural value in and of themselves, except if used in multiples, but used in the right way on the right pot, they can be the best, most unpretentious solution.

Yes, they were using clay frying pans back then!

I love this twist on the traditional posture of the piggy bank because it suits so well the experience of patiently sitting and waiting for money to accumulate. Made by Pol's Potten in Amsterdam.

Here's a tiled wall at the Paul Tetar Van Elven house in Delft with images of various people and children playing. What's so interesting here is that the wall was originally tiled because the black skirts of the servants were brushing up against the plaster walls making their skirts dusty and white. Tiling the walls of the narrow staircase with ceramic solved this situation.

Another instance of clever design in the Netherlands from Studio Frederick Roije. This Two of a Kind ring is meant to be broken by two people in order to make a bond. Of course, the two serrated stubs that are left might slice a finger off, but who's counting?

Lastly, I saw this excellent diorama at the Malmohus Castle in Malmo, Sweden and couldn't help but feel lucky that I don't have to sit on the ground, pinch work, or wear that frock. This is the first pottery diorama I've seen and would love to know of others.

Thanks to Diana for this invitation to share some things I loved on my summer vacation!

Thank you Ayumi! I am glad to not have to sit on the floor in that frock, pinching pots too.

pile up

Whoa, where did the week go? I have that feeling of too many things going on at once and my brain is a little dead because of it. I am speechless at the moment. No worries though, the words always come back and if they don't well then I'll just have someone else do the talking...

I wanted to do something special to celebrate my one year of blogging and I thought it would be nice to invite some other ceramic friends to contribute to this here blog. I put the word out and the guest entries are slowly starting to come in. All the folks I invited do not have blogs of their own (yet!) so it will be a first time hearing from them here in the bloggy world.

Speaking of friends, Whitney Smith, potter extraordinaire, is looking for some studio help. If you are an aspiring potter who lives in the Bay Area and want some hands on experience this is the place to get it! Check out the details here.

Check back on Monday...My first guest blogger will be Ayumi Horie! Oh, I am so excited!!

welcome back

After a very long hiatus my canteen vases are finally back! I was separated from my molds all of last year and since I have been back in San Francisco all of my attempts to get these guys done have been ill fated (er, no pun intended). So they have returned...The lovely, curvaceous, two sided canteen vase. These sweeties are soon to be sent to a very special store in Los Angeles called Show.

canteen vases red & ice blue

In the studio, I am having a bit of problem with my glazes crawling and underglazes peeling. I am coming to the conclusion that I might be working with an inferior product and that it is not remediable. Or it is just my greasy little fingers contaminating the surfaces...most likely not the latter as I am constantly washing my hands. I have had a lot of losses lately which really frustrates me (and the people who are waiting on orders).


8oz cups, gray green, orange & natural

The good news is that I do have some more of these guys for sale. New colors too! These are a little smaller than the last cups I posted, 8oz and they have a lovely sprig flower on them. I have a handful of them available in flame orange, gray green(sold), and natural (sold) and they are $30. Pop me an email at diana@dianafayt.com if you would like one.
There are still a few orange ones left!

For some weekend fun check out the adventures of the little people of Sandwich Mountain. (ahhh, the the great minds of ceramic artists!)

A late breaking (but not too late) tidbit. My friend and fellow potter, Ayumi has some gorgeous work for sale at Akar. Check it out here! One of each for me please! Love, love, love, what Ayumi does!

life's little surprises

Do you remember when I excitedly began working on the new nasturtium bowl and I showed you the picture below (on the left) of the new green I was using without having made a test of it first? You all commented on how much you liked the color. I was brave (and naive) to think that it would be close to the color it was out of the bottle. I can only laugh at myself for being so bold.















See the wee bit of green on the inside of the bowl on the right? That is the color it turned out. A lovely shade of baby poop brown! Actually I love the color and it goes quite well with some of the other new colors I have been doing tests of. I just hadn't expected it to turn out so far from the color on the left. So remember friends, always make a test before you boldly go where no other ceramic artist has gone before.

summer fun

Hello friends! First off thank you all for all the thoughtful responses to my last post! Though I thought that it might be taboo to talk about money turns out is was not...It seems as if the topic cracked open whole can of worms for a lot of people. It is so very important for all Artists to take themselves and their work seriously. We, after all lay the ground work, for one another. I feel that I set a precedent not only for myself but for those who fallow along side of me and in my footsteps. Charging what we are worth and knowing how to price our work accordingly is tricky...but doable. All the response to the subject got me thinking about pricing and how one might go about it. I realized that though I get a reaction from the public because of my prices (this will never go away and I am very used to it) I am comfortable with where I stand and feel my prices are very fair. Throughout the years I have applied some rules of thumb to pricing my work. I think it might be helpful to some of you out there if I share some of my thoughts about how I go about doing this. I have to think about it a little more before I go into it any further so check back with me, it will be sooner than later I promise. (yikes, did I just make a promise on my blog!?)

I also wanted to let you know that I will be teaching a workshop in July ( It was originally set for May 26th but was changed because of the Memorial Day holiday). It is at the fabulous Heath Ceramics Factory in Sausalito, California. It was a blast last time I taught it and I am so looking forward to teaching it again. I hope to see some of you there!

money talk

It makes me uncomfortable to talk about money. Especially when it comes to my own work. I guess on some level I feel I shouldn't have to explain myself or that it is unsavory for an Artist to talk about it. Perhaps it is but I feel it is important to offer some explanation of why things are priced the way that they are. If I don't talk about it then how will anyone know?

I know that people often suffer "sticker shock" when they see the prices on my work. I have been selling my work professionally for thirteen years now so I have a pretty good idea of what people expect to pay when they see an object that is made from clay. Especially if it is in the shape of a bowl, vase or plate. Even I do it. I have that preconceived notion in my head too, equating function with frugality. So when someone writes to me and asks "I would like to buy your large bowl, how much is it?" and I tell them $320. Often times I get no response in return which I interpret as "it is so expensive... How can she charge so much for just a...bowl?!" I have read it on blogs too, I love her work but it is too expensive for my budget. I understand that it is shocking and this does not upset me, $320 for anything requires some thinking about before splashing out.

What goes into the making of those ceramic bowls, vases and plates is a lot more work than usually meets the eye. Anyone who has taken just one pottery course usually gains an immediate appreciation for the labor that goes into making ceramics. I often hear things like..."I took a pottery class intending to make all of my Christmas presents and all I ended up with is an ashtray...and I don't even smoke!" Any object successfully made out of clay is highly deceiving. That is the beauty of the medium. It gives off the air of simplicity, ease, some say a calmness but in truth the mastery of making things from clay that look that way require an immense amount of skill. People who work with clay do it because they love it and also because there is a bit of the masochist in them. When people say to me you must be so happy to "play with clay" I want to well ... scream. I rarely "play with clay" and really it is not respectful to the craft. In fact I heard Oprah say it the other day (did I just admit that I watch Oprah!?) while she was doing a spot on Jonathan Adler. He just smiled and was gracious but I wondered if that statement made his blood boil just a little. Anyone who is serious about the medium knows that there is nothing playful about it at all. The outcome may look playful in some cases but what goes into making it is a whole lot of work. Plain and simple...work!


When it takes me hours to make, paint, etch and glaze just one piece and then throw it into a kiln, not just once but twice and it may or may not turn out that is what goes into the cost. Also consider the cost for studio space, equipment, materials, education on top of the hours spent making the work. Honestly I don't think any ceramic artist/potter ever charges enough when you compare the hours they put into making their work to lets say a lawyer or a computer programmer. Those are professional realms where people rarely question their hourly wage. (we don't like how much they charge, but never the less we accept it). Even though those services provide as much function in our lives as the bowl we eat our cereal out of every day.

:: thank you ::

A big stack of thanks to Victoria for her most generous post about me on Design*Sponge's guest blog this week. It brought so much good fortune my way...one of my vases will grace a page in a magazine (in July). This fabulous store made an order and tea bowls were ordered and sent. You made this San Francisco Artist a very happy girl.

And that is not all...

Another big thanks goes out to housemartin for your post as well. Like I said...I hope to see your fabulous flower arrangements in my vases some day.

Tomorrow I start my first day of teaching at Creative Growth in Oakland. It is a part time substitute position for the time being. For those of you interested click on this link to find out about this amazing place and the incredibly talented artists who make some of the most inspiring work I have ever laid my eyes on. It is an honor to get to be a part of this place.

Check back on Wednesday...I hopefully will have something very special to share with you...fingers crossed. Happy Monday friends!