Busy Hands

 Here is a little sampling of things I have been working on.

I watched a few YouTube videos this summer about making glassine envelopes using deli paper.

I spent an afternoon printing the deli paper using my larger gel plate. The printing process is always fun. Not every print is a success the first time around, but you can almost always print layers over it and turn it into something cool. I keep everything I print and often use scraps in other projects.

The envelopes were fun to assemble and add details to them. These were made in random sizes and I will probably use them as little gift bags. I plan to make more that are a standard card size. Not good for mailing, but nice for in person gift giving or to tuck in a box to be shipped.

I have a finished a fourth coptic stitch bound book. I made this one for my daughter who loves all things French. I bought a set of Paris stamps some time ago and thought they would be perfect for this project. I used a combination of parchment and glassine papers for the signatures and they were much easier to bind than watercolor paper. I gel printed the cover papers with this book in mind.

And YES, I still make pots! I am currently overwhelmed with piggy bank and salt pig orders. In between making those I am trying to make a few cheese stones for each firing. They are starting to sell online, which is a good thing since our gallery is still closed for in person shopping.

Have a great week, and if you are in the path of hurricane Sally, or the terrible wild fires on the west coast, I hope that you stay safe.

Always remember the three W's.

Wear

Wash

Wait

In My Own Little Bubble...

 

Some months back I bound this journal using a simple method using handmade washi-tape along with electrical tape. The pages and cover were all made with gel prints on an inexpensive water color paper. In the handmade journal world, this probably falls into the "junk journal" category. My challenge has been creating artwork over the printed backgrounds. I have to admit that some pages have me stumped!

There are two page spreads with the same prints. Those are easier to be inspired by. I started the mermaid as a practice for a soap pump order. The buyer requested a mermaid scene. I hadn't drawn mermaids in a few years. I started this drawing/painting a couple of months ago and finally finished it this week. It took me that long to figure out where it was headed. The soap dispenser has long been carved, fired, and shipped to it's new owner. Lucky for her it didn't take me two months to figure that out.

I used acrylic paint, colored pencils, pen and ink, then finished it off with sparkly "stickles", a product from Ranger... basically a good quality glitter glue. Who doesn't like a little sparkle in their life?

I am happier with it now, but I know what direction the next one will go in.

 

 I find the pages with competing prints to be difficult. If I cover over one side it's a little easier to find a starting point. This week I added more washi-tape to a page and created a doodle inspired by my own end of summer flowers. It was quick sketch and relaxing to complete. I really enjoyed the Summer of 2020. There were some difficult times, and sleepless nights. Decisions to be made about business, concerns over the state of our country, and humanity... all of which weighed heavy at times. Despite all of this, Jeff and I fell into a rhythm of work, gardening, and cooking. Uninterrupted. Enjoying the moment. Our little bubble is a good place to "just be".

Garden Walk

My favorite part of the day is spending time in the garden in the early evening. I usually bring a basket or bowl and pick vegetables and herbs that will become part of our dinner.

Jeff has built an arbor for our green beans to climb on. It is magical to walk through. We currently have a nest of newly hatched birds, nestled in vines. I am not sure what type of birds they are. The mother flies into a nearby try as soon as we go to the garden. I hear her chirping, but haven't gotten a glimpse of her. I take a quick peek at her babies and then leave them alone.

I planted these sunflowers late in the season. I think it may have been July when the seeds went into the ground. I am impressed with how quickly they grew and bloomed. The ones I planted in May have already gone by. I am going to remember to stagger the planting next season too.

The nasturtiums are growing beneath the sunflowers. These were planted at the same time. I had some in the front of the house but I think that they got too much late afternoon sun, and subsequently died. I was glad I found some extra seeds to plant in this little flower garden. They seem to enjoy the morning sun.

We have lots of poblanos and jalapenos this year. I have done a lot of experimenting with stuffing the poblanos in a variety of ways. I think my favorite is black beans, rice, salsa, and a little cheese. I roast them at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes... yum!

The buchu (Korean chive aka garlic chive) is in full bloom. We have so much of this growing in various locations! I try to incorporate it into every stir fry. My new favorite thing to make is "Egg Roll in a Bowl". I add it to that too. Here is a link to the recipe: Egg Roll In A Bowl

It's good with ground pork, but I usually use ground turkey or chicken.

Our tomatoes are slowing down and the plants are looking rather brown. We will miss them when they are gone. The butternut squash is crazy this year. It's even climbing into the trees. I find it comical to see such a heavy vegetable hanging so high off of the ground!

It's hard to believe that here we are in September already. Nearly six months into the pandemic. Six months of no socializing with family or friends. The life of a potter is often isolated but we do miss having friends and neighbors dropping in to say hello, as well as the occasional dinner guests. I have used this time to enjoy our yard more and also learn some new skills, but there are days when it wears me thin.

I miss taking an afternoon off and heading to Marshall's for retail therapy! The grocery store just doesn't cut it for me.

... and I REALLY need new socks right now.

Be Well, and Remember...

The One Way Street...

A friend recently asked me if I was still walking everyday. Some months back I was posting a daily walk photo on social media. She said that she missed seeing them and wondered why I stopped. I stopped posting photos for a myriad of reasons.

There are days during this pandemic that I feel like I am walking down a one way street constantly encountering others that are going the wrong way.

I feel it as I pass shops in town that don't require customers to wear a mask.

I feel it as I pass by the local grocery store where the employees don't even wear a mask.

I feel it as I see posts on social media of groups of friends sitting shoulder to shoulder together at restaurants and beaches.

I feel it when I am asked to attend an outdoor meeting with acquaintances, where masks won't be worn.

(because the virus just blows away outdoors!)

I was trying my best to stay positive and share photos from my walks around town. To encourage people to wear a mask and to stay safe.

I am worn down now. I guess I am a slow learner. It took me too long to realize that I can't change the minds of the virus deniers, or the selfish people who only think of themselves. I am tired of banging my head against the wall.

So I stopped sharing the "walk" photos. But I am still walking. I will continue to do my part.

Be well, wear a mask, and if you don't wear one...

Fuck off.

Piedmont Craftsmen Virtual Show - July 25, 2020

Potters are good at being creative, especially during a pandemic. In person shows and exhibitions have been cancelled through the end of the year. We don't do many shows but do enjoy the one or two we do each year. We are juried members of Piedmont Craftsmen and we will participate in their first online show happening on Saturday. The show is on a really cool format where you can actually video chat with the artists during the show! We hope to see you there.

Here are the details:

Piedmont Craftsmen is excited to present our first ever Virtual Fair on Saturday, July 25 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm EDT!

Join us and more than 30 of our Exhibiting Member Artists taking part in this live virtual event. Shoppers and visitors will be able to interact with each Craft Artist face-to-face from their studios, through easily accessible chat rooms via our Virtual Fair platform.

To visit the Virtual Fair, all you need is a smart phone, tablet, or computer with an internet connection. Click on the link to pre-register: https://my.boothcentral.com/v/events/piedmont-craftsmen-virtual-summer-fair Enter your name and email address, and we’ll send you reminders as the event approaches. This event is free to attend.

Are We Winning Yet?

I am not too proud to admit that I am really struggling right now. The state of our nation with DT in the White House, combined with Covid-19, has twisted my head and heart into a knot.

North Carolina's Covid-19 case numbers have been increasing by the thousands EVERY DAY. We finally have a statewide mask order but it isn't enforced, and many ignore it. I am extremely disappointed that our local potters organization voted to move forward with a studio tour this month. I am not sure what people don't understand about the "Safer at Home" phase that we are in. Many organizations have moved their pottery tours to an online event. I have heard that the potters had very good sales. Most of the pottery shops in Seagrove are quite small. Many, ours included, can only accommodate 2-3 shoppers inside due to the half capacity limitations that are now in place. We are happy to be open online only during this time. I feel it's reckless to be promoting an in-person studio tour. Pottery is not a necessity during a pandemic. Wearing a mask and staying home is.

I fear that if my community, along with our state, can't get it's act together, I may never see my Dad in New Hampshire again. He is 93, and in a nursing home. The isolation has been very difficult for him. My daughter is in Connecticut where they have travel restrictions in place. North Carolina is one of those restricted States. I would have to quarantine for 14 days if I visited her, and she would have to quarantine 14 days if she returned from visiting me. She is a sales rep for a large veterinary pharmaceuticals company. She has worked from home since March and her company doesn't expect to send them back into the field in the foreseeable future, and even then they will have a strict protocol to follow. Connecticut has had a mask mandate since the beginning of all this. EVERYONE wears them. North Carolina has surpassed them in case numbers.

The icing on the proverbial cake came late yesterday. I went to nearby Asheboro for groceries. As I entered the store through the "one way entrance" a mask-less young woman nearly ran into me exiting the store. Sadly, I recognized her as an employee at a Seagrove establishment. She obviously has total disregard for others. I grabbed a cart and headed to the produce department.

It was nearly wiped out.

No lemons to be found. No grapes. Only a couple bags of cole slaw mix and hardly any lettuce. My favorite brand of Greek yogurt based salad dressing was sold out. Luckily there were tomatoes, bananas, and onions. I am glad we are still getting lettuce and arugula from our garden! We should have plenty of green beans in a week, along with okra.
Meat was plentiful this week but canned tomatoes were picked over along with the prepared spaghetti sauces and pasta, which I don't typically buy anyway. I am beginning to think this is our new normal.
At the rate we are going it will get worse before it gets better.

The Reluctant Potter

I have really struggled with clay during the pandemic. I am not really sure why but I have been drawn to working with paper, paint, and ink. That being said, I have been making pigs. Lots of pigs. The orders are still coming in. There have been a couple orders that excited me. Requests that made me think a little outside the box.

A woman that lives on the coast of North Carolina contacted me and asked if I could do a piggy bank with salt glaze. Since we don't have a salt kiln, I suggested a pig made with STARwork's East Fork clay and finished with a sprayed ash glaze. I sent her examples of mugs and bowls, she loved the look and placed her order. I ended up making three and firing two last week. She decided she wanted both of them!

I had one piggy bank that wasn't spoken for when we fired the gas kiln last week. I decided to give him a dip in the matte black glaze.

I really like this glaze and I am curious to see if it becomes popular with the piggy bank buying public.

The other fun order I had was to make a salt pig to look like the buyers pug dog!

The shino glaze got lots of reduction in this firing and the caramel color is perfect. I also dipped the opening in temnoku to mimic the shading on her dog's face. He is now on his way to Australia. I hope that she loves it as much as I do!

Our gallery is still closed during the pandemic. We probably won't even think about opening until July. Even then it's iffy. There is a studio tour in Seagrove the weekend of July 11th. We plan to participate but will set up our pots outside, on tables, and under our canopy. We will require masks. If there is rain, we will probably cancel. If numbers continue to climb, who knows if this tour will even happen. I am really concerned about this event moving forward. It's not worth risking our health for a few extra bucks.

Little Books & Journals

Last week I stitched a quick little journal out of water color paper. I wanted to use it to have some fun with water color splotches and ink doodles. I worked on it for just a bit everyday. It's a good exercise to stretch your imagination and creativity.

I stuck to one palette of colors for this exercise. It's a Prima pan set called "Woodlands". I plan to pop this little book in the mail and send it off to Danielle as a cheery surprise.

During this quarantine time I have also created a couple of other small journals. I am still using a simple binding method.

This one has a variety of paper types and sizes inside it. It will make a cute little art journal or a place to write down your thoughts and/or important dates. The fun part about creating these journals is using up odds and ends of paper and bits of artworks that in their original state you just weren't happy with.

Here in North Carolina we have entered into a "modified" phase II of re-opening the state. Here at 505 East Main we are continuing to stay at home and remain closed. We will give it a couple more weeks and then reassess opening our gallery to the public. In the meantime, you can buy our pottery online and we can ship or do curbside pick-up. A link to my Etsy shop is in the sidebar. Our website has links to both of our shops:

Gypsy Potters

Stay well, stay safe, stay home as much as you can.

Cuteness Overload!

I am in LOVE with these little paper purses! I can't even tell you how much fun I had making them. I found a couple of templates online. I decorated the paper using multiple techniques... mono-print, distress inks, acrylic paint, stencils, and stamps.

I made the backsides of the paper in a complimentary design to mimic the lining of a real purse. My paper wasn't very thick so I gave each of them a coat of matte medium.

I think adding embellishments was the most fun.

I filled each one with a tiny bag of little candy and I am sending them off to my favorite girls... great nieces in New Hampshire, and one to my daughter in Connecticut, who has a great love of handbags.
They took me so long to make that if I added up my time they would cost more than a Coach bag!

DIY Washi Tape and Handmade Cards

I recently bought a small gelli plate for mono-printing. Printers used to make their own plates with gelatin, and you still can, but now there are a few companies that manufacture them. The bonus is that they are quite durable and they should last for years if you take care of them.

I recently saw a YouTube video on making your own mono-printed washi-tape. I had all the ingredients to make it happen! 

The first step is to tape strips of masking tape onto wax paper. Don't overlap. 

Second, roll out some acrylic paint onto your gelli plate. I wanted random, bright colors.

I impressed some designs onto the plate and pulled a few prints using the taped wax paper. If you don't have a gel plate you could always sponge paint the tape with acrylic paint.

Once my layers of printed paint dried, I stamped and stenciled random designs.

Why make washi-tape when you can buy it reasonably priced? I wanted to use it to bind multi-fold cards. I wanted to the tape binding to blend in with the card.

This is my first attempt at a three fold card with a washi-tape binding.

I had so much fun creating it!

It took me a few days to complete because I kept adding new layers and embellishments. I am quite happy with the results and plan to make more. The washi-tape "hinge" blends in nicely.

 But now lets get back to the handmade washi-tape...

In theory, you should easily be able to pull the tape off of the wax paper. The first day I made it, it appeared that it would lift off easily. Three days later, when I was ready to assemble my card, much of the tape would not come off the wax paper. It could possibly be that my masking tape is too heavy duty. It's the same tape we buy in bulk to tape bubble wrap when packing pottery. Maybe inexpensive tape works better. Another thought is, the artist in the YouTube video is in Italy. European waxed paper may be different from what we get here in the US. I am going to give it another try with an idea that Jeff gave me. Lay masking tape down on a board or piece of cardboard. Tape another layer of tape over that tape. Print, stamp, and embellish the second layer. In theory, it should peel off easily, since that is how tape works on a roll. Hopefully, your first layer of tape can be re-used to make more. I don't like being wasteful!

I will post again when I finish my second attempt. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions, or share your method if you have made your own washi-tape.

Be well, and keep creating!