Art Market and Give Away

Where has the time gone? It seems like Saturday was yesterday. But here it is Tuesday already. But first that give away. My friend Sharon, at Livewire Jewelry, is having a give away to celebrate her first publication! Sharon is giving away the necklace that was published in Bead Trends July 2009. It's a beautiful necklace that features ceramic beads from Gaea and her own wonderful wire work. So give that link up there a click and have a look. Not only is Sharon celebrating, she's giving this necklace away as a thank you for the support she's recieved from all of us out here in blogland. How incredibly cool is that! Sharon herself is one of the most supportive bloggers I know. Not only does she generously share her artistic journey with us, she sprinkles thoughtful comments and support on our blogs. The thanks go to you, Sharon.


That photo up there is of the monthly Downtown Art Market last Saturday, where despite the 100 degree weather, lots of people came down to look around, shop, and just have a good time. The first Art Market was in May and we started with 18 vendors and 200 visitors. Just 3 months later we are 36 vendors with a crowd of 600. I am just tickled pink, not just for myself, but for our community. Like so many places, the downtown area is a dead zone, with much of the shopping moved out to strip malls. This market in its own small way is contributing to that sense of community that once made downtowns every where so alive. Larry, Jennifer, and Tony you all have done a fabulous job of making this happen. Thank you!!!!

It is HOT!!!!!

No not the buttons. They are an unusual coulour combination requested by a friend. It's not a combination that would come naturally to me. But it's kind of growing on me. And that bright stripe of orange sherbet kind of makes me think of the weather today. Sizzling hot!


We are not talking about ordinary hot. No sir. It is stinking, unbearable, makes me cross, hot. It is 106F today. Not even the dogs will go outside. Haven't been out since 11am. They have strategically positioned themselves under a ceiling fan with an AC vent that blows on them. In the middle of our bed. These are above average, almost smart dogs. This is where I should be.

This is not a clay studio day. It is far too hot out there. Nothing in the world could convince me to go out there. So what's a girl to do? Inspired by that hot stripe of orange on those buttons, I got out my thrift store hand bag an slapped on a little pop of colour in honour of this sizzling hot day. This button was made from one of the new texture plates that I made from a sea shell. And soaking in the ocean is where I'd really like to be right now. I'm trying to mentally transport myself there right now. I'm pretty sure there is a tall cold fruity drink of some sort involved. Ah, yes, the picture is getting clearer. It's a resort, there are beach side chairs, there are waiters bring me drinks.....It is not 106F.

OK back now. I think I'll go out and fry some eggs on the front walk.

Hot out of the kiln

Hot! Well hot in West Texas. We're at 103F and I have no idea how to judge hot out of the kiln. I do know it was a short studio day. My brain turned to butter about noon. These are a few of the new textured pieces that came out of the kiln this morning. I must say that I'm rather pleased with the potential here. I am a bit dissapointed that some part of me censored one of the new textures. I have no idea why my brain shut that off. Oh well. Next time.

These are a couple of sample pieces from glazes I didn't think would work. I've got a few pendants waiting to be fired in these glazes tomorrow night. These were a happy surprise. I like these. Sometimes, I really enjoy a surprise.

And finally, the 'what was I thinking glaze.' Well I'm still not sure. This morning I loved it. This afternoon I hated it. This evening I'm neutral to loathing. It's very olive drabby, non descript grey. It could work. I'm just not sure how.

Time to find a cool place without a hot computer in my lap.

Cheers, LeAnn

The Gates of ....

Well I'm inclined to believe it might be the gates of that less desirable place. The kiln is loaded, it is firing, it is hot as h-e-double hockey sticks. I could have gotten more in this kiln but my brain melted about 5 pm and my will power was in seriously diminshed supply about 4 pm. It's mid 90F here which means out in the studio it is about 1058 degrees. No AC. Yuk. Tomorrow we're gonna break 100F. So I'm off to do a bit more work tonight while it is still 'cool.'

But stay tuned for the big reveal. There is all sorts of new things in there. New textures, new glazes, including a what was I thinking glaze.

Hope you all stay cool!

Back Yard Chemistry

What is that man doing in my back yard? No, he's not testing the pool water. We don't have one of those but given the hot weather it would be nice. That is Peter testing the specific gravity (or something like that) of his latest batch of beer. It's a porter I'm told. Very nice I'm sure. But give me a glass of shiraz. Beer makes me burp! But a man's got to have a hobby. And there is a beer brewing brother coming into town soon. The competition is stiff and we have to have some of the good stuff on hand.

Meanwhile, I'm doing my own back yard chemistry. New glazes, new pieces. It always amazes me that something that looks so uninteresting in it's unfired state can come out all shiny, and hopefully nice. I'm never sure what the proper invocation is when I fire a kiln. But, may the kiln gods be with me tomorrow night. The proof is in the pudding, so they say. Wednesday will be pudding time.

Not just a pretty package

Last night Peter came home with this lovely package from Japan. It was a gift from a student of Japanese descent who had just returned from a family visit. Isn't it beautiful? It actually came with lovely chocolate brown wrapping on the outside that has since disappeared.

Neatly nestled inside are Japanese sweets, a sort of pastry stuffed with different types of bean paste and fruit (I think). Very yummy!

But even the inside was nicely packaged. A lightly embossed paper wrapped over the goodies, covered with a card, which I think is probably a buisiness card. Packaged beautifully inside and out. This was a treat to open, not just because it came from Japan and was therefor somewhat exotic. It was an experience....opening this package was something to savour. Great care, even in this commercial product, went into packaging the sweets.

This made me think about my own packaging of things I send out. Does it show care? Maybe. Is it an experience? Probably not. At least not in the same sense that opening this package was. This package made me realize that as a Westerner, I am so conditioned to the bottom line, the expediency of doing things, the hustle and bustle of daily life that I forget to just savour the moment.

This box of sweets was not just a pretty package.

New Textures, New Things

Busy day playing with the new texture plates I made yesterday. Here's a little peak at what's coming up. There are lots of them. I have a vague and blurry notion of what these might look like finished. It's after 9 pm. I'm tired. Where did the day go?


Night all!