Hot & Humid Saturday

Well December 1st and summer is HERE - storms, showers, sun and Humidity!  Still can't complain, I can put the Air Con on if it gets unbearable.
I remember when all we had was a small electric fan....

I tried to take a snap of our resident Water Dragon but he took off just as I snapped - see his tail on the path just behind that centre red Kangaroo Paw flower?  They come up from the nearby creek this time of year to eat the berries off the palm trees and what ever else they can find:

I am making some brooches at the moment - I'll be selling them at a market stall at Cronulla Mall on Saturday 8th December if you'd like to drop over..

I have put the clip on the back and will put them on card...

This is my Saturday post for Artists in Blogland so pop over and see who's there this week..

Hanging in there

Gosh I'm ready for a break.. it has been a full on year but I have to hang in there a bit longer...

Two meetings with the community pottery group PLUS an all day stall in Cronulla Mall at the end of next week!

So...

These (above) have all had their backs sanded and last night in front of the TV (watching 'Castle") they now sport their hanging ribbons...

These buttons have also been sanded on the back and now I need to sew them onto card ready for the market
which will be in Cronulla Mall on Saturday 8th December 2012 - 9.30am to 4pm near the flag pole.


















I did take time to appreciate a little beauty in my local town...

the Jacaranda trees are in bloom all around Sydney






this one is opposite our local library and trying to cover up the ugly concrete with its pretty flowers...









there are two trees, one either side of these steps and a nice feature wall up the top....

Jacaranda and Star Jasmine

I have also updated my online Portfolio - here:

AnnasCeramicPortfolio

 

This is my post for Mud Colony this week and you can also check out my Facebook page

Chilling out

It's a hot one here in Sydney (Oz) today - over 28 deg C at 11am..
So after a few chores its time to chill out for a while..

An icey drink, and what I'm reading - a science fiction and the latest edition of the Australian Ceramics magazine :^) (alternatively :) )

Don't forget to check out Mud Colony this week for other posts from busy potters studios or you can check Facebook - my page: Anna's Ceramics or my Fb group - Anna's Aussie Ceramics - think go top up my Lime Cordial...
Chill ....

Mis-catalogued

My latest pig sculpture is in the foreground on the lower plinth.

The previous post showed works by graduating students of the Ceramic Design Studio at Gymea TAFE.

I left out my own work so here are some that were there.

Unfortunately I had to be out of town when the show went up and my pigs were marked on the catalogue as NFS when really I would have happily have sold them.

The bracelet and necklace were for sale but it will be a few days before I find out if they found a new home.

Have you checked out the group blog, Artists in Blogland yet?  Worth a visit :^)  You might have to scroll down to see this weeks additions.

A great show - do hope they can continue

A recent decision by the NSW State government to cut funding to all Arts programs in our technical colleges has been devastating news.
On Monday night I attended the Student Award Presentations and Exhibition opening of the Ceramic Design Studio (Gymea TAFE college) at the Muse Gallery, Ultimo, Sydney.

The work is just outstanding!  I so hope that the protest rally held today and the petitions presented will do some good to reverse the decision.

You can see some of the prize winners on the Port Hacking Potters blog but I thought I would add a few more images here.

work by several students

new works by Tracey Mitchell - see her website for more: Here

Just love this one by Tracey Mitchell

Graduating students, Rosemary Backhouse and Dorothy Shaw

Graduating Students, Mei Ling Wong and Youngme Ohn

several students

interesting slipcast pieces

Slipcast vessels by Ellin Pooley

These following works by Diploma student Nicky Parras are my favourite this year:

October Seater Woman

May Girl Dreaming

Winged Flight

and more by Nicky Parras

Nesting

White Nesting

Best of luck to all the students for their future be it producing more art or ongoing studies.

I'll be linking this post to Mud Colony and its already linked to my Facebook page.

Look familiar?

Today I came across this clip on a Facebook site:

http://the189.com/film/colour-in-clay-1941-short-film/

it dates back to 1941 and is of workers at the Wedgwood factory back then.  The opening images reminded me of our trip to the UK in 2010 when we visited the Wedgwood museum.

Have a look at the clip and see if you agree:

the blue bells were amazing and right on the road side next to the museum.

while in the visitors centre I threw this little pot using their Jasperware - I think perhaps the blue bells inspired Josiah way back then!
think I'll send this post over to Mud Colony and my Facebook page..

Ins and Outs

today these went into a glaze firing along with a friend's flat ware.

Not a tight pack but we are still testing to see if the kiln will get up to temp in its new position.

Earlier this week I was learning a bit about the shellac resist and wash back technique to decorate these bowls - more photos next week about these...

and then Ta Da...
one successful pig sculpture, YAY!

Not as dark as the previous one but no cracks either :^)

Remember to check out the other studio happenings over at Mud Colony and look for me on Facebook and also have a look at http://artistsinblogland.blogspot.com.au/

Fingers crossed

My friends over at Mud Colony have helped me out...
I needed to get these pots fully dried by morning so after consultation and a helpful 'chat' on the Facebook page of Mud Colony, into the kitchen oven they went for a couple of hours so they should be OK for my friend to bisque for me tomorrow..

Just great meeting in Reality :^)

Yesterday I took myself over to a local market where I knew some students from our local TAFE were trying their luck at selling and had a lovely surprise to find the lovely Mrs Peterson

of Mrs Peterson Pottery also had a stall there.

I've been following her blog for a while and admired her porcelain jewellery - so pretty and such fun designs, so it was such a treat to meet in reality and have a nice chat about working with clay :^)

I'm so impressed by her marketing - wonderful posters, a whole woodland theme just sets off her beautiful jewellery so well!

And it doesn't stop there - no plain brown paper bags but funky printed ones and printed tissue paper in matching colours and then topped off with her sticky label

pendant by Mrs Peterson Pottery

so I just had to buy this lovely little red pendant....

Thanks Brianna for the lovely chat and good luck with the Finders Keepers and the Canberra Handmade Markets coming up soon.

running around like a .......

Well Adriana Christianson is cracking the whip again (lol) and so here is my quick post for Mud Colony :^)

Adriana has a little dog to help her in the studio but I just have a hyperactive cockatiel :^)
tried to get a photo of him and all I got was this:

I've been wondering what the Potters Group (Port Hacking) can do with the 8 boxes of cork bricks in their storeroom?

and are these fold down tables worth keeping?

and I found some great little cookie cutters in a little Asian store the other day so have cut some new shapes for future use as jewellery :^)
Oh and Brenda was wondering how to stop the cut out clay from curling - I just whack another bat on top as they dry...

Bye for now and see you over on Mud Colony or my Facebook page, cheers :^)