Thanks, everybody!

Studio Sale, completed!   Thank you, everyone, for coming out to see Margaret and me, and all our work! We really enjoy seeing you, and talking with you, (and hope that we weren't so scattered that we didn't have time to concentrate!) Now, it's back to work for me, with orders, and one more sale up in Ann Arbor, next weekend:  Art on Adare.  And if you are in Ann Arbor, don't forget to visit the wonderful Clay Studio, as well, where I have taught, and which is having a show in conjunction with the Winter Art Tour in Ann Arbor, MI.  We wish you all the best this holiday season!  (What, no photos, this time??...)

Demonstrations at the Studio Sale

Tomorrow is the start of the Holiday Studio Sale and I will be demonstrating twice, each day.  On Friday, I'll throw face mugs, and talk about them, at 2 pm.  Then at 4 pm, also on Friday, I'll construct some slab-built oval casseroles (like the ones I posted on this blog in a three-part posting:  https://anntubbsmaiolicapottery.blogspot.com/2013/02/oval-forms-slab-built.html,
https://anntubbsmaiolicapottery.blogspot.com/2013/02/oval-forms-slab-built-part-two.html

and https://anntubbsmaiolicapottery.blogspot.com/2013/02/oval-forms-final-finishing-work-part.html

a little oval casserole with legs

The Red Bird District Art Walk: 1 & 2 December

The businesses in downtown Sylvania, Ohio, have branded themselves, collectively, as the Red Bird district, and have been having openings every first Friday of each month.  December, 2017, is no exception; celebrations are being planned!  I have work in the Hudson Gallery, on Main Street, and, though I won't be there (my studio sale's first night is the same day), my work will be on display.  (and online: https://hudsongallery.net/artist/ann-tubbs/) Here is the link for the Hudson Gallery's Art Walk:  https://hudsongallery.net/  

     Meanwhile, back in the studio, I'm loading another glaze kiln.  Here are the tiles for two small tables. They still need the black outline around the leaves and lemons, and a touch of red and blue.

Tiles for tables

New Paint Job on the New Look to the Studio's Front Display Wall

New look to the front wall, formerly peach-colored

 CaCO₃

My go-to dictionary in the studio (Mick Casson, a wonderful potter from England,on the cover)

   My Studio has had an upgrade this fall.  I took down all the white shelving, and re-painted the peachy color which had been there for 15+ years.  It's now a charcoal, or, as my friend,Denise, said,  Graphite.......  Then I bought Ikea shelving, and with a bit of what my husband and construction guru calls 'discussion', we hung three of the shelves, managing to get them reasonably level, and hooked up to the studs.  He had bought me a stud-finder, but I couldn't figure out how to use it, and found the old 'pound a skinny nail into the wall to see how easily it goes in' technique to be more useful.  And since we were the ones who built the studio, many years ago, who knows how on center those studs are, anyway.   I then found a recipe for making your own chalk paint on Pinterest:  2 cups paint to 1 cup Calcium Carbonate --- CaCO₃   otherwise known as Whiting.  Most all potters have lots of that.  And it's an ingredient in my maiolica glaze. After I let the mixture sit for a while, I then sieved it with an old paper sieve from the drug store.  No good pottery sieves were ruined.  I drew a rectangle on the wall, and painted at least 3 coats on. Then I lightly sanded it, and 'seasoned' it, by rubbing chalk over the surface, and then wiping it away with a barely damp sponge.  Voilà!

Doing the last USPS mailing for one of my studio sales (while visiting in Chicago)

 i've almost finished with the mailing  (stuffing envelopes, putting on stamps, sometimes writing a little something.  So many names, so many memories!  I am hoping to transfer customers to the electronic emailing service!

glaze firings for the next studio sale:

   December is almost here; time for my studio sale.  Here are some before and after the glaze firing photos of large bowl/chargers.

and if I had to pick my favorite, from the last kiln? ---

it would be this one.  Because of the striped legs.  A little Tubbs Four-Legged Tub.

What Comes Out of a Glaze Kiln?

two large, long platters

multiples

large oval platters

edge tiles, strips, and a bowl to be refired

I am firing large platters for an order taken last fall, along with some smaller pieces.  The kiln was fairly closely packed, but not overly so.  In and around the larger pieces were the little scotch tumblers, in the second photo, and the strips and edge tiles which will finish off the top edge of the backsplash I've been tiling in the kitchen  (with the subway tiles I made).  In addition, in the last photo, there is a bowl that will be re-fired.  There was a small area on the upper edge where the glaze had been rubbed off.  I touched it up with fresh glaze while it was still warm from the kiln. Now, everything, except the tiles, gets sanded on the bottom (where the red clay shows), and then priced.  My first fair is coming up!---

and another two

two more; two part.

two more soap dishes

Working on a few more ideas for soap dishes.  These do not have the little bars across the inside base, but the next ones will.  No holes, though.  The long, low one is made using an extruder die, and it turned out to be (the die, that is) a one of.  Though I got a number of pieces out of the extruded lengths, the die broke during the extruding.  My next post will be about the problems I am dealing with (and the body tests I am doing) when the clay body I have been using for a number of years no longer performs as it used to.  Phooey!

The Opening Is This Wednesday: 4:30 - 6:30

Soap Dishes

I am making soap dishes--trying all sorts of shapes, and different ways of allowing the soap to drain.  Over the next few months I will be posting some of the results:

about 3" by 3"

also about 3" by 3"

and the backs of the three, trying out different feet, and patterns.

upcoming workshop in Ann Arbor:

Clay Work Studio

2763 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.

734-604-7596

Ann Tubbs  2-day Majolica workshop at Clay Work Studio

Day 1 - Saturday, Feb 20, 1 PM to 3 PM - Making a plate or shallow bowl with Yiu Keung Lee

Day 2 - Saturday, Feb 27, 10 AM to 3 PM Glazing/Painting plate made on Day 1 with Ann Tubbs.

All material and lunch on Day 2 are included. Fee: $120. Call (734)604-7596 or Email clayworkstudio.lee@gmail.com to register.  Limit 20 participants.

First Friday Art Walk in Sylvania, OHio

This Friday, I am going to be in an impromptu showing at Frogtown Computers, on Erie Street, in Sylvania, OH,
during the First Friday events held by the Downtown Sylvania business district,
which is now called the Redbird District.    Think Valentine's Day!   The hours for the First Friday event are from 5 to 8 pm. 
Frogtown Computers is owned by Erik Russell, and he specializes in Apple Macintosh Repairs, PC Malware/Virus cleanup,
Windows Re-installs, as well as  Free Computer and Electronics Recycling. His business is located at:

6565 Erie St.

Sylvania, OH 43560

419-517-6069

service@frogtowncomputers.com

If you haven't had a chance to tour Sylvania, during a First Friday, this coming Friday would be a great time! 
Here's a link to the event:  http://redbirdarts.org/art-walks/

See you there!

new decoration (from old ideas--)

pepper platter, peppers:  September, 2015

I recently visited our friends, Robert, and Renée, who have a beautiful garden!  Just before I left, Robert picked some of their hot peppers for me---and I took them home to the studio (the kitchen will be next)!  The peppers' bright colors and shapes reminded me that I had done peppers about 15 (was it that long?) years ago, and it was time to revisit the idea.  I still had a square pepper plate hanging on the wall, so I took a close look at it---wax on the pepper form before the color, shadows under the peppers.  And to this I added the use of current ideas:  a new form I have been working with (the long oval, which was the shape of the landscape platter), a higher temperature for the glaze (cone 3), a pale purple for some of the shadows, especially under the yellows and oranges, and a more complex glaze recipe.  Here are some pictures of the peppers, and of the pepper platter!

only two fairs, this summer!

Time for a break!   I will only do two fairs, this summer, and the first is fast approaching!  It is the Crosby Gardens Festival, at the Toledo Botanical Gardens, in Toledo, Ohio, and is held on the final weekend in June.  The garden grounds are a beautiful setting, and the artists and visitors, alike, are treated with respect and inspiration!  Hours, on Friday, are from 6 til 9 for the artists, and 6 to 10 for those who have purchased the $75 entrance ticket.  On Saturday, the hours are from 10 until 7, and on Sunday, 10 until 4.  Visit the Garden's website for more information on entrance fees, parking, shuttles from parking, and handicap service.  http://www.toledogarden.org/crosby-festival-of-the-arts-2015/  or  toledogarden.org

I have had two pieces accepted into the Michigan Ceramics 2014 Exhibition!

tulip holder

hanging landscape platter

The MCAA Biennial Exhibition and Competition is taking place this fall--October 17 to December 31, at the Saginaw Art Museum in Saginaw, MI.  The reception and awards for exhibiting artists will take place on October 17th, and on October 18 there will be a workshop with the juror, Andrea Gill.  The show will then move to the Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City from January 25 to May 17, 2015.  More information is available at the Michigan Ceramic Art Association site:   www.michclay.com. (latest news:  I was awarded the Functional category award!)

The residing of the studio is done!

A number of years ago we began residing the old T-111 on my studio with stained cedar clapboards.  Yesterday, with the help of the three Bieber young men from down the road, we (is that the royal 'we', again?) finished the final side! Yea! 

the new iBook about pottery is ready!

I am in a new iBook, all about pottery in the United States, now available for the iPad and other types of internet downloads---here is the information:   https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/american-ipottery/id905569043?mt=11 

The little oil jar that has been on my postcard, and in the Symphony ad for the Toledo Symphony, is one of the pieces that was chosen for the 3-D display!  I hope you will enjoy it!

raising money

 This is the second of two fundraisers in which I have participated---for the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, in Santa Barbara, CA.  Their fundraiser is called 5X5: Celebrating Five Years, and will be on view the first two weeks of September, 2014. This year I did several sketches in watercolor, sitting at the edge of a small, person-made pond in Suttons Bay, MI, after the fair, there--and painted the fish, reeds, and frogs (who came up onto the stones next to my feet and sat in the sun while I painted.  I had been given a 5"square of Rives BFK  paper, along with a stamped, hard cardboard envelope, in which I will mail back the finished work.  You should be able to click on the museum's name, above, and be able to go to their site and see more of the work!.

The 2014 Ann Arbor Fair

Seems like all I am doing, lately, is uploading show information......  By fall, I should be a little more 'squared away', with all the work needed to be done to keep my business going, and I will have some time to work on the blog and etsy. We have been tearing apart (and putting back together) our old farmhouse kitchen, and I am going to be making tiles for the counter and backsplash.  For now, though, it's fair season, and the big one is coming right up!  My booth is A-257--the same place as last year, near the bell tower.   I have some new shapes (generated from several orders that I was working on this winter).  One is a long oval, a press mold shape whose form I got at Rovin's, last year.  I'll post some photos of it, soon. 
here are some links to the art fair, itself:  www.artfair.org

The official #AnnArborArtFair app is here, so download it now!
Android users: http://bit.ly/1jjBre0
iPhone users: http://bit.ly/1ztKwG7

Potters for Pets: a fundraiser

OK, everybody--we are working really hard to get pots ready for this event!!! Make sure you put it on your calendar, and come out to see us!!  The event, itself, is free; money towards the two non-profits will come out of the potters' sales and donations. Help us make a difference!  For more information, click on the Potters for Pets link below the colored ad: (or, here:  Potters for Pets ) Though that may be just for fb members.  The sale is at Manabigama Pottery Center, 13270 Bishop Rd., in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Saturday, 5th April, from 5 to 9 pm.  Hope to see you there!  (Plus,I have a new, long, oval platter form--this will be its debut!)
 Join

Potters for Pets

Saturday, April 5 at 5:00pm

Manabigama Pottery Center in Bowling Green, Ohio

summer fairs are over

Bruce and I have just unloaded the van, after the last outdoor fair.  Hard work.  But I love doing the fairs:  I get to talk with people (which I don't, working in my studio), and I get to hear their stories.  and what I hear are the most amazing stories--often of resilience, in the face of extremely hard times (theirs, as well as the state of health care and politics).  People who have had to leave a job because of health-related problems, which aren't fully being solved, and who now have to find more work, because they aren't old enough to 'retire', and people who, as artists, have had to stop doing one form of art, because of incredible physical impediments, so have figured out another way to work.  I am just amazed by the tenacity and ingenuity of all of us!

a great honor!

I was one of the ten chosen for the award of excellence at the Original Art (Street) Fair in Ann Arbor, this year (ten categories, ten awards).  Now back to work!!1

I'm showing at the Original Art Fair in Ann Arbor!

and here is the link to copy and enter in your browser:  https://workspaces.acrobat.com/?d=Bi8tCY0JmZALgV*MnZk8jQ

or the link to click on:
 Ann Arbor Original Art Fair, booth A-257

I am by the bell tower, Booth A-257, on Ingalls Mall, between E. Washington, and North University.  The Fair runs from the 17th of July through the 20th; hours are:  W - F: 10 - 9, and Saturday: 10 - 6.  See you There!

So, Finally, I got my kiln rewired!...

So, Finally, I got my kiln rewired!!  And it wasn't really all that hard.  (Remember how bad it used to be? Elements looping down along the inside wall, totally out of their grooves? It was still reaching temperature, until that fateful firing during Art-O-Matic in Toledo this spring......) So I finally ordered the replacement parts to do the entire set of 6 elements (but not the switches--they were fine)  I also ordered a replacement kiln sitter ceramic sleeve.  They came from Runyan Ceramics in Clio, Michigan.  When they came, I set aside a day to work on the kiln.  It all went very well (and thanks to Paul at Runyan's for the technical advice!)   I just wasn't able to  cut off the end of the loops on each end of each element, nor crimp the sleeve that goes over the element wiring and the wiring to the switch, connecting the two.  So, I got Bruce to do that for me  (though I understand, from my friend  Robert Rueger, who roasts coffee and sells it at the Toledo Symphony, that there are $150 ratcheting crimpers which would do the job very nicely, without the bone-crunching effort.)  Now the kiln not only looks good; it fires like greased lightening. 

demi-lune, in progress

I'm finally finishing a demi-lune that has been sitting on my glaze table for about three months (or more).  And because doing landscapes is hard (you don't see exactly what you're going to get), I usually work on several at a time, and get ideas from one to the other.  Here are two photos: one, of how the demi-lune looked for several months, and, another, of how it appeared after more color and structure had been added.  The next blog will show the finished tiles; however---I have to say, my old kiln which needed rewiring finally broke during the glaze firing, yesterday, and never quite reached temperature.  I may have to re-fire.

Yunomi Invitational--more to come--opens on Friday, 19 April 2013

http://www.akardesign.com/shows/index.asp?page=20#515

4/19/2013 - 5/17/2013
2013 Yunomi Invitational
(ONLINE ONLY) 200 Potters, 5 Yunomi each for AKAR's 2013 cup show. Donations to Studio Potter Magazine.

the show is open, now, and work is selling!  

a landscape tile--a second look

 

 In the early evening, as the sun is going down, and the light through the west windows is warm and encouraging, I sometimes sit in the old chair that my dad used to sit in (with his kitty, Gus, who now lives with Janet Kelman) and share a glass of wine with Bruce, and take a moment to reflect on what I'm doing, and at such a breakneck pace.  I often miss seeing things that I might really like, but for the fact that they didn't sell last season, and are now hanging on the wall just opposite the chair, and, hmmmm.....so I have the chance to take another look.

Oval forms: final finishing work-----Part three

a. smoothed and ready for the handles

Here is the final explanation of the making of an oval form (hand built, not using the wheel).  The first two parts, # 1, here, and # 2, here, are used to illustrate the way one might work through this project.    And now for the third, and last part:  once the clay oval form has dried enough to pull away from the walls of the plaster mold, I can gently lift it out.   I now have to smooth the outer joint between the walls and the base, as well as the joint at either long end where the two sides came together.  Sometimes a little extra clay can be added to make the joint area smoother.  In addition, the underside of the base is pressed in, to give it an area which will be glazed (see illustration 'c').
Then I pull long coils, and twist two together.   Two lengths are cut simultaneously, so that they will be even, and with a little vinegar I add them to either end of the casserole form (illustration 'b').  These are the 'braided' handles.

b. adding the handles

the finished leatherhard form

c. the under side of the casserole, which is glazed and decorated..