pigeon road pottery

Monday, June 8, 2009

From start to finish

I like to work in a "loose series". I make 6 to 8 of the same thing at a time, but I am not interested in making duplicates. I explore a range of sizes and shapes within a grouping. Often the only thing the pieces have in common is their function and their maker.

My latest series is a group of low flat bottomed bowls/baking dishes. They were each thrown from 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 lbs. of clay. I documented them for you from start to finish.

The full series, freshly thrown on the bats.

A detail on one of the faceted pots.

Now the pots are drying upside down on a drywall board.

A group shot after trimming.

Before...

after.

The group with carving completed.

The next 5 shots are carving details.

I make a big mess while I carve...and listen to loud rowdy music!

Here I have prepared the pots to be glazed by waxing the bottoms. I didn't take any photos of the glazing process. No secrets...just too hard to do by myself and I didn't want to wreck my camera.

Here's a group shot of the finished pots. I had one casualty...broken during glazing, a real bummer. Why is it always your favorite one?

I was happy with the results. I also had some new glaze tests in the kiln. I am excited that there are new glazes are on the horizon. These pots are going to my first show of the season on Saturday, June 13 in St. Germain, Wisconsin. See listing on the blog sidebar for details. My next post will be about the show. Wish me luck.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Amy Higgason Clayboard Illustrations

I have started doing some illustration work on a product called Clayboard. The board is black and you scratch through it to reveal the white underneath. When I found the product at the art store I thought it would be a fun technique – similar to the way I do scraffito illustration on my pots.

It has proved to be a very fun media to work in. It’s also a great avenue to work out imagery that can later be translated to pots. I will be framing some of the original clayboards for sale and have designed a line of cards that will be ready "for market" next week. Here are some of my favorite drawings.

Imaginary Growth ©2009 Amy Higgason

I have a busy week ahead. I am working on glazing this weekend and will fire on Sunday. I am planning a post next week that shows a series of salad bowls from start to finish. Saturday, June 13th is my first show of the season, Walk In The Woods Art Fair from 10 to 4pm in St. Germain Wisconsin. Our busy summer schedules have kicked in... even if summer weather hasn't.

The Studio Gallery Demo Weekend for Artists Interactive

As I’ve discussed in earlier posts, I am a member of a small artist cooperative gallery in Boulder Junction Wisconsin. The Studio Gallery is in it's 15th season and currently features the work of 11 local artists. The gallery is located in a former railroad wash house building in the backyard of the Outdoorsmen Restaurant. The space is intimate, casual and full of great energy. The 2009 Studio Gallery members are: Toni Bergeon (Art Quilts), Louise Engelbrecht (Handwovens, Painting & Collage), Amy Higgason (Pottery), Debra Ketchum Jircik (Collage & Clay), Kathleen Kimball (Handcrafted Soap & Collage), Carol Miller (Photography), Jane O’Brien (Watermedia), Wendy Powalisz (Beaded Jewelry & Watercolors), Nancy Shoop (Pottery), Shirley Surges (Watermedia) and Jan Zindel (Handwovens & Socks)

Last weekend the gallery participated in the first of 2 demo weekends for the Artists Interactive program. The purpose of the Artist Interactive program is to generate traffic for art events around the northwoods, to introduce artists and the art making processes to the general public and to generate a new revenue source for artists at a slower time of year. There is no space inside our tiny gallery to do demonstrations so we set up a tent in the front yard of the restaurant. 5 of the Studio Gallery’s artists worked on a variety of art projects during 2 cold and windy days last weekend.

Here are some photo highlights from the weekend.

Instead of dragging a whole clay studio with me, I decided to draw on Clayboard®. The technique and imagery is very similar to the scrafitto drawings I carve on pots. I use a sharp tool to scratch away the black and reveal the white underneath. I have developed a series of drawings. I am printing these illustrations on cards to sell at shows and in galleries that carry my pottery.

Wendy Powalisz paints natural and abstract themes in a loose free flowing style. Her watercolors are typically vibrant and colorful. She is also currently experimenting on a series of "black only" watercolors.

Jan Zindel is a weaver and fiber artist. Here she demonstrates on a 1908 Gearhart Sock Knitting Machine. You can find Jan’s blog at shuttleworksstudio.blogspot.com

Kathleen Kimball was in charge of the gallery on saturday. She passed the time between customers with us, knitting and chatting about art on the front lawn. One of the nicest parts of the weekend was the time we spent talking about our struggles and triumphs. We are a great group of artists spread out over a distance of 75 miles. It is rare that we get to spend time together. So the time that weekend was valuable even though the turnout for this event was very small. There will be another Studio Gallery Artist Demo Weekend on June 26, 27 & 28th. We’re hoping for better weather, more artists and a bigger audience. I'll keep you posted.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Hot out of the kiln

I did a glaze firing on sunday that included the pots from the previous posts. Here they are in their finished state.

Today I took these pots and many others to the co-op gallery I belong to in Boulder Junction Wisconsin. The Studio Gallery is in it's 15th season as an artist run and operated gallery. The tiny gallery is housed in an old railroad wash house cabin behind The Outdoorsman restaurant in downtown Boulder Junction. This season we have 11 artists working in a variety of media. Today some of the artists got together to clean and hang the gallery for our season. We are open 4 days a week staring May 22 through October 10th.

The Studio Gallery is hosting 2 artist demo weekends in conjunction with Artists Interactive— a program to promote arts related tourism in Wisconsin's north woods. Our first demo weekend is May 29, 30 & 31st. Stay tuned for new photos and more about The Studio Gallery at the beginning of June.

Everything kicks into high gear here now with Memorial Day on our heals. I'll be working in the studio and posting more often with new pots and show photos. Here are a few more new pieces that I liked from the recent firing.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Friday, April 10, 2009

A work in progress...

As I said in my last post, I have had a hard time getting going in the studio lately. I have been working, but wasn't really happy with what I was producing. In all honesty, I felt like I was just going through the motions. I'm not really sure about how I feel about that last statement. It's depressing, but honest.

However, last sunday I finished up a series of small pitchers and one small teapot that made me smile. Somehow it seems a turning point (if not a breakthrough). With May and June deadlines looming, it's time to get to work.

Here’s my latest greenware. My pieces and me...always a work in progress!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Excuses Excuses

It's been a long time since I wrote because it's been a long time since I "potted". I am not sure how long it had been since I have thrown, but I am guessing it was early November. It seems kind of shocking but oh so predictable. November and December are filled up with shows, work and the holidays. January rolls around and all I want to do is hibernate. I always end up holed up in the house with zero motivation to work in the studio. I work on other things like taxes and art tour planning, etc., but I don't even think about clay. Then, as it does every winter, something switches in my brain and all of a sudden I want and need to be out there again. I'm not sure if it's the lighter days, more activity by the birds and squirrels or just the hope of spring on the horizon (although we have at least 2 more months to go hear in the Northwoods). But I wake up.

I sat down at the wheel for 5 hours yesterday. My first attempt was less than stellar, but it did improve from there. They may not look like much right now, but for me, it is the beginning of new work for 2009!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Encourage Obama to name a Secretary of the Arts

I have just read and signed the online petition: "Secretary of the Arts" hosted on the web by PetitionOnline.com, the free online petition service, at: PetitionsOnLine.com

If you can spare a moment, please take a look, and consider signing yourself.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Blog-based Pottery Sale Results

I have received a few inquires about the results of my blog-based pottery sale. Here are my thoughts on the outcome.

I had no real expectations. It was an easy solution for a last minute idea. I don't have very many blog readers, so in addition to the blog post, I emailed an announcement to most of my address book and posted an invite on Facebook. I sold 5 pieces. 4 of the pieces went to people I know. The last piece wasn't listed as part of the sale and went to someone who regularly reads my blog.

It worked out pretty smoothly. Everyone trusted me to send the work, and I trusted them to send me a check. It was worth it, but there was a lot of set up time and a lot of back and forth emailing to accomplish the sales.

In the future I plan on putting work on Etsy and taking advantage of Pay Pal. It seems like an easier solution... a good January or February project. If anyone has any feedback about Etsy I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks to everyone who bought, looked, or sent a nice comment. I am looking forward to getting back in my studio soon. I have ideas trapped in my head & hands just waiting to get out.

Peace for 2009!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Pigeon Road Pottery's 1st Blog-based Sale

Welcome to my first blog-based pottery sale. I decided to do this at the last minute, so it's a very no-frills approach to internet shopping. Sorry, there's no shopping cart. You'll have to work with me via email.

Here's the rules:

If you see an item you want to purchase, please email me the item number. My email address is amyhiggason@yahoo.com. I will email you back to confirm your purchase or to notify you that the piece has already sold. I will update the sales status on the blog as often as I can. My goal is to avoid disapointments. But, all items are one-of-a-kind and offered on a first-come first-served basis.

I accept checks or cash only. I will make payment arrangements with you by email when I confirm your purchase.

Tax is included, but shipping (if necessary) is additional. Please respond quickly if you need your piece before Christmas.

Satisfaction is guaranteed. If you do not like a piece once you receive it you may return it for a full refund (minus shipping costs).

This blog sale ends Saturday, December 13 at 7pm.

Here are some general details about my work. It is all white stoneware fired in an electric kiln to cone 6. It is wheelthrown, carved and decorated by hand. Each piece is one-of-a-kind. All pieces are food safe and may be put in the dishwasher, microwave and oven (when appropriate). I have included multiple views of some pieces. If you have any questions regarding the work or the rules please don't hesitate to email or call me at 715-277-5099.

10% of sales will be donated to the Lakeland Area Food Pantry.