Natural Instincts
Inspiration may come from a color you find in nature while on a walk or on the surface of a freshly fired ceramic piece. What inspires you?
What inspires your choices? Form, color, or texture that you find in nature is one of my favorites!
What Inspires You?
Do you look for inspiration from nature?
Do you wonder how to get an idea out of your head and onto paper. What are the fundamental tools that you use to create? Do you begin with a dream, then a sketch, then an dummy design to build your idea? Share your process with me! What inspires you?
Getting Ready can be challenging!
Getting ready for a show or a special event can be challenging, exhausting and exciting. How do you get ready for an event?
Getting ready for a show or a special event can be challenging, stressful, and exciting! How do you get ready for your event. What helps you reduce your stress levels?
Happy freedom
What does freedom mean to you?
I know that I am thankful for what I have and the freedom to live, work, and play in the Great State of Michigan. I do not have to worry about traveling throughout our state or even worry where I will rest my head at night or what I will eat. In striking contrast I think of the thousands of Haitian peoples that have been displaced by gang violence and corruption. I am sad. In contrast, I see persons who take advantage of the system we have in place to help individuals who are in need. Everyone needs to love everyone. Does this mean giving your possessions to the needy? Maybe.
How will you celebrate your freedom this year?
Summer time
Early morning is a great time to create with clay! I find that my work dries faster in the summer time. Some potters leave their work to dry in the sun. I am afraid of cracking…how about you?
MoLded or MANIPULATED
Clay can be a very challenging and satisfying experience. How can clay form itself into a vessel? It can't. However, it can resist your attempts at molding and manipulating if not handled correctly. The final outcome is a thing of beauty. How often do we resist the molding of our Heavenly Father who continues to loveingly shape us into a thing of beauty?
""O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.,and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned."
Jeremiah 18:11
june
June workshops are fast approaching. I hope that you will experience the wonder of clay and the magic of creating your own piece. I am offering a combination of both slab and wheel trimmed processes. It is a fun way to introduce the wheel in ceramic building. I know that at first the wheel can be intimidating. But, I have found simple steps to introduce tools and techniques for wheel trimming! Share your best and worst experience on the wheel with me!
Social Gatherings
Kozy Clay Studio can host birthday parties, girlfriend parties, or couples date nights. Ask for details. Just send me an email!
Spring is planting season!
Like everyone else, we are busy planting our flowers, shrubs, trees, etc. I am working on new ideas for Kozy Clay Studo. Items I am considering are small succulent pots, hanging planters, flower frogs, vases and trays. What do you like for your patio? Perhaps a luminair, a platter or garden stakes. So many options for your garden (vegetable or flower). What does your favorite planter look like? How big is it? I would love to see what you have!
Love/Hate
What do you most like about clay and the process of creating something with clay? Or, what do you hate about clay? Have you had a bad experience? Let’s share our successes and our failures to learn and grow! Ok, so I will start. I love to experiment with clay and glazes. I recently tired raw firing with a matte glaze. (Most potters will carve into slip (watered down clay that is applied to greenware.) I have had success with smaller pots but my midsized pot experienced a few blow outs. What I mean is, a few areas of glaze just broke off the sides of the pot. Ugh! One thing to remember is to spritz the inside and bottom of a raw glazed piece so the clay and the glaze dry at the same rate. Lesson learned. I will try again!