Featured in the New Edition of the Extruder Book

I am thrilled to have my work included in the second edition of "The Extruder Book" by Daryl E. Baird.
The book is filled with great insight on organizing spaces, techniques, designs and lots of inspiration. Daryl does a great job with the demos. Available as a book or an ebook!

I connected with Daryl few years back over facebook and was delighted to meet him in person in 2012 during NCECA in Seattle. He had come by my studio to see my setup and was impressed by several things which he has included in his book. Organized Extruder space, CD shelf reused for storing extruder dies, my dies made from Aluminum sheets... are all included in this book.

My Oil Vinegar Bottles and one of my Dancing Diva Sculptures is also included in the book.

Extruder die storage and Kiln posts storage

I have a pretty small studio space as some of you who visited my studio must have noticed. I try to make the most of every inch of space I have.
Early this year I visited Barbara Dunshee's studio who is just great at managing here studio space for teaching pottery in her basement studio. What she shared with me were here IKEA CD shelves used as storage for kiln posts. I loved the idea and was on Craigslist hunting for them right away. Found two of them for $30.
With adjustable shelves these are perfect for arranging kiln posts by height and they work great for storing all my extruder dies as well. Make sure to attach them to the wall so they don't fall over. And they have such a small foot print fitting perfectly in the dead corner behind the kiln.

What are your favorite storage solutions in your studio? Comment away.

When Potters Play Together

... we sure can have fun.

It is always a joy meeting other potters and chatting about pottery. We all lead pretty busy lives but it is great to hang out in the studio with another potter. I have been fortunate to hang out in Ginger Steele's studio from time to time. After the Christmas season was over, I made a trip to her studio in Oregon and we experimented with making sculptures constructed with coils.

Check out Ginger's cookie jar with the dog head. I am too embarrased to show what I made. It was a pretty saucy diva sculpture which unfortunately cracked on my trip back home. In any case it was fun and a good exercise.

A week back, Ginger visited our home and our goal was just to play in clay. We extruded some of my pillow shapes and this what Ginger made out of one of them.

I wanted to make some rectangular trays and she helped me make a plaster mold for that and I love the way the tray came out. Look out for these in my shop in the near future.

Ginger liked my extruder dies and had a design in mind for oval casseroles. We went through the process of designing it and I made the die for her which worked like a charm. Here is the casserole I made with that die. I am waiting to see what Ginger makes with that die in her studio.

It was time to spice up Ginger's Etsy shop. So we took pictures of her pots. I showed her how to edit them using picassa for Etsy and we listed her pots. Check out her shop. Really lovely work.

We had a great time and are looking forward to the next time we can play together.

Busy getting ready for Summer Shows

I have been crazy busy getting work ready for Wholesale orders and for upcoming Summer shows (Edmonds Arts Festival, Gig Harbor Summer Art Festival). My studio has been going through cycles of making, decorating, bisque firing, glazing and then glaze firing. The pricing and packing is still left to do and should be done this weekend.
During this busy process, I have been enjoying every kiln load and wanted to share pictures of what is happening in my studio.

Bisque pieces ready to be wax resisted and glazed

Pieces glazed after dipping and spraying to get different shades
Some pieces right out from the kiln

Studio space

I have met very few artists who would claim that they have more studio space than they need. We are always struggling for more room and the space keeps shrinking.
Of course it is not possible for us to move to bigger space every time we run out of room, ….though that would be awesome! Like many other artists I try my best to get the maximum utilization of space that I have. Very often I convert a part of my space for another stage of the process as well.

Here is a glimpse in my studio
Using dead space under by slab roller table to store my glazes and having everything on wheels to make moving things easy.

Tools arranged on a pegboard with hooks for easy access when I am throwing on the wheel.
Stackable large storage bins to store glaze chemicals.
Clearly labeled chemicals in clear containers.
This is how my regular work space transforms in a photo studio.
Do comment with your secrets to make the most of your space.