MATCH STRIKER VIDEO
For this years’s pack I was happy to make a letterpress and watercolor print in addition to a few porcelain tiger cups with silver aster decals. The Hudson Valley Seed Library’s show of original art will be touring the Northeast for months, so try and catch this great show if you can. You can read more about it and see the schedule here.
After a lot of thought and deliberation, I’ve decided to move up to my home state of Maine to be closer to family. I’ve had the church for ten years and have loved every minute of it, from the beginning renovations when I would find caches of walnuts in the walls and bats in the belfry to the spiffed up sanctuary it is now. I can’t say enough great things about the New York community either with so many forward-thinking creative people in the area. Ideally, someone community-minded will carry on the church’s art tradition (the owner before me as an artist as well), so I’m putting it out there in hopes that by making a website devoted to the church, the perfect steward to the church will find it and fall in love. Click here to see more pictures and details.
The old folk song, Big Rock Candy Mountain, talks about a hobo’s idea of heaven and I’ve always loved how instead of yearning to have a “conventional” life, the hobo just adjusts the world to his own conception of the ideal life. Well, nothing is utopia, but Maine is as close it comes to being my Big Rock Candy Mountain. The air smells salty , the ground is springy with pine needles, there are endless antiques and the people value handwork. Oh, and a great tradition of pie making! I’m lucky to have such a great online community and to be able to move my business relatively easily, so thank you making it possible to go to Maine!
Have you ever wanted dedicated one-on-one time with an educator to help hone your craft , pick their brain, and get honest feedback about your work? During February, March, and April, I’ll be doing day long private workshops in my house and ceramics studio in Cottekill, New York, less than two hours north of New York City. We can work in the studio on your skills or I can do demos, we can look at glazes, research sources, critique work or your website, talk about how to grow your business, and generally construct our time however you’d like. Email me at ayumihorie *at* gmail.com for more info.
Jill from British Columbia writes, “My week-long workshop making and talking pots with Ayumi was a beautiful exchange. Her teaching style is very collaborative, open, authentic, and inviting. I didn’t feel like I was being schooled, I was truly mentored. Ayumi has a wonderful collection of pots that inspired some really great discussions and we also worked with some great ideas she had for exercises and techniques that started me on the way to discovering what might be my voice. While she was exceedingly generous in sharing her techniques, skills and ideas, this workshop wasn’t about making Ayumi’s pots. She was really interested in me making my own pots. Ayumi was invested in me improving my throwing and trimming skills offering much welcomed critiques and suggestions to help me accomplish what I was trying to achieve. She also helped me articulate a critique on my own pots: an invaluable skill I use each time I throw a pot.
A while back, I got a nifty trail cam that lets me take time lapse pictures, so I’ve been working on small shorts outdoors and indoors to see what works best. I’ve found that the background is just as important compositionally as how the action moves around the constants. This video shows me trimming a dozen plates, all of which will be in the December 13th posting. Special thanks to Bobby Tahouri for the excellent music.
Look at the Christmas miracle that came out of the kiln! Given that he has no beard, this Monkey must be an Elf, not a Santa, and speaking of hard-working elves, this Elf is slaving away in back of a hot wheel making pots for the holidays. I’m a bit late on the sale this year, but can guarantee that I’ll pack up the boxes and send them your way in jiffy. Mostly I’m making cups, bowls, and various sized plates- all handmade, all unique in the world, and all special of course.
During Thanksgiving weekend, November 26-27, 2011, CRAFTED: Handmade in the Hudson Valley will return for its second year at my old church in Cottekill, NY. Co-organized with my friend, Ken Greene, this year the roster is so great I can hardly wait to shop at my own sale! In fact, for the past few weeks, I’ve been neglecting my studio to work on the website which has kept me engaged at every turn. The contact page gives a good example of how I sketch out all the graphics which I then scan and clean up in Photoshop for elements online but also for things like decals. We have a dozen local artists plus we’ll have wooden ornaments from Paul O’Connor, porcelain ornaments from Jen Woodin, chocolate from Lagusta, and squash cake with sage frosting from Sweet Maresa’s Upstate Cupcake among other treats. Come see colored garlands of Christmas lights strung across a cozy space with a wood stove and my cute new puppy named Clover. For those of you concerned about Poncho’s adjustment, he did have a temporary bout of crankiness but is also now playing some good tug with her.
Clover says "I'm a Boston Terrier, not a Frenchie, and I love to eat leaves".
Mid-Fall Pottery Posting
Thursday, Nov 10th, noon EST
On Thursday, November 10th at 12:00 EST, I’ll be doing a posting of both earthenware and porcelain pots on my new web shop. I’m excited because the process is easier, I have more options, the pictures are bigger, and all in all I think the whole experience will be much better for buyers. Since it’s a whole new system, old customers will be asked to create new accounts. My output this year has been a less than the norm because of all my side projects, so get these rare beauties while you can! I’ll do one more online posting sometime in early December. The preview is up now for the Mid-Fall Posting.
Back by Popular Demand
If you’re in the market for a “Ceramics and I had a fight but we still love each other” t-shirt, I’m now selling them on Cafe Press. Only available in women’s right now through Cafe Press.
Come see some great ceramics Columbus Day weekend, October 8-9, at the old church in Cottekill, New York. Pick apples, see the autumn leaves, and visit the charming Hudson Valley
We have a very special weekend planned for this year’s open studio sale at my church-turned-gallery. As a continuation of the work I started in March for Japanese disaster relief, we have artists influenced by Japan who are donating to a Ceramic Raffle. My guest artist, Kathy Erteman, has been heavily influenced by Japan, as have I. Instead of the usual cheese and cracker fare, we’ll be having a dumpling fest!
Guest Artist:
Guest artist, Kathy Erteman, makes contemporary, understated work that references the minimalism of Japan and allows the innate beauty of food to come through. She’ll be bringing her signature black and white work in a variety of shapes. Kathy is one of best cooks I know, so it’s only natural that her work is built around the principle of starting with the menu.
Raffle for Handmade For Japan:
Local Handmade For Japan artists, Kathy Erteman, Tim Rowan, and Jeff Shapiro have been kind enough to donate beautiful pieces for individual raffles (I’ll have something too but it’s in the kiln!). Tim and Jeff both did apprenticeships in Japan and maintain deep connections there. If you’re in Tokyo, Jeff has a solo show starting October 1st at Kakiden Gallery. Tim is also having his studio sale the same weekend and it’s only 15 minutes away. He has a huge noborigama, pizza oven, and beautiful property. Raffle tickets are $3 each, 4 for $10, and 25 for $50. All proceeds will go to GlobalGiving’s Earthquake and Tsunami fund. The drawing will take place Sunday at 5pm at the studio sale. Winners need not be present to win.
***Update October 10th*** Thanks to all of you who supported the raffle, our total now exceeds $100,000!
Local Columbus Day Weekend Happenings
Tim Rowan is also having his studio sale the same weekend and it’s only 15 minutes away. He has a huge anagama (tunnel kiln), pizza oven, and beautiful property.
COTA in New Paltz
Hudson Valley Furniture Makers
Food and Wine in the Valley: post-Irene fundraiser
