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.

Thanks to all of you who helped make the Fab.com sale sold out in record time.

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.

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

Whoa! Three sales in the next five weeks! On September 14th, I’ll launch a major online posting of porcelain pots. Keeping simple in mind, I’ve worked with a wide range of colored slips and decals to give me a variety of sensibilities and effects. It’s been two years since I’ve posted porcelain! In that time, the pink, red and dark red are new. You can see below a smattering of this luscious material along with silver and gold cherry blossoms, knots, and asters. Cups, bowl, plates, teapots- all for sale next week, including for the first time ever, a silver-nostriled monkey! Preview will go up a few days before the sale.

A small sampling of details from various porcelains, slips, and decals in the Sept 14 posting coming up

For my annual studio sale, I’m very pleased to have Kathy Erteman as my guest artist.  Kathy is a full-time studio artist who divides her time between NYC and the Hudson Valley. On top of a twenty year long career of making handmade ceramics, she’s taught at Parsons School of Design and Greenwich House Pottery (current), and lectured in Jersualem at Bezalel Academy of Art among other places. She’s designed for industry, worked with architects, and most recently advised Tibetan Potters as a Design Consultant for Aid To Artisans/ The Mountain Institute/USAID. I can attest to her amazing culinary skills, especially with all Asian food, and more than any other ceramic artist I know, she thinks about the presentation of food.  “The menu is where I always begin. Designing tableware with a light hand to showcase the meal and prepared ingredients quietly set the stage for a memorable experience.”

Kathy Erteman plate with persimmons

The studio sale is held annually in my white country church built in 1898. Come up for a long weekend on Columbus Day, October 8-9, to see some great pots, pick apples and see the leaves turning. We’ll get the wood stove going and serve up some tasty snacks. For directions, click here. We’ll also have a raffle for our favorite cause, Handmade For Japan. Kathy was one of our HFJ artists, as was neighbor Tim Rowan, who will also be contributing.

Lastly, but coming up the soonest, is Handmade For Japan’s mamezara sale on Monday, Sept 12, 3 pm EST on Etsy. Inspired by both the antique and new mamezara in the cupboard, the porcelain dish I made and designed features the folding pattern for an origami crane.

Handmade For Japan's mamezara is the fourth from the left and features a folding pattern for an origami crane