2016

2016 has started either I was ready or not. I am taking a short pause from the studio to "relax" a little, clean the house and spend time with my family. My cousin and my niece are in town and I don't know if you know, but we Peruvians, like to celebrate a lot.

The weather here in Florida, has not been the best, but I can't complain, considering how the northern states are suffering with the snow storm, twister, etc. Here is only cold and rainy.

I have some news to share. I have been accepted in two big shows, one in Baltimore and the other in Philadelphia.  I am so happy that my pieces have been accepted, I am really thinking on going up north for the opening.

The first show is "Menagerie" hosted by Baltimore Clayworks. The opening will Friday, May 13th. I am super happy, because the juror was Jenny Mendes and I love, love her work.
This is the piece that got accepted.

The second show is called "Small Favors. An exhibition of diminutive works". Hosted by the Clay Studio in Philadelphia. Opening Reception will be April 1st. In this show my 3 pieces got accepted, yay!!!

Tomorrow I am going to pack my pieces and send them to Philly. I am excited! If I go, I promise I take some photos.

I am so happy that I wanted to share the news with you. 2016 seems like it will be a good year!

Besos!

Cups and more Cups

I know, I know, I have away from here for a couple of months. I have to figure it out a better way to do the stuff I like. I want to do everything and as a result I don't do much.

The latest is that I have done so many cups, 25 to be exact. I need so many things to work better, a potter's wheel to star, fallow by a kiln and a space to be dedicated only to clay and fun stuff, like glass and watercolor. I have talked with contractors and designers and I now I have a drawing and an estimate. Next thing is to find the money, easy right?

So my way to start this big project is with something small. Selling cups myself, usually I give my things to the galleries and they take care of it, they also take a big percentage. So I am going to try to sell things myself in addition to the galleries.

Here is my add, I am running a test on FB to get more people to know me, the more I know the better the chances to find someone who will buy from me.

Click Here to see all my cups, and if you can share it to your friends.
  

I have more news, but is 2 am and I super tired. I tell you more soon. Check my FB page to find out more about me and my cups.

Thank you so much,

Monica

Cup: The Intimate Object XI

Yesterday was the opening of "The Cup XI" at Charlie Cummings Gallery  I never have seen so many beautiful cups in one place, so different from each other, some were traditional, some were modern, some were rustic, some were so delicate, some were full of color, some were monochromatic. I feel so happy and honored to have my cups among such amazing cups. I went to Gainesville with my mother and my husband, they were thrilled, they took so many photos of me, I felt like a movie star. I did not take one single photo, I was so captivated by all the cups. My lovely husband bought a cup for me, and now I am the proud owner of a Sue Tirrell cup.

After the reception we went to celebrate with Indian food, and it was delicious as well,
Thank you Briancito <3, it was a lovely evening.

All the cups are uploaded at Charlie Cummings online store, there are all so pretty I think he sells worldwide. My cups are in page 9, (Monica's Guerrero cups) but please go and look all the cups, there is something for everybody. 

Monica

Posy Vases

This two posy vases were an experiment than turned out very well. They are fired cone 10 and painted with comercial glazes. Before these vases I didn't like that my clay always turned light gray when fired cone 10. I discover that if I want my clay to remain white, I have two options: fired cone 10 electric or change Loafers Glory (my clay) to porcelain.

At the studio they don't fired electric or work with porcelain, so if I want to have the background really white, I have to go somewhere else. Which is not the end of the world, but I am used to fire my pieces in one place, plus it will required me to transport pieces, etc.

So, i made this two small vases, and use different colors to paint them. As you can see, the background is not white, but the light gray is not disturbing either. I asked my classmates and no one were even thinking that the background must be white. I believe I over think way to much and make big problems were there are none.

This two little vases are helping me in more ways than just testing colors.

Hellooo

Hi,

I know it has been a long time since the last time I wrote something, I am sorry, I have been quite busy. Here are some news.

I participate in a contest and I won!! yehhh! Well, there are 15 winners but still. It was an AMACO contest, if you work with clay and ceramics, you probably know it. They make paints, glazes, wheels, etc. It is quite big company. I use its underglazes in my work.

Here is the winner piece. It is a set of ice-cream bowls decorated with Hummingbirds and Hibiscus.

Also, I have been making cups like crazy, for different shows, some have said NO thank you, but there is one that said YES. That makes me super happy.

I also decided that I need to buy a wheel, if I want to make more things to sell, send to shows or galleries, I need to make things faster, therefore I need my own wheel. I have been doing some math and I figure it out that I need to make 25 cups and sell them in order to have money for the wheel.
I know that maybe I can find something cheaper on craigslist, but I want the same type of wheel that I use in the studio, plus I want one new. Usually those cheap wheels have a lot of problems.

I have been working a lot in the garden too, I wanted to take photos to share them to you, but after the incredible 20 something days of rain here, my garden looks awful. Now it is sunny again, so I hope soon I can go out again and take care of it.

That's all, I will let you know when I finish my 25 cups and I am ready to sell. I will take me a while. Thank you for your support.

Oval Platter

Time goes fast, faster than ever, I really don't know what I am doing wrong (well, maybe I do, to much gardening) but I can't keep up.

Here is the oval platter I made last month. I was looking for something to put in his hands and then I found this cute parasol. I couldn't buy just one, so now I have 24 more, I guess I should keep doing this kind of things.

I like this platter, was my first done in the wheel and then altered, throwing it many times on a table, kind of scary but felt good, :D

My previous frog was named "Sir Jumpsalot" I was thinking this one is the same frog, but a friend call him "Sir Singsalot" and that suits him so well, than I will do more of this "alot" frogs. I have a "fishalot" in the kiln right now. Wonder where all those frogs will take me.

That is all for now, I will report again when "Sir Fishalot" is ready.

Fell free to coment, it is always nice to hear from you, wherever you are.

Society6

As you can see by the photo on the right column, I posted some images on Society6, this website takes you digital images and print them in anything you can imagine, besides making a giclee print, they also print in clocks, iPhone cases, iPad cases, computers, rugs, tapestries, pillows, bags, greeting cards,  etc.

I wasn't sure for months if I wanted to do this or not, because I do want to be a serious potter, but then I realize I don't have to limited myself, Dali didn't and neither Picasso among a variety of artist. And then, I watch and class with Molly Hatch and she is on potter who now is designing many things for many companies, and I don't see anything wrong with that, so why not?

Then it was the aspect of piracy, if I put my things out in the cyberspace, people can copy it, but I should be honest to myself, there a hundreds if not thousand people's designs out there, pirates will copy what is selling a lot to make a profit, I am brand new there and not many people know me, my FB likes are in the 3 hundred, I mean who will copy me? There is an artist that I fallow, Gennine, she is so wonderful, I love, love her designs, she has millions of followers that like me love whatever she makes.   And, of course, she deals with piracy constantly, but she makes a lot of money too, so I guess the more famous you get, more chances to be copied.

I think this site will help me to get my art expose, the more people see me the more chances that they go to my website and buy my things, or a gallery get interested in me. Let's hope that.

Here is the link for the current  PROMOTION, Society6 has free delivery worldwide until this Sunday, April 12th, and their prices are very reasonable, go take a look and tell me what do you think?

Monica