Sali en el periodico!! / I am in the paper!!!

Yes, I was in the paper!! How exciting is that??

I revived a call the first week of December asking me if I will be willing to give an interview for the Spanish newspaper of the Tampa Bay, I said yes of course. I was pretty nervous, I got to extremes in those cases: either talk way to much or talk only with monosyllables.
They asked to have the interview early in the morning at 9 am, which is pretty for me. They also wanted to take some photos of my pottery pieces, which since I was doing a couple of shows were in boxes, so I have to clean the house (a little) and unpack and set my pieces in a nice way.

So I did it, I woke up on time to get dress and awake for the interview, the reporter was a very nice guy from El Salvador, and I think I feel comfortable because I talked and talked non stop. Now that I read what he wrote I am a bit surprised that I said so much in so little time. Perhaps I should have talked more about my Peruvians design on glass, perhaps I should have name my alma mater, which I care so deeply. It is true that as a kind I dream to study arts at the Catolica University (PUCP) but I have no regret whatsoever about San Marcos (UNMSM), I learn so many things there, not only regarding the academics but about my own city and my country. San Marcos open my eyes to many things, helped me to learn about tolerance, discipline and critical thinking, my professors were and are the best the country can offer and I got all that for a small price.

However, I believe that in order to be happy one must fallow their dreams and I always dreamed to create art, isn't what we do as kids what really make us happy?? Although, as a child I also spend many hours reading about artist and isn't that the essence of an Art Historian, to have a passion about the art creators and their influence in the world. So, maybe the reporter understand me better than myself, I am both, I enjoy  writing, reading and creating art.

Anyway, here is the link to the newspaper, I hope you find it interesting, at least amusing....

You can click here to read the note:

Entre Ceramica, vidrio y piezas artisticas

Merry Christmas/ Feliz Navidad/ Frohe Weichnachten

 HO, HO, HO....

Its an unusual cool day for Florida, very sunny but cold, but perhaps if you live in the northern states you would find it pleasant. It is quite interesting how memories from our childhood, and what we experience when we are growing up mark what is normal in our lives. For me, a girl born and raised in Lima, Peru, sunny means hot, because around this time of year is when summer begins in Lima, and when Lima is warming up it also clears up, clouds slowly retrieve and even when a full blue sky will not be seen the shine and the light make us smile. This phenomenon occurs perhaps only in Lima; however it has been impregnated in my mind and soul and even after so many years living abroad, every time that I wake up and see clear shiny sunny day I think its warm outside. Takes me couple of seconds to realize that it may not be warm at all.

In Florida we are experience a cold front, so even when it may look like a Christmas in Lima it will feel different.  We Peruvians have weird traditions like drinking hot chocolate/cocoa when is 28-30 C outside (!!) I guess drinking hot chocolate will be better in this kind of weather :D


I think I should hurry up, there are many things that I need to do before Christmas... if I don't see you later let me wish you and everybody out there a wonderful Christmas time: may you find Peace, Love and Happiness. Remember what the fox said to the little Prince:

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

 It's time to sing happy songs!!

Octopus's Garden Set

Pitcher and cups :)

Octopus's Garden Pitcher

Here it is, my Octopus's Garden Pitcher. I also made a some cups that will match it, but I will post them tomorrow :)

Inca Waves

Here are two more plates, they are the same size and design, but different colors... its fascinating how little details can make big differences. This a Peruvian pattern, its very old but still very much in use in specially in textiles. You can also see it in reproductions of Inca Pottery among many things. I like the Inca designs, I believe they work wonderfully with fused glass, perhaps because its precision and geometric forms, perhaps because it keep me connected with my country... don't know exactly.

This year I have been focus on the wheel so much that I have not done much in glass. Also, the glass company where we used to buy our materials is closed down, so I have to find a new place to buy glass.

The photos are again from Annette Batista, isn't she wonderful! Feel free to leave any comments, it will be nice to know who reads my thoughts :) 

Blue and White Tocapu Plates

You may remember this plates , I did them last year with the hope to make a set of 4 for Christmas Dinner. The fourth plate was very complicated and I was never happy with it, so I made pendants and bracelets with it.... well, the bracelet is still a work in progress.

Anyway, a friend of mine a wonderful photographer named Annette Batista took photos of many of pieces, they came of incredible!!! I will be posting them by series one at a time. I hope you like these photos as much as I did.   

You can read the previous post clicking Tocapus 1, Tocapus 2,

Made by Hand Show

So I did it, I finally did my really first show. It was this past Saturday, November 17th. We were asked to be there by 6:30 but I couldn't I arrived at 7:30, but it was OK, the show started at 9 am. I should explain for the ones who don't know me that I am part of a long traditions of Peruvians who are always late and even when I try to change it seems that will not happen, I will never be like my Germans friends always on time, like my dear friend Katalin it was so common for her to say on the phone: I will see you moni in 13 minutes, not 10 or 15 but exact 13!!! and she was always able to manage her time and arrived at the exact time she said she will be!! But I digress from my story.

I was sharing the booth with a fellow classmate the wonderful Kathie King, she makes incredible glass flowers and now she is making fairy houses, kids, specially little girls come to the booth magnetized by them.

So we set our tables in a uncommon Florida cold morning, it look nice everybody working on their booths trying to display their art pieces in the best possible way. We already had a workshop about how to display our stuff how to talk to the people, etc. Things in theory easy to do. . . in theory.

So at 9 am everybody were ready to make a lot of sales, art pieces nicely display coffee or hot cocoa, big smiles ready to welcome the first costumer and we wait, and we wait and we wait. Couple hours later people start coming, not many but some enough to make us feel better. It is something fascinated how people always come in groups without being conscious of that, people come like waves suddenly bug groups of people and then nothing... how that can happen, they don't know each other so how they can do it is like a symphony ( I am just copying my dear friend Erika's way to describe the cars on the highway).

Many people came to our booth and compliment our work but they didn't buy anything. I was next to a booth who was selling pottery and glass as well but way cheaper than us. At some point I was wondering that maybe my stuff was overprice but then I think again, my bowls for example are very unique, there are not 2 exactly alike, I tried real hard to make sets and decorated one by one fallowing a theme that initially is only in my head. Would be much easier to just glazed them in one unique color, less work, less thinking, less material, probably less expensive, but I will not be happy with them. I like my bowls, I only sell the ones that are "perfect" for me, even when I am the only one who can see the mistakes, a different tone of the glaze on the bottom, a scratch when it was on greenware that was cover by the glaze but I can still see it, or a shape that according to me is not for the design I have in my head, those bowls or pots are reserved to be given away, some of my relatives are happy with my craziness, they always get pots.

So then I think that my prices were right even if I sold only one, to recuperated my expenses I will be happy, at the end I sold 2 bowls and a couple of more things, so I think it was ok. Some of the vendors sold a lot and made a lot of money and I am happy for them, specially for the ones who were congruent and loyal with their true self and respect themselves as an artist. Another friend who was at the show was Andrees, he is an sculptor and made wonderful pieces hand build, he uses raku glazes and his pieces are incredible, I still can not afford to buy his pieces but I hope I can one day. He was not making any sells for hours and then suddenly one lady bought one of his big ones, he made $450 on one sell!!! So I guess one just need to wait for the right person.

I have been accepted in another show, Art in the Park in Ybor City so I guess I will try again. I already have the fabric and all the little things to display my art so why not.

My wonderful boyfriend took some photos of the event, feel free to make any comment or suggestion about my display... it is still a work in progress.

Octopus's garden...

This is a new bowl, I am trying new animals like octopus, sea rays and fish... what do you think?

My super friend  Betsy Gordon, said my bowl remind her the song Octopus's garden by the Beatles, I don't know why I didn't think of that since I like the Beatles so much and I use to la-la-la (tararear) that song so much. Thank you Betsy, I will rename the bowls and the new plate that is right now in the kiln :)

Under the Sea Bowls

This is the first bowl with the "Under the Sea" theme, I am making more now but I am a very slow person, plus I took a week off and went to the Smokey Mountains, TN and Asheville, NC. I live in Tampa Florida, so I usually don't see the the colors of the fall, so we decided to go before the red and yellow leaves on the trees fell down. We were lucky the colors were so pretty but it was sooo cold. I will post some photos of the trip later. Now I am back at the studio making more "Under the Sea" bowls, my friends keep telling me that this may sell well for Christmas since it is Florida theme.

I will be part of "Made by Hand" show on November 17th, which is next Saturday..... and I don't have things ready yet!!!

I will keep you posted.

Blue Birds Bowls

I am practicing again the majolica style and I have to say I like it a lot. I did my blue birds on the tree again, and I am thinking on many more new designs.

Tumblers

Like I said, I have been practicing new forms besides bowls. I was making tumblers and trying different glazes, but in the end I think I always do the same, draw something on them. Here are my two first carved tumblers. I carved them free hand when they were on leather hard, then I add some red oxide wash and cleaned them and finally I add celadon green glaze and fired cone 6.

Pitcher # 2

Here is the second pitcher, I used "Ohata" and "Mean green" glazes, fired cone 10

Pitchers

I am resting a little of making pitchers, like I said in the previous post, handles are really hard to make. I am now practicing with tumblers and I will post all the tumblers I have made in the next post (I need to take more photos). But I did some pitchers, actually I made four, here is one, I decorated it with the slip trailing tool, I used a purple glaze and fired cone 6.

This one is going to my mom's house, she said she like it :)