Sir Jumpsalot

Hello,

Finally, my jars are ready, yay!!!

I was struggling with the colors, we had a lack of supplies at the studio, and I realized that I use light green a lot, chartreuse to be exact and black. I can not live without chartreuseeeeeeeeeeee!!! hahahaha!

What happen without chartreuse, the greens get darker, so I had to think on some more darker, earthy colors. Here is the result. Not so bad either.

I was so relief that I could open the jars, in the past one of my jars got stuck, and it took me a lot of time until finally someone help me, they recommended me to have wood sticks. This guy, Bill, kept hitting the jar, ever so light and continuously until it finally opened. This time my jars had a lot of decorations, it would have been very sad. But it didn't happen, yay!!! again.

Here is the frog, looking good "Sir Jumpsalot", funny name, my friend Deborah, name him, she said, he just look like a Sir, hahaha!

Banner

Sometimes I feel that I can produce at all, my head is full with ideas, thoughts, questions, list, and all sort of things, that make impossible to focus in only one thing. Every year I want to apply for a couple of art shows but the list of things that I will need is so big that it discourage me all the time. I will need among other things, a tent, a banner, something to display my pots, make something cheap so people at least buy a $5 dollar something, business cards, a website, a device that let me connect with the internet for the credit cards,  I know most people have smart phones, but I don't I only use the phone to make calls or text, the rest I mainly do in the computer. I have in a couple of event and I had used my husband iPod, which stress me enormously.

The list is so big, that I feel stress just to remind all of those things. However, I have decided to have a different approach this time, I will do it step by step, and if I don't have things ready this year, for sure they will be ready next.

First step business cards... DONE. I feel so relief, it was such a headache thinking of that, and decided of theme or brand that will resume my work, I know it sounds silly but it is hard work, unless you go and hired a creative from an add agency that will help you with everything, but it will also cost you a fortune. Lucky for me, I have some friends in that field, but news is that they are Peru :(

I fund a wonderful designer a friend of my brother who helped me with the cards and finger cross will help me with all the other things. It is a bit complicated since I am here in Florida and he is in Lima, but things are working out fine.

Second step, a banner. Have you seen those banners in the tents of craft shows, there is a graphic, or a photo with the name of the person or store, the website and so on. Every page on the web and every book said a banner is a MUST, well, I am working on that. Is not as easy as to pick a photo and write all your information, or perhaps some people can, my brain works very slow and thinks way to much, should I use a photo or a design, what kind of design, etc, etc, etc. I decided to paint something in watercolors, something that lately have been very well received by people: my Florida Summer collection.

Here it is:

 

What do you think? I think it will work, now with the magic of photoshop and a talented designer like my new best friend Ozkar, it will be the banner I will use for the next show :)

I posted it on FB and people really like it, some people told me that I should illustrate children books! wow! You know, I always wanted to be a children book illustrator, the same way I always wanted to make a dinner ware set in the wheel, and have a book published, I am never short of wishes and dreams.  Perhaps they all come true someday. In the meantime, I really have to focus and finish my plates, see you next time.

Vases

Yes! Again I am trying to make tall vases on the wheel, it is hard, at least it is hard for me. I can do small vases, but my goal is to make something tall, with fat walls so I can carve them and thin wall so I can paint them.

I got help from my teacher Scott with this vase, and I want to do something exactly like that all by myself, perhaps I have to practice more, perhaps is time to buy a wheel and practice more at my house. I am working on that, but every time I think we can afford one something happen, roof leaks, pluming problems, car problems, there is always something, but hopefully this will be the year.

Anyways, this vase was decorated with mishima and later sprayed with spodumene and dijon glazes, cone 10. I wanted to make a clear difference in the color of the bunnies and the color of the background, but I couldn't every time I tried I couldn't totally control the spray gun. I was thinking a different spray gun, the one you can use to paint but I have been told that the consistency of glazes and the consistency of ink will not be the same even when it kind of look the same, bummer!

I was also looking the videos of a wonderful potter, his name is Charlie Tefft, and he makes the most lovely pots, he also sprayed his pots, and in his video, of course, it looks like it is not that difficult, but IT IS! I am going to keep investigating and experimenting with goof luck I will be able to find something that works for me.

Here is the vase, tell me what do you think or suggestions.