a new bird dish has landed in the shop.
clay.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
going green.
Monday, February 06, 2012
chocolate + cups.
here are some of my new cups.
they will be making their debut THIS weekend at TRAX GALLERY.
. . . an invitational show featuring small bowls for drinking hot chocolate. mark sommer, connoisseur of natural, organic, free trade chocolate from COCOA RUSTICA will be there to whisk up this frothy treat right in your cup !
saturday – february 11th
5:00 to 7:00
1812 5th street
berkeley, ca
Thursday, February 02, 2012
more love.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
the truth.
you never know what really goes on in a relationship behind closed doors, but the truth is that CLAY and I are in a BIG FIGHT. i’ve been working on new cups using different clays, slips, and glazes for weeks now. and after many trials and tribulations, test firings, more test firings, tears, tantrums, disappointments, and new supplies, i thought i had finally nailed down the perfect formula for clay + slip + glaze + temperature = nice cup. well, i thought wrong. turns out that what happens in your test kiln is NOT necessarily what happens in your big kiln, and what happens in your big kiln is NOT necessarily what happens in your even bigger kiln.
i know that all of my testing and inconclusive results are just part of the process and nature of this beast we call CLAY, and it really IS part of the adventure and surprise. but, when you actually need functional cups for a real SHOW, it can be maddening and heart breaking. i wish CLAY would just behave the way i WANT him to right now . . . but at this point, all i can do is cross my fingers and close my eyes.
Monday, January 23, 2012
shake it.
these are new salt + pepper shakers that i designed for my manufactured line.
they were based on and inspired by these bells that i made last summer in france. i had many requests to design a set of salt + pepper shakers (in addition to my cellars) and this shape was perfect for the job.
the gift shows are now in progress and i have A LOT of brand new products hot out of the kiln. be the first to stock your store while you can. my manufactured line will be shown in new york THIS weekend:
New York International Gift Show
January 29th to February 2nd
Magenta presents in “Tabletop and Housewares”
Javits Convention Center, Booth # 3066
Thursday, January 19, 2012
beautiful ugly.
i love the term “beautiful ugly.” this is when something is SO ugly that it is actually beautiful. i’ve been experimenting with new glazes, underglazes, slips, and clays. when these bowls came out of my test kiln, i was HUGELY DISAPPOINTED, as they were nothing of what i expected. i slammed the kiln shut and stormed out of the room. but the next day when i looked at them again, i found them to be quite beautiful . . . exquisite, even.
one of clay’s biggest life lesson for me is to not have your heart set on something. when you think you want something a certain way, it could turn out in a completely different way and you just might love it even more. i love when the clay speaks to me like this. it opens up my mind to even more possibilities than i ever imagined were out there.
what you think you might want, might not be what you want at all.
(click on the image for a closer look at the beautiful ugliness)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
a foot to stand on.
i’m making new cups . . . hand building the cup and using my new best friend, the kick wheel, to trim the foot. this is much harder than it sounds, as it is IMPOSSIBLE to center something that is OFF CENTERED to begin with, but i am having much fun doing something new. trying as it may be (yes, there have been naughty words cried out, sweat dripping from my face, and cups flying off the wheel), i think i am gaining a new appreciation for the wheel. stay tuned for my new series of goofy footed cups . . .
Monday, December 19, 2011
a really good show.
THANK YOU so much to everyone who came out to the FABULOUS SHOW on the weekend. it was such a treat to see so many old friends and to lighten my load for the new year. i have a few more days of shipping out orders and then i am SO HIBERNATING for ONE WEEK. i’m looking forward to 2012. though i already have some projects to start on, my new year resolution is to WORK LESS + PLAY MORE.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
it’s beginning to look a lot like winter.
i love the sparseness and darkness of winter.
these latest new items of mine remind me of just that.
