s t u d i o facelift



my wall of cubbies

Last week I was telling my husband that I needed a wall of shelves for all my pottery. My art room was getting cluttered with bookshelves that didn't match, my old over sized drafting table that collected everything that didn't have it's own home, and unmatching shelves on any wall space I could find. As soon as I mentioned this, he was busy figuring out how to make what I had envisioned and off to work he went. Two days later I had exactly what I had asked for! I now have 64 cubbie holes for books and pottery! AND he also made me an 8' workbench! Now my studio is organized and feels so much bigger than it was before. All we have left to do now is the floors, but that will be another project for another day! Until then, I will be busy painting and glazing in my up scaled studio!

Thank you SOOO much sweetie!

You are the BEST!

 

 



the view from across the room



looking out my window

 

bLu biRds and laDybUgs

  

blu birds

i found these cute little birds in my favorite
ceramic shop the other day. i couldn't help but
bring them home. they're so sweet!
 

 

red ladybug bowl

 

deep thoughts

since Friday my heart has been heavy with sadness for those innocent souls that have been taken so tragically. i find myself trying to keep busy with last minute orders, getting Christmas cards out, and then i stop...i start praying in hopes it will comfort those in need....so this holiday season, i am praying for comfort and peace throughout the world and for YOU.  

God Bless

 

mod & pod designs

SpoTTy green tea mug



red on white mod plate set



black on white pod planter

red on white pod vase

Cups and Yarn Bowls

cobalt cups @ muddypotts

 



         

Red and Black SpoTTy Yarn Bowl

 



  

Cobalt Blue Yarn Bowl

ON or OFF

bisqued ornaments

Yesterday was spent in the studio throwing. I don't know if you ever have off days, but yesterday was definitely an OFF day for me. It took me most of the morning to get one simple piece made. I decided I needed a break, so I took the dogs outside to play a bit and had some lunch. After a much needed breather I went back to the studio and made nine new pieces. Now the studio shelves are filled with new work waiting for their turn in the kiln.

 

 

magnets

 

Hoping for an ON day tomorrow!

PiGGy b a n k LoVe

ETSY FAVORITES

d e c e m b e r in the STUDIO

greenware
 

Already??? Feels like we just brought in a new year! Oh well, not much anyone can do about it, right? That's why I've just been keeping my head down and working in the studio...Besides, it's FUN!

 

drying bowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

plates and ornaments

Organic Shapes and Ornaments for the DoGs

Ceramic Horse Bowl

Finished a couple commissions and starting some others today...

So happy to be working in the studio lately!



organic red and black bowl



Personalized Dog bone Ornaments

LooK at THESE giRLs

 

thalia



A dear friend and her husband stopped by for a visit yesterday. I took her into the studio to see all the new things I've been working on and she asked to see the bronze muses I had made a few years ago. I had made nine small figures for a solo show in 2007. A few have sold and the others keep me company in my studio. Today I decided it was time to share them with you. 

calliope

 I first sculpted them out of wax and then they were taken to a foundry where they were created in bronze using the lost wax process. After I picked them up, I brought them home to clean them before sandblasting them. These pieces were small enough for me to sandblast myself. Then I applied a cold patina of cupric nitrate.

 

cleo

melpomene

polyhymnia




fannie of mansfield

Fannie of Mansfield was inspired after watching a movie. All of the sculptures I create are usually female abstractions in bronze, but this time I decided to try a ceramic piece. I used clay slabs, copper tubing and wood. Fannie was in a group show last year at the 3rd Street Gallery in Westcliffe.





back side Fannie

T H A N K Y O U

bisqueware © samos 2012

Last Saturday I had a Holiday Pottery Sale in Salida. It was a lot of fun! We had friends coming in from 9 until almost quitin' time. A big THANK YOU to my parents for all their help and for letting me use their beautiful home, my husband for his help and for putting up with me the week before, and to ALL my customers! Without your love and support, this Holiday Sale wouldn't have been the huge success that it was. I sold over 30 pieces and contracted 8 new commissions!

 

T H A N K   Y O U!!!

 

MUCH LOVE

 

Stephanie

 

F I N A L c o u n t d o w n

leftovers © samos 2012

 

I'm busy busy getting ready for my home show this Saturday!

Today I'm packing pieces, glazing, firing...

 

Christmas ornaments waiting to be glazed

 

planters patiently waiting to be packed

 

 

Muddypotts will be closed

Saturday only

for the

Holiday Pottery Show!

 

 

personalized dog bone ornaments to be glazed

 

New @ muddypotts!

Ceramic dog bone ornaments. And they're personalized!

 

if you're in the neighborhood Saturday (salida)

stop by 1405 L St for a cup of joe

and

check out the Holiday Pottery Sale!

 

 



Blog Giveaway: Spark and Inspire





Spark and Inspire in the studio

Oh my gosh! I am SOOO excited this week!!! I'm hosting a blog giveaway of one of the most amazing collaborations I've ever been a part of. Back in the spring of this year, my artist friend Robin Norgren started a blog hop with 10 women of 10 creative businesses answering 10 questions called the 101010 Project. Robin took her vision even further and turned the project into a book called Spark and Inspire! The giveaway is for a FREE PDF copy of the book (although I highly recommend you get the book too! It's amazing!)  All you have to do is leave me a comment below and share this Spark and Inspire link on your Facebook page. That's it! What a deal! So are you in?



What's New: Painting Storage

Some artists are lucky enough to have their own studio space with plenty of room to store their artwork and supplies. Then there are those of us that are lucky to have a spare room (or two) in the house or garage. My office/painting studio/art room is a typical bedroom with a smallish walk in closet. Last night my husband decided he needed to tackle his office which meant rearranging for me too. Most of my large paintings took up residence in his office closet. It is a lot bigger than mine, so it was a good fit for awhile. But he has acquired quite the collection of hunting and fishing memorabilia/paraphernalia which needed a new home, so it was time for me to do some rearranging in my storage area.

For years we've been talking about building a storage unit for my paintings. They seem to multiply around here like bunnies! Anyways, I'm not quite ready to let them go out into the pottery studio. I don't think it would be a smart move considering the temperature out there in the winter, the spiders that like to take up residence and the hay that trickles in with every feeding...with that in mind, my husband built me a nice storage unit in the art room closet.

lower storage

large paintings

upper shelf with smaller canvases

I love it! It looks great and I have all my paintings in one place. By looking at the pictures though, you can see there isn't much room at all for new work. So I'll have to find more space soon, but for now, I'm very happy with my storage unit.

 

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH SWEETIE!

 

 

Do you have a storage area for your work? What do you do when it crowds you?

I'd love to hear what you do! 

 

Be You with a Little Attitude



Pink with Attitude © samos 2012

I am having so much fun with the round robin art journal!
Above is Pink with Attitude with a quote from Winston Churchill:

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

Isn't that the truth!

Be You © samos 2012

 

Be You includes two very funky but stylish girls sporting uber cool hats and gloves.

They are accompanied with a quote from Orson Wells:

 

 Create your own visual style...

Let it be unique for yourself

Yet identifiable for others.

Peek-a-Boo

Last week came and went so fast! Art journals for the week...

Life and Bikes © samos 2012



I See, I See © samos 2012



and then I couldn't resist this little dish in the Lotus glaze.

 I bet you couldn't

tell it's one of my favorites. *smile*

lil Lotus dish © samos 2012

 The Cherry Blossom Lotus Vase

is an older piece that I haven't had available

 in my shop for a while now. It would make a great

gift for a loved one that collects unique pottery.

Red Cherry Blossom Vase

Heat + Studio = Happy Potter

Many thanks to my wonderful husband for installing heat into my pottery studio yesterday! We had an old furnace that we had taken out of the house when we first bought it. It has been out in the garage to serve as a heat source for my hubby when he's out there working during the winter months. But we have acquired a wood stove from my folks and are going to use that in place of the furnace. We've been talking about getting some heat into the studio, but just haven't got around to it. You know how it is. But now we have heat! I am so excited!!! Can you tell? You may be wondering where the furnace is from the pic below...well, David put it in the corner of the garage and cut out a vent in the wall. So the furnace is in the garage! I just get the heat.

studio

My studio is always a work in progress. It's a breezeway between the house and the garage. Just the perfect size for me! But there is always something that has made throwing a little difficult. For instance, the first three and half years or more I was using an old stool that my dad had used in his work van years ago. It wasn't quite tall enough for the wheel, so I had it sitting on four 2x6's. I had to becareful not to move or else I'd fall off my "stilts" and onto the concrete floor! For years, my husband had been telling me to just order a stool. Finally he just broke down and got me one. Boy, does it make a difference! I love it!

my wheel and comfy chair

Thanks to my sweetie, I will be warm and comfortable while working in the studio this winter!

sPoTTy Bowls and a SpOOky Mug

Mocha Ice Bowls

SpOOky Mug @ muddypotts
 



Lil Red Ladybug Dish @ muddypotts



Pottery: Wholesale or Retail

That's the question. When I first started making pottery, the thought of selling wholesale never entered my mind. A few years ago, I was approached to sell wholesale and turned it down due to my schedule. When I was  asked again this year I decided to give it a try. Excited to enter new business territory, I jumped right in with confidence not knowing what I was getting into. After doing some research I discovered wholesale usually means that you are selling your work at 50% off the retail price. Retail price?! Wake up call! I didn't view the price I was selling my pottery as a "retail" price, I was just selling it for what I thought was a reasonable offer. Wrong! Now, at this point in the game, you're probably thinking "what kind of business person are you?" Well, to be quite frank, not a very good one. But I am still learning and trying. *smile*

 planters © samos 2012

Now that I know that the price I'm selling my pottery for is the retail price, I have to start from square one with every single piece I have in my inventory. Yes, that's right. I took each piece of pottery, weighed it, calculated the cost of materials, time, and figured out the actual retail price. This was quite the chore, but a necessary one. For years, friends and family have been telling me that my prices are too low. Well, they were right. After figuring out the cost of each piece of pottery, I was stunned to see how much work I've been doing for almost nothing. This was of course the biggest wake up call of them all.

I have since revamped my retail price list as well as produced a wholesale price list that I follow to a tee. And guess what?  My sales have increased and I'm still working wholesale!

Do you have any thoughts or stories to share about working with retail or wholesale?

 I would love to hear them.

 

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

 

samos