UpCoMinG SHOWS

and 

Fire and Ruin 

 HELIKON GALLERY 

in February

These next couple months are going to go by super fast. I'll be showing work in the 12x12 show the first week of December in Denver as well as in Art Takes Miami with See.Me. Then in February, I'll be joining nine other amazing artists at the Helikon Gallery in the Rhino Art district in Denver. I'm super excited and look forward to showing off some new, never seen before works! 

moths + winter

siblings © samos 2014

I've been itching to paint for days now and finally had time to sit down. It's been awhile since I've posted anything new. Time is slipping away, but its all good...This has been one amazing and busy year! Seasons have changed and the snow is blowing once again.

Winter has always been one of my favorites. I love warm socks and slippers, sipping on a cup of hot green tea, listening to my favorite Pandora station...painting, drawing, glazing... Life couldn't be better.

moth ii © samos 2014

The other night I was checking out some other artists on Instagram, and found a New York artist that is just phenomenal! Anyways, she inspired me to look into moths and those native to Colorado. I found the Hera buck moth to be quite beautiful. I started out by painting the background in watercolor, drew the moth and then painted in the wings with white titanium acrylic. I then made a couple photo transfers of the same moth and strategically placed them around the first moth. And then added more texture and color. The second image is digitally altered, both are available on RedBubble. 

the beginning of a painting

Stay warm everyone! Winter is here!!! ~samos

G O L D + S P L A S H

© samos 

© samos

© samos

P O T T E R Y: p a c k i n g + s h i p p i n g

As an artist, I'm always concerned about the delivery of my work to its final destination. After all, I put my heart and soul into creating it and want my clients to be happy with their investment. 

When I first started shipping pottery, I did some research and tried different ways to ship my pieces. This involved double boxing them which was quite expensive. When I started working in wholesale, one of my clients was put off by the cost of shipping and told me how she shipped her fragile pieces. Since then, I've stopped shipping everything in two boxes, but still use my fair share of bubble wrap and newsprint. 

I have a large order of plates going out today and thought I would share my process:

wrapping the plate

I prefer to use the large bubble wrap and order it and my boxes from Uline. 

the wrapped plate

all twelve plates wrapped

I am currently waiting for my large boxes to be delivered this morning and it's throwing off my day a bit. So I may end up packaging these guys up in two 12 x 12 inch boxes instead of one 
18 x 18 inch box. But for the sake of this post, I'll go ahead and demonstrate how I pack my boxes. I like to use new corrugated boxes and newsprint or recycled packing material.

first layer of newsprint

 I line the bottom layer with crumpled newsprint and then place the first item in the center. 

first piece 

I surround the piece with the newsprint so that the edges of the pottery aren't touching the sides of the box or another piece of pottery. Don't pack too snug. There should be a little room for shock absorption in the event the box is dropped. 

protected with newsprint

 I always include a handwritten thank you to all my clients and enclose a business card. Lately I've been making my cards. I think its a nice added touch. 

handmade thank you with a business card

almost finished

If you're a potter, how do you ship? I'm always open to new and improved ways to do business better! 

Hope you enjoyed this lengthy post on shipping pottery and a little insight how I sell my work. 

Have a wonderful weekend! ~ samos

Down Time

playing with paint

Four weeks ago today I had a little accident while riding my horse. Long story short, I ended up with four broken ribs & a bruised body and ego. I'm well on my way to a full recovery but haven't been able to throw, paint, or do much of anything. Summer is here and I'm anxious to play in the garden, work in the yard, ride my horse again, and get back to working in the studio! So, in case if you were wondering if I've fallen off the face of the earth, I haven't. It was just my horse. 

Have a blessed Sunday my friends! ~ Stephanie

New Work

be brave planter

growin' like weeds planter

celestial blu soap dish

orange ladybug planter

celestial blu bud vase

new work @ muddypotts

ladybug vase 

green and white bubble planter 

miami splash planter

orange and white bubble planter

Day Old Pottery

Usually I say they're fresh out of the kiln. When they are. Today these pieces are a day old. Kind of like bread at the bakery, only I don't recommend eating them...

MiaMi Planter

Be Brave Planter

Yadro + Orange Bowl 

Red + Black Pagoda Bowl

Black on White Vase

in the studio

my somewhat clean wheel

I went to bed last night anxious to get some work done in the pottery studio. So first thing this morning, I cranked up the heat, put my apron on and started throwing.

drying

and this is what needs glazed this afternoon...

bisque ware

Artists are ALWAYS Learning Something New

morning notes 

Today I was introduced to a free video series that was promoted by Handmadeology. They were given by Sara Shaw of Entreprenette. I was a week late in catching the videos, but lucky for me, our technology allows me to view them anytime and there's still one more video to watch next week! As I was watching them and taking notes, I was thinking of how fun it is to learn something new that I had never even thought of to advance my art career. I'm always looking for new ways to better organize my time since I am the sole proprietor of KoiStudios and MuddyPotts. And even though researching, blogging, and writing up listings has to be done and is time consuming, it is important to find the time to educate yourself whenever possible. Even if it means you may be working into the wee hours of the night in the studio since you spent 3 hours on your computer in the morning...

Now that I have done a little research and revamped the look of my blog, I suppose it's time to put on the apron and get my hands dirty!

By the way, what do you think of the new look on the blog? I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Have a wonderful day!

Social Networking: Does it Pay?

I've been selling my art online since 2005. I wasn't "connected" and yet was doing pretty well for myself. I had found a couple online galleries to sell through. Both took small commissions and it was a great way for me to start learning the ropes of selling online and all that goes with it, like shipping and commissions. Since then, I have revamped my website three times, those online galleries have disappeared and I jumped on the Etsy bandwagon. Last year was a good year for me and my pottery. But it has made me take a look at myself as an artist and what it is I really want to achieve.

I knew that when this new year started, I wanted to do a few things differently. I've been saying for years that I want to get back to sculpting and painting more. This would mean less time spent in the pottery studio. And I am preparing to make that jump. One of the ways I plan to do just that is to limit my time spent on social media. I know what works for me and what doesn't. So if you're "connected" socially on the world wide web and notice that I haven't been around much, you can probably assume that I'm busy working in my studio on a new sculpture or large painting with little time to waste. 

I will continue to write blog posts, so if you care to see what I'm working on, please continue to check in every now and then! 

Thank you for your love and continued support!

~ Stephanie 

a new abstract

I haven't painted an abstract without animals or turning it into a mixed media for a long time. Had some fun with this one...

not just black and white © samos 2014

© samos 2014

The Year of the Horse: Qianli Ma

Qianli Ma © samos 2014

 My maternal grandfather came over from China when he was a young boy. I have few memories of him because he left this life when I was only 6, but what I do remember is his smile. He was always smiling and I love that about him...

A couple days ago my ancestors celebrated the Chinese New Year which happens to be the year of the horse. As many of you know, I LOVE horses. They have been a large part of my life since I was a little girl. Lately I have been painting them and Qianli Ma is my latest creation. 

The spirit of the horse is recognized to be the Chinese people's ethos – making unremitting efforts to improve themselves. It is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able. Ancient people liked to designate an able person as 'Qianli Ma', a horse that covers a thousand li a day (one li equals 500 meters). 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting it is available in my ETSY shop. 

in the studio: greenware and bisque

drying mugs © samos 2014

bisque ware © samos 2014

green ware © samos 2014

wet vase © samos 2014

I take a lot of pictures with my phone when I'm out in the studio. I usually upload them to my Instagram. Recently I realized that not everyone is one Instagram and that you may like to see some of these pictures too...so I will try to do a post at least once a week where you get to see pottery that may be "in the works" so to speak....

black and white: a horse painting and pottery

black on white ceramic bud vase © 2014 

Appaloosa LoVe © samos 2014

black on white ceramic spice jar © samos 2014

what's new

I've been working on a couple projects...started a large new horse painting (4'x4') and getting into a new routine with my pottery. I'm hoping to develop some studio hours that I can stick to in order to produce the amount of quality work I'm striving for. 

Here's a sneak peek at how the painting is coming along. At first it had three horses, but the only one I liked was the middle one. As you can see, now there's one....

work in progress © samos 2014

In the pottery studio, I'm waiting for a batch of pots to dry. I've been thinking of new designs for this year and possibly changing brands on glaze. If I remodel the studio before summer, I may even start making my own glazes. Most potters do, but I really enjoy working with the commercial ones because of the brilliance in their colors. 

...in other studio news....

I applied to a sculpture art walk for Douglas County this year and entered Night and Day. I should know by the end of February if I've been accepted or not. In the meantime, I'm looking to enter a couple exhibits with a few more of my sculptures, paintings, and photographs. 

Until next time...Have a wonderful week!!! 

new work

black white and red planter

blu spotted spoon rest 

black and white planter

playing hookie

Ever take the opportunity to play hookie even though you have a lot of work to do?
That's me today...In the city collecting thoughts and pondering the end of a busy year...and all we have to look forward to in the year to come.