With the folks from HGTV coming over this afternoon to film me in my studio,
I knew that I had to make it presentable. Had to clean up the mess that I work in
from day to day. The wareboards with clay covered in plastic. The piles of bisque
in every corner. The overflowing garbage can. The dust & trimmings on the floor.
I had to clean up my act a bit… and make it look good for the camera!

Luckily, one of my studio neighbors has been on vacation, so her studio worked
perfectly as an “overflow” for some of my extra things while they were here. I think my
studio has never looked as nice as it did today. Thank You HGTV for making me clean!

It’s a fairly small space. Some days it feels smaller than others.
Because it’s so small, I think that I need to keep it pretty well organized too.
There’s not much space for piles of useless things. Everything is part of the process.
And it’s important that I keep the flow going.. make, bisque, glaze, fire, repeat.
Otherwise things would pile up even more. And my studio would feel even smaller!!!

So here’s a quick photo tour of my studio… while it is still clean.
After all, tomorrow is another day…

And the wonderful rolling cart my Dad made for my studio. It has removable shelves
that slide in and out on both sides of the cart. With plenty of levels for shelves at different
heights. Ideal for storing drying greenware… or waxed bisque pieces… or glazed pots for
when I roll them downstairs to the soda kiln!

Buckets of glaze on the floor… containers & buckets of slip on the shelves…
plus boxes & tubs on the top two shelves full of Summer Camp supplies!

And now… more insight into my peg-board obsession…

Plus, you know that I’m not above a little shameless self-promotion!
Hopefully, my groovy little signs made it onto some HGTV footage… free publicity?!!!

But let’s not get crazy… my wheel is still filled with trimmings! I haven’t really cleaned it
since I moved into my studio. I just empty the splash pan of the dried remains, then back
onto the wheel it goes. Why wash it? It’s only going to get dirty again!

Well, today was my day in front of the camera. Who knew?…
that my little “addiction” to kiln filler & textures might get me on HGTV?!
That making little textured rattles might get me noticed?! Crazy, huh?!

Let me back up a bit…

A little over a week ago, I was contacted by the Producer of an HGTV show.
You know, one of those shows where they go in and transform an average couple’s
home with cool design. Showing the creative choices, installation, design choices…
all leading up to the “Big Reveal” where the couple sees their new room for the very
first time. Well, this is one of “those” design shows!!! And here’s the host…

Yep… that’s Meg Caswell. Winner of HGTV Design Star season six.
One of those Reality TV shows where they compete in design challenges weekly
and get voted off one by one. Until the last one is standing… and she gets a TV Show!!!

The initial contact came through the Producer who did a search and found my work
on the Internet. Good thing I’ve been keeping my blog up-to-date, huh?! She contacted
me and asked if I would be interested in creating some custom ceramic knobs & door pulls
for the kitchen they are renovating. So of course I was intrigued… and FULL of questions.
We did some e-mailing back & forth, including some samples & “mood boards” being
shared. She also stopped by my studio to check it out, meet with me… which I now realize
was probably also my “audition.” Once we had worked out the details, I was in…
and now facing a production deadline to get all of the knobs & pulls done in time
for the “Big Reveal” taping.

Luckily, we came upon a creative solution… where I would make the knobs in a very
similar style to the textured Relic Rattles I’ve been making for about a year. Handbuilt
stoneware, textured, stained and fired to cone 10… minus the rattles! The plan gave us
different shapes, different textures and different stain colors to play with. I gave the
Producer a few samples that she shared with Meg. Her choice was to go with two shapes,
each with their own texture, and one stain color for continuity.

So I’ve already made the knobs… “squares” for the cabinet knobs, and “horns” for the
drawer pulls. They’ve already been bisqued in my last kiln… look closely, they were the
“still too wet” pieces sprinkled around the kiln… masquerading as simple “kiln filler.”

Today was my day in front of the camera!
Complete with Meg, a full crew, professional lighting, wireless microphones, makeup,
craft services, the whole “shebang”! I guess I never quite expected the full production?!
But there I was, suddenly in front of the camera, with Meg… cameras rolling!

The plan was that we were going to do a little banter, discuss the project, look at a few
rattles I’ve made as samples, do some interactive demos where she plays with clay,
and so on. Everything went really well… despite the fact that it was SO hot in the studios!
No one expected 80-degree days in mid-March… so no one planned on air conditioning.
I’m sure we’re both going to be glistening with sweat. Even though the makeup guy did a
couple touch-ups along the way.

Hopefully they got some good shots of my work and my studio while they were there.
And the witty repartee and banter with Meg will come off well on-screen. Even though
I’m pretty confident that my hours & hours of “brilliant, Emmy-award worthy” footage
will be edited down to a mere 20 seconds or so!

We finished the initial filming – the interactive studio work with Meg… “the Talent.”
Then they left for a short time to do some prep-interviews that will be spliced into the show.
While they were gone, I set up two more demo areas so that they film some B-roll film
that they might intersperse – montage shots of me working on the actual knobs!
Complete with a change of wardrobe to make it “appear” as though time has passed
and the process is well on its way making the actual hardware the homeowners will see
in the “Big Reveal.”

So… that’s the story so far.
I’ve kept it to myself for the most part. It was kind of in the category of “too good to be true.”
I didn’t want to hype the project until I was sure it was going forward. I was afraid that the
plug might be pulled at any time… apparently, not to worry. It was a very professional
production. All of the people were great to work with. And I wouldn’t mind doing it again!

I just hope I don’t look too stupid on screen.
Or too sweaty…

When I find out the air date, I will definitely keep you posted.
I will also do a blog entry about the step-by-step process of the actual pieces I’m making.
Until then… you’ll need to wait for the “Big Reveal” also!!!

Tonight I unloaded my “still-too-warm” bisque kiln… with gloves!
And proceeded to wax the bottoms of everything while I was trying to find
a place to store them until I find a chance to start glazing! Tough to find a
space shelf… things are piling up! Which I guess is a good thing, right?

I love waxing.

So it seems like everything is coming together nicely…
and my “intriguing proposition” project is coming to fruition soon.
I can’t quite reveal it all yet… but here’s another hint.

Don’t get too excited… it’s really not THAT big of a deal.
More to come!

Trying to keep busy… replenishing the inventory on some of the “basics”!

I had a potential client meet me in my studio this morning
and we discussed a very intriguing proposition. By now you probably know
that I’m not a huge fan of commissions… but for this I’ll make an exception!
I hope it comes together… and then I can share details!

Plus, a new “toy” arrived today for my studio…

A set of really cool “speakers” to amplify my iPod music… straight from my earbuds!!!
They show up in this little, flat package. And then expand into horn-shaped speakers.
No batteries or power needed. No cables, chargers or converters. They’re flexible,
stackable & washable. The folks over at Tembo Trunks make a lot of claims about their
product. I think my studio will be the true test of their marketing claims!

Let the music play…. from my iPod, my iPod Shuffle, iPhone or even my iPad 2!!!
Yes, I’m obviously an Apple geek!!!

The speakers come in a a few fun colors… sadly, not orange!!!
So I went with classic iPod White. Check ’em all out on their website!
www.tembotrunks.com

So my day in the studio started with me moving around a LOT of clay.
I had to organize all the boxes & bags of clay strewn about my studio.
And then I had to move up my most recent clay purchase from the loading dock.

It was a lot of work & sweat. Moving everything around in my studio. But once it was done,
it looked great. And I just kept telling myself that it was “thirty boxes of potential.”

My goal for today was to “crank out” a bunch of pots.
To get back into “full production mode.” To get dirty. To play in the mud.

First off, I finished up the terra cotta trays…
and then got a little sidetracked into cleaning my studio. Sidetracked for 7 hours!!!
Yes… I cleaned. I organized. I threw away. I rearranged. I relabeled. I washed my floor.
And sadly, I didn’t realize that the evening had flown by and I made no pots!!!

At least now my studio is clean. And looks ready for some “pot making” tomorrow!
And the orchid arrangement I saved from the “glitter gig” dumpster looks so much
better now than they did in my dirty studio!

Another productive night in the studio. It’s always so much fun
when you pull a bunch of handles… and your cylinders finally become mugs!

Tonight I trimmed a bunch of things, added bottoms to the ovals and
added handles to the mugs. Getting ready to wrap them up for the night
to keep them “workable” for another day. Once the moisture levels “balance out”
a bit, I’ll add a little slip for a splash of color and then they can start drying!