Yep… it was so much fun last week, that we decided to keep the fun going!
And continue with the cleaning, organizing & inventory-ing again this today.
Luckily we got through the bulk of the pottery – but I still have a lot to tackle.

Why does it seem like my storage room will never be organized?…
even after two full days of work – and filling up two dumpsters with garbage!!!
I’m sure I’m not the only one with this ongoing struggle…

Sounds like fun, huh?
Yes, after a long summer of art fair packing & unpacking… let’s just say
that my storage room was “more than a little” out of control. Yikes!
Crates here… boxes there… pottery everywhere!!!

Luckily, my best “art fair assistants” (aka  – my Mom & Dad) also like to
clean, fold and organize things. Lucky me, huh?! So we spent the day down
in the storage room reorganizing my inventory. We pulled out all the crates,
unpacked everything, dusted, cleaned, separated and even did some re-pricing.
I found a few inconsistencies of prices between similar items. So we developed
some new pricing parameters and everything now makes sense. Plus, I can now
see more clearly what inventory needs to be replenished.

Also, while down there going through everything…
we also pulled out a LOT of pieces for the annual “Tired Of Shlepping Sale.”
I think it will be largest collection of clearance, demo & “shlepped” pieces ever!!!
Yep… coming soon to a Holiday Home Show near you!!!
That’s my place the weekend before Thanksgiving… mark your calendars!

This morning I got up early and went back to the studio to unload my kiln.
Okay, it was still a “bit” warmer than I would have liked it to be. Whatever – it was hot!
But I needed to unload it and get them ready for the weekend’s art fair. So I put on the gloves
and started unloading right into boxes to bring them home. Then they were added to the rest
of the boxes, packed into the van and they were headed off to the art fair set-up!!!

And I was quite pleased to see my kiln full of adorably cute monsters staring back at me!

We worked all afternoon, and into the evening, setting up my booth in the Lower Barn.
It’s always a lot of work getting it all put together – so we LOVE the Friday set-up. Although
it always feels odd to set up and leave… with it all there sitting wide open. luckily they have
security guards all night. And it is always SO nice to show up tomorrow morning and be
pretty much ready to go. And I’m hoping that my new little “monsters” are a big hit!!!

I stopped in to the studio to check on my kiln… and it was still above 600 degrees!
I pulled the peeps – and now I’m hoping that the kiln cools quickly overnight.
My plan is to go back early in the morning to unload if possible?! I’d like to get it
emptied and bring all of the new “monsters” home so I can price & pack them
for this weekend’s art fair!

Okay, so the terra cotta “detailing” has begin… more festive fun!

I wonder at what point will my “snail-mail” postcard mailing list become obsolete?…
and I can switch everything over to e-mail, blog & Facebook?! Will that day ever come?
Or do some people still look forward to tradtional postcards of art fair listings?

I know my gut tells me that I should continue designing, printing & mailing postcards.
I think that they are important. I think customers like them. I think people keep them.
I know my Mom keeps cards from her favorite artists on her refrigerator all summer!

But then as I’m updating mail lists, sticking on labels, buying postage stamps, etc…
I keep wondering if it’s all necessary?! E-mails are free. Facebook is the current
“favorite” in social networking. This blog is my personal favorite. So… what to do?
Not everyone is on Facebook. Not everyone is willing to give you their e-mail. And I
have a LOT of names & addresses in my old-fashioned mailing list. It’s a tough decision –
and I’m not sure there’s ever going to be a clear-cut answer. So until then, I guess I’ll
keep doing all of them?! So back to the computer & more mail list updates…

With “Art In The Barn” just a couple weeks away, I kind of feel like I’m ahead
of schedule by loading my kiln tonight… and firing tomorrow. No last minute
unloading and shlepping hot pots to the fair for me this time!

Tonight I loaded my work into a high-fire kiln for a cone 10 gas reduction firing.
I am sharing the kiln with my friend & studio neighbor Karen Patinkin. The back stack
is mostly mine, with the exception of her big bowls on the top. The front 2/3 of kiln
was loaded with Karen’s stunning large platters with intricate glaze detailing and
some of my smaller “kiln filler” bowls around them! Tomorrow we fire…
and it’s up to me to get it lit up & started very early in the morning!

Another night of glazing. Tonight I glazed more work in the studio
including these ovals. I lined them with temoku and inlaid the stamps. After
drying overnight, I will dip the exteriors in an accent color… and hope for the best.
That being some great glaze interaction & stamp accentuation! Fingers crossed…

As camp was about to start this morning, I was quickly loading another bisque kiln.
Hurry… and I quickly learned that my ovals don’t pack quite as tightly as I would like.

The second layer was glazed terra cotta… my niece Taylor’s plates being fired!
Don’t panic… that groovy green color is actually low-fire clear glaze!

The third layer packed much tighter than the first. I love when there’s enough
greenware to pack the kiln tightly – and not “waste” precious kiln space.

Thanks to my friend Katie Biderbost who had some smaller mugs & pitchers
that fit in “perfectly” and helped fill the layer. Katie’s been working at Lillstreet
for years, and is now making these precious little pieces with some really
tight slip trailing. I can’t wait to see how her beautiful blue glaze breaks over
the decorations!

Once I had loaded my work, and Katie’s pieces, I had to rush off to camp. I left a layer open
on top for another studio-mate Karen Patinkin to top off with a few of her beautiful platters!

This afternoon after camp, my 5-year old niece Taylor stopped by the studio
to play in the clay along with my sister Jen (her mom), and my parents. It was
a special afternoon as she was working in clay, creating her own plates before she
heads off for her big adventure into starting Kindergarten! Taylor has been learning
to cook in the kitchen and loves to have people over so she can make lunch. So I
decided that she needs her own set of plates & bowls to serve her food on. We all worked
hard to make an 8-piece set of textured terra cotta plates & bowls. I made the slabs,
she did the textures, my mom helped slump them into the molds and my dad trimmed
off the extra clay. They all worked on the smoothing & painting… all with Taylor’s
design guidance and insistence!!!

And I’m sure you’ve already noticed… how adorable my niece & sister look in their
vibrant tie-dye shirts! You know how I loves me tie-dye!!!

After the plates were finished & painted, we had another quick tour of Lillstreet,
chatted with a few of my previous students (thanks Patrick), and looked at the kilns
and my studio. Then we headed off for dinner at Superdawg. Followed by a not-so-quick
18-holes of miniature golf. Considering it was only her second time golfing, she did
extremely well – and remained relatively focused & alert during the game!