Green Swamp Gazette

Hoarders, my version

2012-01-17T11:04:00.000-08:00

The above picture is my pack and ship after the holiday season. The rest of the house looked similar. It was obvious that the small area I had set aside for shipping was not functioning well. I was having to wade through the boxes to get to my scale. I was wishing I could have a professional organizer come in like on "Hoarders" or like on "Oprah" and get me organized. Well hiring a professional is not in my budget, and I don't need a doctor appointment to tell me I have and organizational disorder, and it wasn't bad enough to get the hoarders team in, so I had to deal with it. Below is the same corner, waiting to be my photo corner, and my pack and ship has expanded to the back of the room.

I still have a way to go, but it is so much better to have the shipping area working smoothly again. All of this organizing and cleaning has kept me out of the studio for a week, and I am looking forward to getting back to my favorite part, the making of things!

2011-11-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

I am dusting off the shelves in the Green Swamp Gallery, and adding a line of pendants, and ornaments to my shop this week. As I write, the wood fire is being unloaded, and I am trying to figure out how to get my shoes and coat and car keys without waking the sleeping dogs. Yeah I know it is impossible. They can hear me thinking about getting up and going! Here are some snap shots that I took at the kiln site. It was a very nice load. The little rabbit pitcher was made with mid fire white clay from Continental Clay, and it was fired to well over cone 10 in this firing. The vase looking pieces below, are actually lamp bases that were special ordered.

2011-06-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

When the frost is finally out of the ground, there is a flurry of activity around the gardens in Minnesota. When I first moved here and started my own gardens, I had this vision of an English country garden, or closer to home my mother in laws garden, with perfect rows and raised beds, and no weeds! But I learned early on that the forest will keep taking over, and there was good reason to embrace the "weeds"
For one thing I did not want to use any chemicals , herbicides, fertilizers on my gardens, vegetable or flowers. Our land was wild when we moved here, and I wanted to be a good guest. The weeds were here before we were, and as I have learned over the years, each one has it's own purpose.

This pink and purple area is made up of iris in the back, chives in the middle, and a petunia basket in the foreground.

So today I have pictures of my co existing front garden that also provides some herbs for my kitchen. I used to use a purple only theme, because by August every thing will be covered with Grandpa Ott purple morning glories. But there are so many beautiful colors out there that I have added a full spectrum this year.


the wild columbine are out now


Filling in is the greenery of dandelions and plantain. both are beneficial plants.

Well I am off to use my new eco friendly lawn mowing program. I will have pictures soon!

Blossoms of spring

2011-06-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

This was a huge surprise today! I found it on one of my houseplants. This is on an orchid cactus, but I have only ever had red and pink varieties and when I saw the bud on this one, I thought it looked yellow, but up until yesterday it had enough pink on it for me to think it was just another pink one. I am just mystified as to where it came from. I am wondering if they can change colors or what.

I hit the greenhouses early this year and got these pinstripe petunias. I went to get more and they were gone already! Our vegetable garden is in, and the new section of raspberries is looking good. We have had a lot of rain this spring, and I am looking forward to a stretch of dry days so we can make some hay. There are baby bunnies and one of my banty hens is sitting on a clutch of eggs.

Domestic Goddess Day!

2011-05-25T16:06:00.000-07:00

I got my new sheets today and I cleaned the whole bedroom and beyond getting ready for them! I got a great deal online at Herberger's. I have a soft spot for Herberger's , They had a department store in Albert Lea, when I was a kid, and we got everything there. Now I check their website when I need things and I find some great deals exclusively online.
My daughter and I were talking about how it's uplifting to give your room a cheap facelift, and add that fresh line dried sheet smell and a clean room and it doesn't get much better. And for sure the cleaning binge is going to go on and spread to the rest of the house. It must be spring!!
This is a good way to stay busy while I wait for the kiln to cool. The firing went well on Monday. We got done about 11pm. I can't wait to see the new projects Paul is working on.
I will post pictures tomorrow.

New work, with colors galore!

2011-05-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is my first paisley plate. I started doing these just for fun, and now am making myself a set, still just for fun, and just for me! This one required an extra bisque firing because I used wax resist on the bisque along with some underglazes. Then I layered more underglazes, glazed with clear, and fired to cone 6 oxidation. I work on one at a time, in between my regular studio duties, and I just get hypnotized adding details. On a sandwich plate today, I let myself get carried away with the resist, layering many colors , can't wait to fire it, and layer on some more!
Okay! So blogger was working on some issues yesterday , and I lost part of this post. I added the works in progress to show the process. The slab piece shows the first layer of wax resist, and some areas that I put yellow under glaze. My next step will be to wax wherever I want to keep the yellow, and then add my next color which will be just a bit darker than the first. Adding layers can go on indefinitely, as I will be painting smaller details within the pattern, after these are bisqued to remove the wax.

Buffalos!

2011-04-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had a very educational weekend at the Minnesota Buffalo association. I had some buffalo/bison pots on hand for the Creative Drive in May, so I took those and some other pottery and set up at their meeting. There were other booths there, and some really interesting materials, and lectures about raising those magnificent beasts. I am planning a trip to Jamestown ND someday to see the National Buffalo museum there!

I am looking forward to our summer season of shows. Most of them consist of pottery tours where we are hosted by someone. Of course we will apply for Stockholm again this year and hope to attend that wonderful show.

Something new for Paul this year will be a workshop held in New London, MN with his longtime colleague Bill Gossman. This two day event will be held May 13th and 14th. Bill will be demonstrating large scale vessels, and Paul will be concentrating on "Anything but round"
Click Here for more information about the workshop. I will be giving two mini workshop April 30th at the Pine Center for the arts One will cover beginning drawing, and the other will be about marketing your work in online venues.
So things are about to get very busy it seems!

A surprise with my soap!

2011-04-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the Green Swamp road is down to one lane at the bottom of the hill with the water creeping over the sides. I have seen so many birds this week, robins, Sandhill cranes, swans,Canadian geese, it seems to have happened all at once! Soon I will be spending my days outside in the garden along with my studio work!

I got the nicest surprise in my most recent order from Britewerkz

I am addicted to handmade soaps, and Brite makes the mildest soaps with the most wonderful scents. I was thrilled when my order arrived packed in these cool round sponges. I have been having fun altering these sponges for use in my glaze and underglaze applications. I used scissors and an exacto knife to cut the shapes. They work great left whole as just sponges too. I can't wait to try these in the studio tomorrow!

Mid winter work schedule

2011-01-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

I have my winter studio set up at the house. I do get down to the actual studio once a day, but I am sure Paul enjoys some daily private work time as I do. I can monitor the phone up here and watch movies while I work if I want. Last night I watched this one" Exit through the Gift Shop" Banksy film . See the website here

Having to do with street art and some of the main figures in the field, this one had an ending that surprised me, at first, but then as I thought about it, was so typical of the way things sometimes work in the art world..

I have some works in progress that are taking over my area, Here are my two latest. I was inspired to make a dachshund after out visit with friends and their three wiener dogs. The opossum is a newer resident to the north. It is North America's only native marsupial. They are very ancient animals, and are beneficial to a garden in that they eat slugs and other grubs that are pests. Most people don't like them, but I find them fascinating, and wonder how they are doing this winter. These two got accidentally left out last night because I conked out, so I am adding finishing touches before they dry any further.

Mother daughter project

2010-12-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

This past summer I got a real slab roller for the first time in my working career. I have been doing many different projects, but one that I really enjoyed was my pendant project that I worked on with my daughter , Lily , over the summer. We found it so relaxing to carve the little tiles, and I really liked the freedom of choice we had for subject matter, anything we wanted!! I have added Lily to my etsy shop, but I think she is planning on starting her own store soon. She has never had formal art training but seems to have absorbed something just growing up in this atmosphere. Her tiles are pictured below.

These were all done in the raw state by painting underglaze over the pendant and carving it away. As the tiles began to dry we experimented with other methods like brushing on the designs.

A week to remember

2010-11-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well this is one country gal that is glad to be home! For a person that doesn't get out much I have had one heck of a week.
I had a booth with my rabbit art at the National Rabbit Breeders convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We only had time to set up the booth and leave the boxes for me to set up on Sunday because Lily and I had to get over to First Avenue to see Richard Thompson in concert. This was my fourth or fifth time seeing him perform , and he never disappoints! Sunday I got the booth set up and when Lily relieved me from my booth duties, I hopped on I 35 and buzzed down to Owatonna for the opening of an art exhibit by my best friend of 33 years. Here is an article that appeared in the Owatonna Paper

The rabbit show was great because I got to see some of my old rabbit friends and their beautiful animals. I also got to see every recognized breed of rabbit in the United States. I was strolling around sketching the animals on Monday morning, and saw this beautiful doe that has my Grand Champion rabbit" Dobie" in her ancestry!

Tuesday was my birthday and Lily and I shared some great pizza and talked till I conked out. I got home last night glad to have me and my van in one piece after driving around lost in Minneapolis all week. gah! but now I am safe at home, and can let all the events sink into memories, great ones! Denise

Welcome November!

2010-11-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

November finds me in a tizzy, getting ready for the National Rabbit Breeders Convention being held here in Minnesota next week. I am excited to see all of my old friends from my rabbit showing days! Months ago when the location was announced, I began to create items for my convention booth. We always have rabbit items in our regular stock, but with my new slab roller and some different clay bodies to experiment with, I went crazy making all things rabbit! I have had a good time doing it too. Over the summer my daughter and I made pendants, using several different techniques to decorate them as they dried. I have several new sculptures, and we collaborated on 50 special mugs made just for "rabbit con" . I will be there for the duration of the show, November 7 through 11.

After the convention, we will be doing two wood fired loads, for which we are already building up stock. Pine Center for the Arts will be hosting us in their gallery in December which coincidentally marks our 28th year as a couple, and collaborators in Morris Pottery.

Morris Pottery is a guest on the Fresh Art Tour

2010-09-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Paul is taking off today for the Fresh Art Tour and it promises to be a beautiful fall weekend coming up. Paul will be a guest at Pepin Farm site #11.

I will be staying home over the weekend getting more vegetables harvested and stored away. I am so curious what is under my potato plants, because I didn't really see them flower this year! My Russel Lupine is blooming again, and I can't say as I have ever seen that before. This has been a weird year for gardening, to say the least.

Sticks and Stones VIII

2010-09-26T05:29:00.000-07:00

Brian Wicklund and Joe Cruz

I am up early getting ready for the last day of the Art festival, which promises to be beautiful weather wise! The rain stopped on Friday leaving us with crisp fall air and beautiful colors. The show was well attended yesterday, and the concert last night by Brian Wicklund and the Barley Jacks was just incredible. Everyone there knew we were seeing a world class performance by the quartet headed by Brian who is one of the most talented and versatile violinists I have ever seen. The music was the perfect topping to a perfect day! Click the link above for more information on the band, and their new CD.

Mural Painter

Today has a spectacular line up also with Monroe Crossing performing at 2pm, perennial favorite, Charlie Roth, and in the coffee house Thea Ennen and Dave Peterson.
I am heading over to the History Center, but first I will post some photos from yesterday

Glass by Craig Campbell


Ambidexterous!!

Newest kiln firing

2010-09-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend firing the kiln. We rented one chamber, the salt one, and Paul and Lily put a months work in and it was finished on Saturday. I wasn't there for the opening, because I took Lily back to school that day. I was anxious to get home and see the results, though, and it didn't sound good when I got home and talked to Paul.
"It's different" Paul said, right then there was that dreaded feeling.....And always in the back of my mind I rattle off every possibility! Two plates were sitting out and they were indeed different. Our slip had a blue halo around the lines that was mysterious, and it was also really melted, some pots had just a melted blob, and the slip had a gunmetal look on some pieces. As we went through the hows and the whys, it was concluded that the last batch of black slip must have been mixed wrong, or too strong. It wasn't until Paul went to find the stain to make a new batch of slip, did he notice that instead of cobalt free black, our packet was chromium free black!
I relate this story because there is a bright spot. Among the worst of the results, I saw some little things I liked, something that would be a new avenue to pursue. And the ones that didn't melt away had a kinetic energy to them , adding to the action of the animals, not distracting from it. I also liked a lot of the blues , and told myself to start adding some blue slip to the mix again.

On some, the melting enhanced the drawing, and gave it energy

Some of the pieces stayed black, but had a gunmetal sheen.

some had a blue halo around the black lines

If it had been the "old days" of the production pottery(any production pottery) this would have been considered a disaster, and the dramatists of the group would have had a field day. I am so glad that I work in an environment , now that allows for a mistake to lead to something new, and not be looked at as a "disaster".

Bill Gossman Pottery will be at Sticks and Stones

2010-09-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

We are busily preparing for the 2010 Sticks and Stones festival, and I have just finished my informational page with the musicians , artists, and events scheduled for the big weekend.

Visitors to the show this year are in for a great variety of artists and mediums. Being involved in clay as I am, I am very excited to feature some awesome Ceramists.

Bill Gossman will be with us this year, he has participated in past shows and we are glad he is back on the schedule. Bill is a potter's potter, the genuine article. His studio in New London, MN is always fun to visit, because Bill is the kind of guy that is always working on something new. Some will remember his porcelain lamps at the 2008 Show. Bill is an inspiration with his throwing techniques, and his vast knowledge of the ceramics process. He is generous with that knowledge and has been a mentor to many.

Bill also serves as the Mayor of New London. I have been fortunate to participate in the community at several events, and this is truly a town that supports the arts. Bill is an organizer for the annual folk music festival that is held in the park. Oh did I mention that Bill is also an accomplished musician on several instruments, and visitors to the campfire jam might hear him play a fiddle, penny whistle,harmonica, or squeeze box!
I see more and more as the craftspeople I know" mature" including me,(ahem) that the art becomes more than the creations one produces, but it integrates a way of life, that becomes an art in itself. Bill's generosity with his time in the community is certainly an extension of his craft and his way of life.
To see more of Bill's work, check out Bill Gossman Pottery

Waiting for the kiln to cool

2010-08-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well the firing went well yesterday. Paul did the whole thing himself with a little help from Lily and I stoked for awhile at the end. Now we wait.... I will have a bunch of new pots to put in the Etsy shop later in the week. Other than the pottery, the rest of September will be tied up in getting our Sticks and Stones festival up and running on the 24th 25th and 26th.

This will be the biggest one yet, with the very popular band Monroe Crossing appearing on Sunday. This has created quite a buzz in the area, and I am going to make a personal request for their version of "Purple Rain" that I caught on KVSC 's Frets program on a road trip last week.
My own personal favorite Brian Wicklund will return this year on Saturday with a new band, and a newer name, the" Barley Jacks" for an evening concert on Saturday. I got a sneak preview of these guys at fiddle camp this summer, and we are in for a real treat on Saturday! In between the big acts, we have the Coffee House that will feature Thea Ennen with her wonderful original songs and musicianship, as well as Dave Meeks, Paul Morris, Ben Rossow and Deb Barrett.

I have nearly completed the 2010 artists roster on the website
2010 artists roster
Well that should keep us up to date for now.

2010-07-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the art show last weekend. This one is put on by artists so it is a really nice show to do. I also got to see some old friends. I got a mug like the ones pictured and a matching bowl from Willem Gebben., a Wisconsin potter whose work I have collected for many years.

It was great getting to chat with Willem and Jordis, his partner for awhile, because we share similar philosophies about being potters. They put on a home show twice a year, and don't have much of an online presence, so if you would like dates for the shows or more information on the pottery, contact me.

The weather was great art fair weather, and it was busy all day, the best part was, we got all packed up and were on our way home before the raindrops began. Paul took me to a great little cafe in Bay City, the River Bay Cafe. A cold tap beer sure tasted good after a long art fair day, and the food was delicious.

New pots from the June firing

2010-06-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

The photo today is a new plate from the June firing. This is a big platter measuring 15 inches across. This is one of my most involved designs that requires many layers of slips and glazes before being fired in the wood kiln and glazed with salt added at the end of the firing.

This is pretty much what today looked like in the woods around the green swamp. Gardening and yard work has kept us busy this summer, and I am so happy with my front yard flower and herb garden. Paul filled the two chamber kiln by himself and firing was a family deal in June. The kiln is at our neighbors, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to fire in it while we continue to build our own. One chamber is for salt glaze and the other , the first chamber is just stoneware. In order to fill it faster , Paul made some large planters to fill the stoneware chamber. I acquired a couple with small cracks and have been cruising the green house end of season sales to fill them.

I have mixed more colors into the front garden this year, because I fell in love with these petunias.

Every flower is a different combination of a limey yellow and a rich magenta. I have added some more yellow and red to my usual purple pallette. There is much satisfaction when I gaze at my flowers or weed out my veggies. Summer is so fleeting in Minnesota, and we have to savor every minute of it!

A new cycle begins

2010-06-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Well another month has passed, and my poor blog lies neglected. So, today, I decided to do this first before I went and got distracted with other things. We have received more rain in the past few days than I can remember falling in the last three years!! My well pump in the back is crapping out, and watering the garden when I planted it was a slow and tedious project. The army worm caterpillar invasion is nearly over. Squadrons of the big black flies that will lay a parasitic egg on the fuzzy worms, and consume them before they hatch , have been arriving. I expect mosquitoes will be showing up here, as I have seen some big invasions at other locations. To put a positive spin on the legendary northern mosquito, I will soon be seeing all different kinds and colors of dragonflies, and little birds and bats that consume them. When I walk back from the shop after dark, the sounds of rustling toads in the leaves of the forest floor accompany me. There are three types of tree frogs that I know of, and Lily has spotted some adult blue spotted salamanders.

My garden in the gravel pit here in the front is growing. The irises that I inherited from my Mother in laws' husband were not thriving back in the old garden, the grass and raspberries have choked half of them out. The ones I put in my rock garden are thriving! The one in the picture reminds me of fancy underwear!

The cycle of summer, for us, is involving more public sales, and I have not gotten my farmer's market act together yet. Besides the garden, and getting a chicken coop built, I have acquired a slab roller, and am getting more involved in the studio than I have in a long time. I have dismantled my winter studio up here at the house and am working on the larger sculptures that are possible in my summer work area. Cleaning and organizing is an ongoing project. I have cleaned out the merchandise in my Morris Pottery shop in Etsy.
and will be listing new things daily there.

Paul will be at the studio of Bill Gossman, at the Willmar Area Studio Hop this weekend. I am taking a break from fiddle lessons for the month of June, and am attending fiddle camp this coming week for four days of music rejuvenation. Brian Wicklunds books are the ones that captivate my students, I am so looking forward to this, not only for my personal goals, but to see how they motivate the kids, of which will be the majority of the campers. I have rented myself a nice room at a historic inn in Stillwater, and will be so enjoying this personal retreat!

Catching up!

2010-05-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

What happened to April? I am putting in a late night after playing the monthly jam session at Kanabec History Center in Mora. This is a regular event held on the third Saturday of every month year round.

Paul was in St. Peter Friday installing a show with Bill Gossman titled "The Story, so Far" The show runs through June 13th in the Moline Gallery at the Arts Center of St. Peter.
Bill has also invited Paul to participate again this year in the Willmar area Studio Hop in June more information can be found here at their website http://studiohop.wordpress.com/

July will find us in Brainerd MN http://www.brainerdcommunityaction.org/arts_in_the_park.html
My annual favorite is the Stockholm Art Festival http://www.stockholmartfair.org/index.html
This show is in it's 37th year in a beautiful location on Lake Pepin.

All of the shows we are doing this summer are put on by other artists, except for Brainerd. Our plans for our own festival, Sticks and Stones on September 24,25, 26 are coming together nicely. We have bookedhttp://www.monroecrossing.com/reviews.html to appear Sunday and Brian Wicklund http://www.brianwicklund.com/ and his band will perform on Saturday night. We have a full two days of music and entertainment lined up including the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers http://www.wildgoosechasecloggers.org/

Well I hope this catches me up for awhile, the garden is underway, and we are reclaiming parts of the yard from the encroaching forest. I have twelve chicks that I am raising and some baby bunnies in the rabbitry, so I have a lot on my plate!

There must be a name for it!

2010-03-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

I still consider myself new to the internet, even though it's going on eleven years since my first computer experience. Something about the internet experience makes me feel like there's always something new to figure out, keeps it interesting!

I am sure there must be a word for when you are at the computer and a friend sends a link, like my friend did this morning, of a youtube video, and I go off on a big tangent listening to great music, and getting all nostalgic. My friend says she sets her timer for 40 minutes if she knows she is about to go down that music tangent.

It's only 9 am , so I will still get all of my work done before I am off to give fiddle lessons. There is a ton of greenware waiting for me to slip trail, and I am going to take my camera down, and make a new video for slip trailing with a little more detail. I also want to edit my first one, and need to take the time to do that too.

This beautiful spring weather has been great. Even if it gets cold and snowy again it can't get it's teeth in. We have made it through one more winter!!

Spring is near!

2010-03-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Well it is great to be on the other end of winter! Of course we still expect some cold weather and snow for the next month or two, but the worst is definitely behind us now, and it is time to plan the garden, and summer activities. Above is my latest goat sculptue, I have many more to finish off this week, as well as prepare a wood fire load to be fired next weekend.

I started contributing to a new blog,

http://kcaaarts.blogspot.com

I find it a lot easier to write things in that blog, I wonder why. I guess maybe with my own blog I want it to be interesting, and there isn't really much interesting about my day to day life in winter in Minnesota, most of the activity goes on in my head, this time of year! We are signed up with a couple of artist run shows this summer and have been making plans for the fall Sticks and Stones festival. I still haven't started to enter any art fairs but we are looking at a few that are close by.

It has been great experimenting with glazes and under glazes in our electric kiln this winter, but equally great to settle back into the old slip trailing routine. Crossing our fingers for good weather toward the end of the week!

Green Swamp Gallery is open

2010-02-09T10:30:00.000-08:00

My NEW STORE

Well I start the post with my new Etsy store, and now the tie in with this blog is a little more complete!

I am very excited about the new electric firings, and have many more sculptures to finish now that I have gotten over the fear of glazing. I am actually underglazing these and that is all. I will be experimenting with a base glaze adding colorants also.

The Green Swamp vision extends into the real world also. We have big plans for the outdoor gallery this spring, as well as making the schedule with pottery retreat bookings.. Stay tuned for more.

On a sadder note, I got the rejection letter for the proposal that I made to a large coffee chain to produce handmade mugs for their coffee stores. Price and customer demand were the failing points , I guess, and a small dream is dashed. Although I am disappointed , it's only like the disappointment one might feel on a fishing expedition at the end of the day when nothing bit.

I have many new ideas that I need to go and work on in the studio today, and will be filling Green Swamp Gallery with some new items , clay, paintings, drawings, and more.

There is always something new

2010-02-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

Well I have been obsessed with a new site Spoonflower.com a site where you can design your own fabric! I have been a seamstress from an early age, and was thrilled to find this cool site!!

Homemade clothing has been a mainstay in my life. My first day of school I wore a dress my mom made, and my prom dress and wedding dress were also made by my mom and I. Over the years, I have been more of a fabric collector than anything else. I just LOVE fabric. So when this site popped into my life I was instantly addicted. I have designed some swatches and I am entered in the fabric of the week contest this week.
You can vote for the fabric of the week here
http://blog.spoonflower.com/

Not only do I have designs buzzing around in my head , now, I am thinking up clothing that will fit those designs, and I can't wait to see the first swatches that I ordered last week.

January thaw

2010-01-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Here is a little sunshine for folks that are weathering the winter season! I find it so fun looking through my summer photos in the dead of winter. It's actually balmy by Minnesota standards today, so after this, I am going down to do the long version of chores. I really enjoy taking care of my animals, it gets me outside every day in all weather, and I truly would not leave the house some days if I didn't have to.

In the winter I have a small studio up here at the house, and I am really enjoying making things. Shipping was the order of the day this morning, and I was surprised and grateful for the sales since I have extended my internet break. I also sent out another important package, and future posts will fill in the details.

Warmer temperatures here means our southern friends should be feeling a warm up too, I hope so, I was really surprised when my mom told me it was zero or below in Missouri where they live.

Here is my cold weather tip for folks experiencing colder than normal weather. Dress in layers, and start with long underwear. I put on my cuddlduds in October or November, and they are a staple of my wardrobe all winter. They have a bamboo fabric that is so soft it is like a second skin. They last me a full year longer than the silk version I had purchased from another company. Okay I am off to enjoy the January thaw!!

Balance in all things

2010-01-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

Today I put on my happy hat that I bought on Etsy from a really cool lady. The hat is a tribute to her last goat, who lived to be eighteen.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pomegranite80

This purchase was my gift to myself this year, and the money that I spent in her shop goes toward her donkey rescue operation. This item touched my heart on so many levels, and considering the year end woes posted yesterday, I needed to fill my heart with a little joy.

During my hiatus from computer I have been sculpting, and goats are flowing easily from my hands, I have several in progress animals, but the goats are getting finished first and I am obtaining quite a herd. I can only think it is because of the magic goat hat!!!

Thanks Ady, donkey lady, for the cool hat and for the inspiration!!!
Denise

PS Thanks to my muddy buddies who posted with the cyber hugs, it means a lot!!

Back to work......

2010-01-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

.....But I just can't seem to get enough steam to start my routine again. Monday before Christmas was my last shipping day, and the last firing for any special orders. Now I have wrestled with special orders over the years, and made the decision to end that practice for 2010. The worst part of the deal for me is being the person in the middle taking orders, and then making sure Paul makes it, and then praying for it to turn out using various kilns, and firing methods. I soooo hate disappointing my customers, and it is me that has to tell them when the piece they have been waiting for did not turn out.
   Besides the kiln problems, we had 2 deer/van incidents that finally put our van out of commission. At the same time, I needed dental work and that is so costly.
   The online sales had slipped, rather than built up as I expected them to at this time last year.
    Midway through the December selling , my new computer crashed, very costly repairs on that, and I think I probably voided my warranty in order to have it fixed here locally, but not before hours with tech support.

So on that Monday of the last day of shipping, I totally shut down. I took the past two weeks to just shut off the computer, and not worry about stuff. The trouble is now, I don't want to go back to it. Especially the worrying. It is now when I tend to beat myself up for the career choices I have made. I do not know of many couples who work together the way we have, but with Paul and I at this point in our lives have no other choice but to keep building on our skills, and keep being creative.

Well with all that said, I am planning to stay away from the computer a bit longer, and focus on more varied selling venues, and give myself more time to do what I do all of this for, so I CAN WORK WITH CLAY!!

I am confident that a couple of new ventures might pan out, and help our situation. I will be posting my new work closer to February, and there will be new functional work offered soon.

Denise

Winter hit full force today

2009-12-08T23:49:00.000-08:00

Well we are well outside the heavy snowfall area, but the wind is howling and the snow is sharp cutting crystals. Well, it's a good night to try and catch up on extra curricular things such as blogging.

I seem to be in a funny vortex of misfortune of late, but with each setback , there seems to be a benefit to balance it out.

Saturday night while I was in the middle of organizing my etsy orders, my computer crashed. This is a brand new computer less than 6 months old, and I spent until 4am Sunday morning using diagnostics, and talking to tech support. Finally about nine on Sunday I was informed that it was the software that was the problem, and I didn't have a warranty on the software, but I could purchase said warranty on the spot and be sent to microsoft, I presume to have the software issues fixed. Oh warranty would cost $275.00. Well the good side of this debacle was that I hadn't shut down my old computer, and I am still able to do business at the busiest time of the year. I still had 3 months of virus protection left on this one. And I am forced to work without the TV shows, we'll see if I am more productive.

I was able to find replacement bulbs for my therapy light and I think that having fresh light power is helping me remain calm under pressure. Tonight Paul hit a deer and ruined the van. Fluids were running out of the front. We'll see all the damage in the light of day.

I am preparing for a show in Mankato this weekend the Goldsmith Reunion Fine Art Show
This is the 7th annual, it will be my third time attending. Tomorrow I will be packing and hoping the weather has settled down.

Fall Toad

2009-11-14T08:19:00.001-08:00

20091114_1cropen
Originally uploaded by fiddldede

I have been playing with some watercolor pencils lately. While trying to find some challenging subject matter I found this toad in my files and I decided to do a quick study. Well it is Saturday the fifth day in a row with no sunshine. It remains mild in temperatures if not wet. The ground needed a good soaking before it freezes.

Today I will be continuing to list new items in my Etsy store , and continuing the efficient packing and shipping department program. I think this will be my last chance to put the hoses and garden tools away, it may be warm but it feels like snow!

Flickr

2009-11-14T08:07:00.001-08:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Home shows and studio tours

2009-10-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Having just participated in two home grown art shows in the last two weeks, I am full of ideas for next year, and am actually looking forward to the meeting tomorrow to share my ideas and hear others too. We meet year round , on a monthly basis to organize and keep our show growing.

Our original "Sticks and Stones Festival" was held outside of town. The concept of sticks and stones being that art was everywhere, and those early shows always included rock stacking, and some stick sculptures with visitor participation encouraged.

We switched this year to an in town location at the Kanabec History Center in Mora. This change of venue gave us better parking, some indoor options in case of rain, more room for guest artists,and best of all, a permanent wooded spot for the Labyrinth, another feature of our event. The wood fired pizza oven was completed by Paul and several volunteers and was a big hit with the crowd. We had even more visitors this year at the new location.

We charge no admission fees, nor do we sell food. The whole thing is based on donations except for the Artisan wares. We feel that the visitor will have more money for buying craft work if they aren't obligated in other ways. We have always been able to break even on food and entertainment just by collecting donations.

The show Paul helped with this past weekend had a cider press running all weekend and it was a big hit. We are thinking of adding a cider press next year, would compliment the pizza oven.

Reports are that the participating artists did well. We added 20 artist booths to the show this year.

I love the concept of the Studio Tour / Home show, and the artists and craftspeople taking it back into their own hands to present their wares.

As we have expanded and grown over the years, the show has become less about my own sales, and more about getting people out and giving them a taste of what the local art community has to offer. My Department has been booking the entertainment. It was really gratifying to hear other artists saying it was a well run show and they wanted to come back. I highly recommend that other artists do the same in their communities.

Fall shows and Studio Tours

2009-10-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

Whew Sticks and Stones is over with, and I have recovered I think. A lot of planning goes into our growing show, and we had success this year in putting on a good one.

This all started several years ago when a few of us that held a home studio tour decided to hold the tour in one place, which for the first years was held at the Hovland sawmill north of town. This year we held it in Mora at the Kanabec History Center. The preliminary count shows over 1000 attended so we were happy that the change of venue did not hurt the numbers.

The visiting artists that I spoke with were happy with their sales and the show in general, and several already want to come back next year. For me , it has become more about the show than sales. I am the music coordinator and lined up the entertainment for the show, as well as played in one of the bands. The Whistlepigs String Band was fantastic, an the Fidddle Pals were terrific! Not a lot of people attended the music, and that was probably the layout more than anything. All part of next years planning. Planning that will start next month already!

Paul is in Maiden Rock Wisconsin this week, he is participating in another homegrown event
The Fresh Art Fall Tour
http://www.freshart.org/

The first frost came which always gets me a little sad. Our gardens and flowers in Minnesota are too short lived!

Internet overload

2009-09-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well I am probably reaching the boiling point with internet overload! I was plugging along happily with my website http://www.paulmorrispottery.com/ and the shop I was running at http://www.MorrisPottery.etsy.com/ when my daughter went to college, she asked me to go on facebook and I resisted, but this spring when she was visiting , she got me started. About the same time yahoo ended the blog beta that I had been using, so I started this one .

I guess it is like the feeling of getting a stack of books handed to you and told "The test is tommorow" My mind works on a tactile basis and that is how I learn. Using computers requires me to create my own pictures in my head about how all the networks connect and which ones are most effective, and it is very difficult to get my brain around in my own website organization much less the bigger picture.

I actually wanted my blog to be about other things I do besides pottery, but it all seems linked up somehow. I figured out my video editing program and made a youtube demo on slip trailing, and this too, has opened a floodgate of possibilities in my imagination of things I can do!!

http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjpRWzqpvP0

I am feeling overwhelmed , but in a good way, because of all the possibilities.

What I am waiting for is for some one to invent a way to "feel" a piece of pottery online. Then the 3D people would have equal footing here.

Well there are still a few beautiful days left of autumn, so I am going to make a point to get out and enjoy them before winter sets in. I will save the wild ride of learning curves until the winds howl outside.

To those of you who have followed this blog, Thank You, if I haven't added you yet, I will, when I straighten out all of the sites and connections and passwords!

Denise

Goodbye Summer....

2009-09-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

We have been enjoying a few days of the most incredible weather. Seventies and sunny, cool evenings. There is a touch of color appearing in the dense green of the forests. I asked Paul if he would trade living in a warmer climate with longer summer if there were no fall. He said no. I agree. I love spring with the promise of sunny days, but I love fall too, with its' blazing salute to the coming of winter.

A quiet Sunday Morning

2009-08-09T07:29:00.000-07:00

We are expecting the Winchester crew in tonight after the Uptown art fair is torn down. They will be bringing our daughter home for the week. She helped them set up and tear down the show, and wishes we were still doing art fairs. If things go as planned, we will be entering some that are closer to home. The Uptown is a real ball buster, and with the weather they had this year , I was glad not to be attending.

I know Paul feels he did enough shows for a lifetime during the nineties, and it's taken these five years to regroup and figure out how we wanted to do things. This hiatus would not have been possible without my online sales. I am finding that the quiet months on the internet usually occur late spring and early summer, so it's perfect timing to get out and sell in real life a little bit.

Well I am going to tidy up the house a little bit for the company tonight.

The new Morris Family member

2009-08-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

This is "Goldie", the photo does not show how thin she was when she showed up at our door a couple of months ago. She is the second cat we have rescued from the wild, Barney our other cat is three years old, and is not so welcoming to the newcomer. Anyway, I took her in to be spayed today and get her shots.

Goldie, I think, was not always wild. After she got to know me as the food lady , she became very cuddly, and has a loud purr. I suspect there are cats out there that we never see in the woods. Most people shoot wild cats around here. They carry diseases and are devastating to the bird populations in the area. Anybody that thinks they can dump cats out in the "country" and that they will magically find a new home is deluding themselves. This cat was a bag of bones when she first showed up. Animals that are abandoned in the woods usually become food for predators, or they starve to death.

Since our animal shelter does not take cats, and no one claimed Goldie, we had a choice to either shoot her, or get her to the vet and get her checked for feline leukemia, and have her spayed. Paul and I are frugal people and live on the bare necessities ourselves, so and investment like this was no small matter for us. In these hard times it certainly would have made more sense to just put her down. But we decided to rescue this one little kitty , and I am glad we did. Yes times are hard, but it just made me feel good to give one helpless animal a chance.

Now little Goldie is recovering from her day in surgery in her carrier at my feet. Like I said, she is the minority when it comes to surviving in the wild. Please spay and neuter your pets.

Working as a team

2009-08-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

This is the guy I work with. The photographer caught him after or maybe during a wood firing! Paul and I will mark 27 years of our marriage and partnership in clay this fall. We were twenty seven when we met at the pottery in Iowa, so we've pretty much spent half our lives together.

If anyone would have told those starry eyed 27 yr olds that it was impossible to move to the woods and make a career creating and selling their wares, they wouldn't have listened. Well I am sure We both ignored what everyone that knew better told us. We just believed it was possible and we forged on.

One of the things I was told before I even met Paul was that if I planned to be an artist I should marry someone that could "support me." But after College , as I began my hands on experience in the pottery world, I saw many examples of couples who were making it work. One team, was Bill Coffman and Cynthia Mosedale of Linden Hills Pottery . Paul and I both worked for them in their first incarnation , the Crockery and Jar Company. People like Bill and Cynthia were out there actually doing it, so why couldn't we!

One thing I have learned is that it takes a special kind of relationship to keep things rolling in a market like this. And a good sense of humor with a sprinkling of patience. Paul and I collaborate on many items, but we work on pieces we consider our own, too. I think it is important to keep new ideas coming when involved in production work of any kind.

So yeah I didn't find a rich guy to support my art , but I got a creative partner in a relationship/business that has survived some pretty huge odds, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

2009-08-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Our new Band "Second Fiddle" played for the first time as an actual band last night. We played for Amy Sabrina's dance crew and were well received. Amy has been holding dances in various town halls over the years, with a dream of finishing off her barn to use as a community dance hall.

Our group has formed over the last three years from a regular jam session held at a coffee shop in Milaca. We were a little worried at first that maybe people couldn't dance to the tunes we have been playing, but all went well and they danced to every one. The ecclectic mix is fun, because each of us brings a different type of music to the group, and it makes for a great variety of dances people can do. I love being in a dance band, because of the audience ineraction. I love looking out at the crowd, and seeing happy smiles as people twirl around the dance floor. There is an exchange of energy that makes the whole thing a giant artwork, and all are participants.

The coolest thing about Amy's dances , for me though, is the age range of people that come. The participants range from child to adult, and there is nothing sweeter than to see a grandpa dancing with his little eight year old grandaughter.

You will see by the link to Amy's website that she is also a long time potter. One of my favorite payments for playing was a nice mug I got one year!

Well that is the cultural and arts report from the Green Swamp for today!

Organization in my web life and Home

2009-07-29T07:26:00.000-07:00

Pictured is my horse sculpture fired last weekend. The date on the piece is sept 04 . It was bisqued in a kiln that had residual salt in the shelves and used bricks, so I knew it wouldn't hold a glaze , so it sat five years until I just decided to fire it "naked" . The results were wonderful. The wood ash fell and melted and gave the horse an appaloosa look. This piece was just waiting for the right firing! I can now be satisfied that I finished that project. Now on to the next.

Organization is a word that has haunted me my whole life. The mere mention of the word brings out the defiant nine year old in me. I don't wanna be organized, I wanna go out and play! But really, why wouldn't a person want to have all their ducks in a row? I had thoughts of my computer being the ultimate place to be organized.The computer would do it all for me! I would have a little haven of columns and files that could be accessed by a push of the button. But no, my old computer reminds me of when we moved our of our mobile home into the new house. I left a lot of stuff behind, since both places are on the same property, and I didn't want to clutter up the new house.

So now I have my new computer, and I don't want it to get all clogged up either. I am slowly adding things like blogging and facebook, and have started a new shop in 1000 markets, but I am trying to be organized about it , and it's not easy!

Computer land is really hard on a person with ADD, there are so many ways to get distracted !

Others in my online community have said they need to spend less time on the computer and more time in the studio, and I am feeling that too. Morris Pottery's online presence has become my job , which I love, but one needs to be making the pottery too. As I write I am thinking of several unfinished projects I should be working on , and several packages that need to be shipped. And new ideas are always bubbling to the surface.

Discipline then, is the next word that the nine year old child in me recoils at, but then when the result is me ending up in the studio with my hands on cool wet clay, I will convince the nine year old it was worth it.

Also I want to thank those that chose to follow me!! I am adding to my following list, and continue to find great things from your blogs!

After firing Day

2009-07-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Firing weekend and we got to sleep in today! The firing was finished around 11 pm last night and we ended it with a pork chop dinner. Now the waiting! I suppose it will be Tuesday before we unload.

So I am so new to blogging, and I am cruising around here finding old friends among the new. Whenever I do anything web related, I feel like I am in a vast ocean of people , and I am just a tiny speck floating around . How cool it is then, to follow someone else, and find an old colleague in their list! So even with blogging I find the old problem of getting distracted and reading others and wishing I was more interesting.

The week has been so busy that I have almost missed the county fair. I mark this as a milestone after many years of active participation in the annual event that used to be known as Fair Week. We did have a float in the parade last night to promote our fall art event, "Sticks and Stones", but I entered no vegetables from my garden, and all of the rabbits stayed home. They did not mind.

I am in a state of transition in my life, and some things are let go easily, like the Fair, some things are harder to let go of.

2009-07-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

It's the big firing weekend here, and I can't wait to have a new load of pottery to photgraph next week. Our firing days start with loading and a slow candle flame goes all night. We start cranking it up early Saturday, and it will finish off Saturday night.

There is a wood baking oven adjacent to the kiln area, and it will be fired up and in use for a variety of delicious foods during the firing. I am taking blueberry pies which I should be making right now. I plan on posting pictures over the weekend, and of course kiln opening will be on Wednesday. With my new computer, I am working on getting a live kiln opening set up so web viewers can get the feel of the excitement we have after all the work is done and the treasures emerge from the kiln. Later then, Denise

introduction

2009-07-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well here I am getting settled into my new blog. I had one in yahoo which I did not maintain much, and now has been moved to my yahoo profile. I may still have that one in my website at http://www.paulmorrispottery.com/

I am reorganizing, and have always wanted my own little spot since most of my on line work involves the pottery and the marketing of same, which is a partnership with my husband Paul.

People have asked me over the years why it is called Paul Morris pottery and my name is not included somehow. Well Paul is the Potter , and my original plan was to have a sculpture site of my own within the website.

I can say what I want about Paul because he will never read this, since he prefers not to learn how to use the computer. ;-)

Paul is a rare breed of potter that has literally done his craft for his entire working career. He discovered wheel throwing in High School and has done it ever since. I on the other hand am a lot of things besides the decorator of Morris Pottery, and this blog might be the best start for me to share my individual thoughts and opinons that aren't necessarily the views of Morris Pottery as a whole.

Why Green Swamp? Well that is where we live, in east central Minnesota, surrounded on two sides by what has always been known as the Green Swamp, and our home and studio are on the unofficially named "Green Swamp Road." The wetlands surrounding us host a treasure of wildlife, and empty into a lake about half a mile down the road.

Well okay then, now I am blogging, this like all things web related is part of a learning curve for me so bear with me while i get to know the territory and continue post my ramblings. Denise