A week to remember

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.