Ideas Happen

"How did you come up with that idea?"  The answers to this one question, for a creative person, can cover the spectrum.  Sometimes the birth of ideas can be funny stories, and for me, ideas roll from one to the next, like a  line of dominoes falling. 

 I've been working on some new designs and the evolution comes to me often by just staring at my current work. One example, some new mugs that I've been working on.

 

 I was sitting one day in the garagio and I had a bunch of teapot components (rings and faceted bases). I had extra bases and I didn't have the time to throw rings and I didn't want the bases to go to waste, so I started thinking about how I could use the bases. My thought was first about the basic shape and size, what would that work for? A few thoughts came to mind: bases for cake plates, sugar bowls & creamers, and finally mugs. then I started thinking about handles. Because the facets would make the attaching of my regular hands a challenge. How did I know this, you ask, well I tried one and it didn't work. So I created the handles by rolling a tapered coil attached in a normal fashion and had extra coil left at the bottom so instead of pinching it off I made a twirl. Then, the next domino to fall was the need to elevate the mug because now the twirl at the bottom of the handle was below the bottom of the mug, so I had to "lift" the mug. Answer to this dilemma: more twirls. So now we've got a theme going, facets and twirls.

I see the mug and I see whimsy, I'm seeing a jester, I'm seeing a party skirt, I'm seeing fabulous color, I'm seeing mugs that would coordinate with my teapots, I'm seeing that because the bases of the teapots are the same style as the mugs that we've got a party going on.  So from a day that started out with me just sitting and staring, came a new addition to my collection.  As the ideas for the mugs formulated, then came a flood of ideas for additional pieces that could spawn off of the faceted forms.

Lesson here is when you see someone staring, you could be watching the birth of a new idea.  You just never know!

Happy Finds

I love when a plan comes together.  Sometimes I'll have a notion of how a fish teapot is going to look when completed.  Sometimes I get lucky along the way and find some neat beads to finish her off.  In the case of my latest girl I got lucky.  A local art friend and lampwork bead maker, Stacy of Pink Beach Studio on Etsy came through with her wonderful beads.  Check out Stacy's shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinkbeach?ref=pr_shop_more   I knew that I wanted to use some of Stacy's beads so when I constructed this teapot I made just enough holes to accomodate Stacy's standard bead pack.  When I saw the beads after I glazed this Clown Triggerfish I knew that they would be the perfect finishing touch.  I'm really getting a kick out of using lampwork beads for the inspiration.  What's next???

Copycat

I've been a member of the Etsy community since May of 2007.  I guess I'm a bit naive when I think that anyone coming to visit my Etsy shop or the shops of any of my virtual friends would have honorable intentions.  Recently, a member of our pottery community on Etsy found out that one of her designs was bootlegged by a company in China.  There's a website called alibaba.com that represents factories that will mass-produce just about anything.  This fellow-potter was alerted that a listng identical to hers was showing up on alibaba.com.  The manufacturer lifted her photo, and used her product description word for word.  The company was offering to sell at high volumes to resellers.  My first thought was who would buy that sort of quantity?  The big-box discount retailers came to mind.  I'm not going to mention any names, but they're the large chains that you see in just about every town.  These stores serve a purpose because they offer low-cost items for the budget-conscious folks (myself included at times).

After the folks on our Pottery group started doing searches on alibaba.com, it was clear that this wasn't just a one-time thing.  It appears that the companies have been lifting listings at a surprising number.  For some, the listings were ones that had already been sold.  For some, the backgrounds on the photos were changed and they inserted the manufacturer's watermark.  But the original product image was apparent. 

Things that we learned: by contacting alibaba.com the listings were eventually removed.  Some folks were contacted by the manufacturers and told that they were just using the listing to show what they can do for their clients, that no sales were made, so basically no harm no foul.  We also learned that it's important to save your original artwork photographs.  These will have a date stamp that can be used to prove when the item was photographed and as a result, that you were the first to create the item.   We also learned that there have been complaints on the website alibaba.com regarding delivery, and claims that the money was never received. 

What this means to my customers: If you ever see a knock-off of one of my creations in a big-box store, check to see how it's made.  Chances are it's slip-cast, not made by hand (even if it's marked handmade - the definition of handmade in China is different than ours).  Chances are the glazes are not the same non-toxic quality glazes that I use.  Chances are it's not unique - each of my handmade creations is unique, because I'm not a machine, I don't have a factory filled with low-wage artisans that pump out thousands and thousands of one item day after day.  If you see a knock-off of any of my creations, send me an e-mail or give me a call.  Once the knock-off copies make it into US stores, artists have recourse through the United States Copyright laws.  Unfortunately, our Copyright laws are a dog with no bite in China. 

It's sad when you think of the rich heritage China has - centuries of being inovators, now known more for their ability to copy other's creations. 

For a Good Cause

Coming up here in Tampa on November 5th is the annual Zoofari at Lowry Park Zoo. It's a fundraising event for the Zoo. Lowry Park Zoo is a fun place to visit and has great activities for the kiddos. This year I'll be participating in their Artfari and will be selling my wares during the Zoofari event. It runs from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm. As part of the deal to get a reduced price for the space, artists were asked to donate a piece of art for the silent auction. The piece had to be animal themed, best to relate to the zoo theme. So I went to work on a tic tac toe game using tiggers. Orange and white tigers to be exact. Hopefully someone attending will fall in love and bid high on this piece. Just so we're clear, I used no molds in the making of this piece, just my two little hands. I did roll out the clay for the board, but it was all from moist clay. Each tiger is slightly different from the next because they were human formed... I'm not a machine!!! Maybe a dancing machine, but not a ceramic machine.

Evolution

I know that man's evolution was slow to get us to where we are today, standing upright, able to type our thoughts on the computer and read the hundreds of e-mails that we receive on a daily basis. In artwork there's an evolution as well. I've realized that the evolution of my teapots has been a slow one, not quite as slow as the evolution of man, but slow none the less. I've been making some minor tweeks to my fishy teapots lately. The most recent tweek is to try to give the girls more movement. Almost a feeling that they're trying to jump out of the water. I'm making their base section taller so that I can get more clearance on the tails and making a more exagerated turn of the head. These changes, I think, give the girls more personality. I've been on a roll with teapot making and have one new one that I just finished, one that's drying post-construction, and components for two more under plastic. It helps to make the new teapots close in time so that my thought process continues it's momentum. These changes may be so minor that to the eye of the beholder that it may not be apparent, but to me I see these modifications as a step on the path to evolution.

Ho Ho Ho - Here We Go Again

Every year around this time, I start to feel a little twinge of panic.  The holiday shows and markets are starting to gear up and I'm worried I won't have enough, mugs, fish, cats, pendants, teapots, and ornaments for the shows.  So I thrust myself into high gear and work hard to get my inventories up.  One thing that's going to help me this year is the addition of the travel mug and tumblers.  These are different from my usual pieces because they're not wheel-thrown, they are mold made bisqued pieces that I purchased from my glaze supplier.  The mugs and tumblers come with plastic lids and all that I have to do is glaze and fire them!  So far, I'm thrilled.  The lids fit perfectly and I'm having absolutely no problems with the glazes fitting well with the clay body.  The art that I bring to the blank white canvas is my glazing and these are definitely unique.  Enviro-friendly because they can be used over and over.  They fit perfectly into cup holders and can brighten up any space and bring a smile to your face (made a rhyme).  So as my twinge of panic starts to hit me, I can breathe a little easier knowing that I have my travelers line of mugs and tumblers.

PhotoEZ Is Really Easy

I love finding happy diversions. I always think about the animated film "Up" and the dog that was in the commercials (I never saw the film) he apparently is able to talk with the help of a device that's strapped to his throat. He's having a conversation with the young boy and breaks in his conversation to look away quickly and shout "squirrel!" Well for the past two weeks I've been chasing the squirrel and having a blast.

I read about the PhotoEZ Silk Screen Stencil kit over a year ago and held onto the magazine, because I knew one day (procrastinatoritis) I should probably buy the kit. I decided that the time was right when I was slated to lead a low-fire glaze workshop and thought that this would be a fun project for the class. Of course I tore through all of my magazines and could not find the one with the article. So I hit the Internet, holder of everything in the universe, and found the PhotoEZ Starter Kits for sale on Ebay. Placed my bid and anxiously awaited the outcome. I was high bidder and my kit was delivered in lightning speed.

One of the best parts about this kit are the instructions. This company does a fantastic job at giving you all of the information that you need to successfully create a stencil in less than one hour, ready to use. The most important ingredient is a bright sunny day, slightly cloudy - you'll have to run tests for exposure time. Anxious for a bright sunny day, I went to work figuring out what images I would use for my first stencil. The image should be black and white and the black should be heavily saturated so that the light will be 100% blocked. You will either have to print out your image on your printer or draw it directly on the paper. The company is very specific regarding the type of paper to use. It should be 20 pound paper with 88 brightness or less. Remember, the light has to get through the white areas so the less bright the better. I chose to print my images from the computer so I used a couple of photographs first. I used a photo of a marbled white butterfly and made some adjustments in photoshop to increase the contrast, I did the same with a photo that I took of a cardinal sitting in a tree in our neighborhood, changed it from color to black and white and then ramped up the contrast so that it was now black and white, I played around with PhotoShop to get it to where I wanted it to be. Then I made a fat Sharpie drawing on heavy paper and scanned it into my computer. The only thing that I had to do here was resize it. I was able to make three different versions of this butterfly, one each large, medium and small sized.

Then, the bright sunny day came and I was able to run my first series of tests. The company provides small swatches so that you can test for exposure time. I was able to determine that in our full sun about 5 minutes was all that was needed. I went into our guest bathroom with the door open providing just enough light so that I could set things up. The kit comes with a black board, a clear plexi sheet, clips, stencil sheets, squeege, vinyl net, a few sheets of paper, two sheets of clear film, and instructions. You first place the image on the plexi image side up, then remove the protective film from the stencil sheet (this is the hardest part of the whole process). Once you have the film off place the sheet where you want it on your image shiny side down, then put the black board on top, making a sandwich of your image and film. Place the clips around the sandwich and I wrapped the whole thing in a towel. You want to transport the frame outside for exposure. Keep a close eye on the clock! Once the exposure time is up, wrap it back up in a towel and bring it inside. The film gets placed in a tub of water, I used a large Tupperware container. The room should be dimly lit. You'll soak for at least 15 minutes. When the soak time is up, you'll run the film under running water to remove the areas that were covered in black. This is where the plastic net comes in, you'll place the film on the net and use a soft brush to remove what needs to come off. I used the high resolution film and the instructions say that it can be more difficult to remove all of the film on the high res film. Keep working it until you get all of the film removed, you want to be able to see the small white threads. This will help you to have a better image. Next step is to blot the film dry and place it back in the sun to dry. This last step hardens the stencil and makes it durable.

Now with the stencil magically created, I was able to go to work actually using the stencil. I used bisque tiles first and the cardinal image was my first attempt. I watered down my underglaze so that I could create a watercolor type wash effect for the background, then I taped, using blue painter's tape, the stencil and using the squeege provided I laid down some black underglaze and drew it over the stencil. I lifted up a corner to see if all was ok and it was, so I removed the entire stencil and tape, then I filled in the cardinal with a red underglaze. Then applied three coats of clear glaze and fired the tile. I went through similar steps to use the stencil on the mug shown. I've used a combination of squeegee and using a stiff brush to lay down the glaze. It can be a bit tricky with some of my mugs that have a lot of curves to them, but with the help of the blue tape, and flexibility of the screens, it's possible.

Besides being such a quick process, one of the really cool parts of this whole thing is that there are no special chemicals required, just good old H2O (well I guess that's a chemical if you want to get picky). Most think that the obvious use for these screens is tee shirt silk screens using ink versus glazes on clay. And I challenge you to find even more uses for these cool screens.

I'm really happy to report that this kit gets my seal of approval. If you want to get more information, their website is http://www.ezscreenprint.com/