Fancy Some Coffee? Why not a locally made mug too?

I have been drinking Planet Bean coffee since they opened here in Guelph, many moons ago. I can thank them for the jolt of caffeine when I was dragging my ass while trying to learn how to make pots on the wheel.  They were so conveniently located close to the old studio on Wyndham Street, that I could grab an extra cup or two for the studio mates. That was great, especially when I thought that buying Goldie Sherman an extra cup of Fair Trade Joe would keep her sweet while she patiently shared her wheel wisdom with me. Fortunately, all that apprenticing worked, because I can throw mugs with my eyes closed! Not that I do, I'm just saying I can.

What a great combination of supporting Guelph's only Fair Trade & Organic coffee roastery AND some of your local potters! All three locations here in Guelph have our mugs until Easter. I was pleasantly surprised by how great the posters turned out (I was only expecting a wee flyer).  A great thing for us 'downtown creative types' is that the new folks to Guelph who live South of the 'Stone Road Border Crossing' can get an idea of the talents that hide out in other parts of our grand city. Even those folks out in the East end of Guelph can find our work while fueling with caffeine. I don't know about you, but I find it hard to be in three different places all at once! I get all discombobulated!! Love that word! Feel free to drop that in a casual conversation. You can impress your friends! Hell, buy them a mug and impress them even more!

Before I go, can you guess what I am firing in my kiln? More mugs!!!!

Longing for Blue Skies

Here is a refresher on the pottery made by moi. I don't often use the colour blue. I don't have anything personal against it, just not one of my personal favourites. Maybe I have issues related to the days in the 70's and 80's where I used to have to wrestle to pull on the trendy blue jeans that were all the rage. I could be suffering trauma from the years of wearing jeans too tight.....just a thought. Hence the following;

Did I scare you? You don’t need to rub your eyes because I didn’t play a real trick on you. Are you surprised that I glazed another pot this deep colour?  Yes, I must be in my blue phase again. The cobalt really does pop out when I open the kiln lid and this vibrant blue colour stands in the middle of a sea of white vessels. I just reread that last sentence and holy schmokes I could be a poet!  Where do I find such inspiration? “A sea of white vessels”…….you heard it here first folks.  I could be famous (only in my own mind I am, really).

Remember to Keep Calm and Carry Yarn.

Before I forget, I can't seem to get my blog to share my etsy widget-thingy. So if you fancy this or are curious as to what else has been coming out of the kiln, please visit BunnySafariPottery.etsy.com

The Spring Decision

When spring arrives it brings another season of transition, new growth and loads of potential. This is true for me too. After being a happy market vendor at the Guelph Farmers Market for over 12 years, I have decided to move along.  Don't worry, I haven't stopped working in clay, no way!

My work can now be found six days a week at a convenient downtown Guelph locale. I am rejoining my original mentor of the clay, Ms Goldie Sherman. Her studio and gallery is located at 80 Norfolk Street and there is plenty of free parking around the corner. Come the fall, when my son is in school full time, I will be in Goldie's studio one day a week for your entertainment (and mine).

I can't thank enough all of the customers, members of the community who have helped me along so far. You have been my biggest critics and my best fans. Not only that, many of you have become great friends! I look forward to seeing you at local art shows and fairs and I can always arrange drop offs at Goldie's.

I am looking forward to sleeping in on my Saturdays off and enjoying Saturday evening activities without feeling jet-lagged!

Change is GREAT!

Odds And Ends

The time has come for some spring cleaning in the pottery studio.  I need to make room for fresh, new pots. All those winter months of sketching and rolling ideas around in my mind are starting to come to fruition. My trusty kiln is having its major overhaul and I am biting at the bit to get back to the clay.

This nice little jar would work nicely as a sugar bowl or for your teabags. I noticed that the lid doubles as a tiny wee bowl too. That was a unexpected yet happy result. The photograph of the Monarch's favourite food is lovely in its sculptural structure. The best bit? It is on sale!!! I love making jars, I do.  You don't even have to drive to my studio, all pots are available in my etsy shop. How convenient is that?

Before I dash off to the studio, I must hang my laundry on the line. Nothing beats the smell of lovely fresh laundry.

100 Strangers, An Ongoing Project

Here is my first stranger for 2012. I took my photo pal Sadie for an excursion into Toronto to the Art Gallery of Ontario to see the Chagall exhibit. On a whim I decided to become a member of the Art Gallery and this is where I first met Natasha. Too bad I had B&W film in the Holga because her hair was the best colour!! Purple! Right on sister (can you tell I miss my old days of hair dye?). I noticed she had a UK accent and she said she was from the Midlands. Natasha is the type of person you feel comfortable with right away. While I was giving my particulars for the membership I kept thinking how great she would be in my project. Of course she was working and I didn’t want to get her into trouble with the bosses by asking her to step outside to take her photo. Natasha was the best person to be at the reception desk as she is so personable. Working at the art gallery would be great in my books, but she is aiming for higher things in life. I hope she enjoys her ‘working holiday’ in Toronto.

Here is serendipity in action. After I collected my new membership card, I gave Natasha a moo card to check out my 100 Strangers Project. Hours after filling our heads with ART, Sadie and decided to hit the streets and make some art of our own. Sadie gave me a nudge and pointed to a purple haired woman walking down the street. Fancy that! There was Natasha who had just completed work. We caught her attention and didn’t have to persuade her to be part of the project.

This picture is #43 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com

Buzz

The ritual haircut for the boychik. I take him to where men know how to cut men’s hair (and wee men too). As the ‘Mum’, I always feel as though I have entered into a sanctuary of sorts. Similar to entering the wrong locker room. Men talking about men things.  I am an intruder. I get over that pretty quickly once we are settled and start to read the same kids books supplied on the nearby shelf. There is always a lot of talk about sports, especially hockey.
This day in particular I happened to bring my Yashica A, twin lens camera. I think it is important to document these places as there aren’t many around anymore. Luckily, all the guys nodded in agreement that it was okay for me to use my “new/old” camera. Sure enough, I realized that the place was packed with lots of menfolk waiting. I don’t really like an audience when I am shooting. The age of the camera had a few of them commenting that they remembered what film was.
An advantage of the twin lens, is that I am looking down into the camera and it doesn’t obscure my face so people aren’t quite sure when I am taking the photo. I still find a camera held up to someone’s eye unnerving. One would think that I would be fine with that, but no.
I shot half a roll of film in Franco’s. I should have finished the roll there, because once I developed the roll, I realized that I got some cracker shots! Then again if I had I would have missed out talking to a chap who used to have a barber shop near the old correctional institute for 37 years. I did take his photo. I forgot to ask his name or tell him about the 100 Strangers project!!!
When I look at this photo, I really like the expression on the barber’s face and the sharpness of his clippers. You can almost smell the pomade don’t you think?

I discovered a video on the U-tube about Franco's. The best old school barbershop in Guelph.
Franco's Barbershop

On Yer Bike

I finally did it. I finally could not stand looking through my scratched glasses a moment longer. I booked an eye appointment. Hurray for me, because that has been on my list for at least a year. The glasses were so scratched that I just don't wear them anymore. So if you are waving at me from a distance, chances are, I'm ignoring you. I may even be saying in my head "who is that crazy person waving at".....don't take that personally if you have in fact done that. The good news is despite abusing my glasses, my eyes have stayed the same, one eye has actually improved! I don't need bifocals yet (one starts to worry after 40, err 39).
Today's post is to show you that I still have a hand in the ceramics department. Mind you, I may smell more like film developer rather than clay these days. I am ready to get back into the studio and start throwing some pots. I have photographs that I have taken that I think would work well on new pieces. I have made two of these jars. The other one has a round handle on top, referencing a bicycle wheel. The colour of the piece is a porcelain white and the Holga photo of the bike is a lovely sepia. Which reminds me to actually attempt some sepia toning in the actual darkroom.
I managed to get my hands on a lovely new to me, Yashica Mat purchased from the estate sale of a serious camera collector out in Saskatchewan. The man had over 56 large boxes full of all types of film cameras. I ran a roll through it this week and boy is it ever sweet. If anyone is interested I have a list of what is still available in the collection. My cameras that I bought were in great condition considering their age.
Before I forget, the reason for the washed out Polaroid is because it is expired film. Funny how this is the 'look' that photoshoppers are after. Why waste time sitting on your bum when you can buy an old Polaroid Spectra for $3 and shoot a pack of ten real photographs. FYI, I bought the film on sale......