tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38143624408159023632024-03-12T20:38:03.263-03:00Hand-made pottery and lessons. Wolfville, Nova ScotiaTracy Horsman Ceramics: a studio potter and pottery teacher in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
Tracy makes functional and decorative ceramic work with primarily stoneware clay.
Introductory and intermediate level pottery classes at the pottery studio from spring to fall. The studio is well equipped with wheels, work tables, lots of tools, books and other resources for creating your own ceramic masterpiece.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-8689374202355548942016-02-04T12:54:00.005-04:002016-02-04T13:12:05.512-04:00Wishes<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Do you have a spot to deposit your wishes, your best intentions, notes of gratitude? If you did, what would it look like?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This started out as a project with a very definite purpose and the associated constraints that come with that. I like constraints because they flex the creative muscles. I think a lot of people believe that it works the other way; that you need to have freedom and lots of choice. But really, too much choice, too many possibilities is debilitating. Constraints give you something to flex against. Try pushing against the air. Now a wall. See what I mean? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I've been working on this creature since August when the project was suggested. It started with some pretty crude sketches and took some thinking to come up with a suitable plan to achieve some of the functional requirements. I sculpted it over several weeks, with some, no, lots of trial and error and at least two fresh starts. The next three months were spent drying slowing to prevent it from cracking apart as it dried. Periodically peaking beneath the layers of plastic to see it was showing signs of stress from drying too quickly in spots. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Around Christmastime it was finally, delicately (dry raw clay is such an incredibly fragile thing) and awkwardly loaded into the kiln taking up almost all of the 7 cubic feet inte</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">rior during the bisque firing. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loaded in the kiln for the bisque firing</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Since the final glaze firing it has shrunk down to a reasonably manageable ~17" x ~18" sculpture, but it's still a commanding presence and trust me when I say you wouldn't want to carry it around with you.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Depending on where it ends up there may be some additional details added, but I wouldn't want to ruin all the surprises. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I've really enjoyed this project! It's been making me wonder if I should keep making mugs...</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-61183540042748506372016-01-11T09:36:00.000-04:002016-01-11T09:36:08.719-04:00Speak Up Now for a Collective Arts Centre!!<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">As many of my pottery friends now know, I've decided to take back my studio for a while so that I can work on my own projects... things that have scaled up in size and occupy a lot of my studio space. That means no more classes and workshops. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">BUT... I hope you know how much I enjoy helping to guide you through your own clay experiences and I've been saying that a more centrally located public space would be a wonderful addition to our community.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If you think so too the time to speak up has come</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">!!!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Shiretown Media, Arts and Creative Services Business Collective is currently soliciting your opinion on the future of this project.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">PLEASE take 5 minutes to take this survey and if you can come to the public meeting or send them a message. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Take the survey: <a href="http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=8cb4e317a12e56f683288a3bc&id=a2820e3236&e=87f676ab08" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/…</a><br /></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Public Meeting<br />Thursday, January 28, 2016<br />6:00pm – 9:00pm<br />Kings Arms Pub, Second Floor<br />390 Main Street, Kentville</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-71306963898535896312015-12-18T12:00:00.006-04:002015-12-18T14:03:25.851-04:00The Alewife's Pottery and ApothecaryMaybe you have noticed my large ceramic sign at the market and wondered what the hell it means. You would be in good company. The term "alewife" has certainly dropped out of our lexicon and those who still use it are almost certainly referring to the fish, more commonly known around here as gaspereau.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alewife</td></tr>
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I've been living here in the Gapsereau Valley for a while now and I have my connections to the fish, but the alewife I'm referring to is not a fish.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alewife was the term for working women with expert knowledge in ways of using herbs and fermentation to create beverages that are nourishing and medicinal. Much of their knowledge has been lost to us over the centuries, but some remains. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the 16<sup>th</sup> century “beer purity laws” were
enacted in England and Germany that limited the ingredients allowed in beer and
ales. This first step in commercial control of food production led to the consolidation
and large scale commercialisation of beer brewing and, for the most part,
eliminated the small domestic, artisan beer producers, many of whom were women or alewives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These hand-sculpted, hand-carved and hand-painted ale cups are a tribute to these professional women, their knowledge and the importance of traditional knowledge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Four years ago I made seven of these. I haven't made any since until now. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: inherit;">This year there are 6 cups on offer. Each one is unique. $45</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuAPsonBeUQbTHWEaQ0zTOugh3rJoOya4hymZdjgAzPpJQG_vWPlmh9KNSrebOayq8ee0TOMpp6MiO9MqsFderm5jTnmJ7ek5IhOndkLRKLGihKrGwDNsM0GiP4skfM4TZ8R_pEN4Ers/s1600/DSCF4251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuAPsonBeUQbTHWEaQ0zTOugh3rJoOya4hymZdjgAzPpJQG_vWPlmh9KNSrebOayq8ee0TOMpp6MiO9MqsFderm5jTnmJ7ek5IhOndkLRKLGihKrGwDNsM0GiP4skfM4TZ8R_pEN4Ers/s1600/DSCF4251.JPG" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACcPZezlW1A7kpAC8IkAVyRORSGVuZOk5Ur44rXvxl-0L9r2xUmpoWXKuwo9UEuhesKXzoFhDYU1XABQ98xQz_mbleM9mUTVnfBhCm1SIAFLSII8U0Ih3GwlBDMW-h9vIM7q07ZcXuLg/s1600/DSCF4250-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhACcPZezlW1A7kpAC8IkAVyRORSGVuZOk5Ur44rXvxl-0L9r2xUmpoWXKuwo9UEuhesKXzoFhDYU1XABQ98xQz_mbleM9mUTVnfBhCm1SIAFLSII8U0Ih3GwlBDMW-h9vIM7q07ZcXuLg/s1600/DSCF4250-001.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Alewife's Cup<br />
<br />
<br />
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.75in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "apple chancery"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.75in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "apple chancery"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0.75in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "apple chancery"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">Yarrow Ale<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 76.5pt; tab-stops: 3.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">(brewed
for 700 years as commonly as hopped beer is today )<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">5 lbs
malted barley<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">3 oz
recently dried yarrow tops or 6 oz fresh yarrow tops (plant & flower)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">6 gallons
water<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">yeast<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">Mash malt
with water at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 minutes. Boil the remaining water
and sparge (run the heated water through the mash). Boil all with half the
yarrow. Let cool to blood warm (70<sup>o </sup>F) and place in fermenter. Place
remaining yarrow in a muslin bag and hang in fermenter; add yeast. Allow to
ferment until complete. Prime bottles, fill and cap. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">Ready to
drink in 2 weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">from
<i>Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers</i>, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 96.0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "apple chancery";"><span style="font-size: small;">by
Stephen Harrod Buhner <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-28484702695588358352015-07-23T15:23:00.000-03:002015-07-24T06:00:55.274-03:00A Pilgrimage to a Pottery Festival<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every two years, the <b>International Ceramics Festival</b> is held in Aberystwyth, Wales. It was on my bucket list to go at least once and this year I made it happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Getting to Wales is definitely something that should be approached with patience. From here, it was two planes, three trains and a bus ride over the course of two days just to get to Cardigan. From there I started the 100 kilometre walk along the Wales Coastal Path to Aberystwyth. It was a great way to get over the jet-lag, take in the stunning landscapes and meet many kind and interesting Welsh people along the way.</span><br />
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Admittedly there are probably faster ways to get to Aberystwyth, but only slightly.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWYPmbKWHgpT8qoRPqPn3WI3LA8uFAQE29f2R3iowP11_Au273jos1ZR_YHFk1bTfxzH4QrSSafdyAZzmifsW-ZczKRqkJOVzfzyTs-QL9rbpSCOCFJTc42Z36R7rWL07ftbUSJXpAU8/s1600/Day2b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWYPmbKWHgpT8qoRPqPn3WI3LA8uFAQE29f2R3iowP11_Au273jos1ZR_YHFk1bTfxzH4QrSSafdyAZzmifsW-ZczKRqkJOVzfzyTs-QL9rbpSCOCFJTc42Z36R7rWL07ftbUSJXpAU8/s640/Day2b.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Wales Coastal Path - near Llangrannog</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The walk felt a lot like a pilgrimage. Walking is a really lovely way to travel across a landscape. You don't have that feeling that things are passing by too quickly and it's easy to stop whenever the mood hits you, take photographs, even stumble into a pub or cafe for a little liquid replenishment without the hassles that come with other forms of transportation. The UK has an amazing trust of public land and walking paths that make it possible to spend years walking around without ever repeating your route. In Wales alone the entire coastal path is 1400 km. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I confess that it was a bittersweet moment as we crested the last hill and looked down over Aberystwyth. Although with the rain threatening a proper downpour and after a long day of walking I was happy to be headed indoors to a bed and a shower. As we walked the long, last mile along the promenade below with the wind howling and the rain beating sideways a van pulled up along side the road and a group of kids poured out. Seconds later they emerged from an alleyway between two building with surfboards. They scurried quickly across the road and into the water for their surfing lesson. Another testament to the saying "There's no bad weather in Wales, only poor clothing choices." Ironically though, we were pretty well prepared for rainy weather on this trip. We were less prepared for the scorching summer sun and heat wave that was happening during our walk. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97vdSpUFWjjQpA0R_gLs2d8MmV6WgXt9HzBIWaIB1xsJxMWcoIxhWCusBe7NczOJBkk5SvWXEt47hqLQCMdOsVuKV31GFPMkhS_0B1hEqvFUfXhHX0QiI8oMNUFD2KWV2va4rlWtPLY8/s1600/aberystwyth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97vdSpUFWjjQpA0R_gLs2d8MmV6WgXt9HzBIWaIB1xsJxMWcoIxhWCusBe7NczOJBkk5SvWXEt47hqLQCMdOsVuKV31GFPMkhS_0B1hEqvFUfXhHX0QiI8oMNUFD2KWV2va4rlWtPLY8/s640/aberystwyth.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aberystwyth as the sun is setting.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The International Ceramics Festival is a relatively young event, started in 1987. It's held every two years at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre, University of Aberystwyth. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJpBPuwuJZAvOLBfs_GGAdbtFkKz8aPdqGQPdETt1E_qRAxyk4TpS-MLmouJ1c2_Luu3iwb1n_kogTgLvuCokxKwRmO9okT6mjNUo8C3XGPdZyt2PCNsG-D7Ha1SOKu3X6x_PyOeOpSI/s1600/AberUniv.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJpBPuwuJZAvOLBfs_GGAdbtFkKz8aPdqGQPdETt1E_qRAxyk4TpS-MLmouJ1c2_Luu3iwb1n_kogTgLvuCokxKwRmO9okT6mjNUo8C3XGPdZyt2PCNsG-D7Ha1SOKu3X6x_PyOeOpSI/s640/AberUniv.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Old College - Aberystwyth University</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The festival has developed quite a reputation for itself since its conception both for the caliber of presenters from around the globe it attracts (this year was no exception) but also for the unusual kiln firings that happen during the festival.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd71eqk1Lm5mu8963J9JdvwU-0kwq5aU_6bVzXVLSRN_OZz6VpML_wmatpLBVZpFrwdwjcSeu6WQwmo-FCIfT0FFGyns0lCBqOL5IOZoXpRUCXG2bjWaO-Sz9R2xTm2ZwWmfn83Ik8gPs/s1600/EcoKiln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd71eqk1Lm5mu8963J9JdvwU-0kwq5aU_6bVzXVLSRN_OZz6VpML_wmatpLBVZpFrwdwjcSeu6WQwmo-FCIfT0FFGyns0lCBqOL5IOZoXpRUCXG2bjWaO-Sz9R2xTm2ZwWmfn83Ik8gPs/s320/EcoKiln.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The "Eco-Kiln": a small wood fire kiln.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0Z95Pn4GjWih6wmHsstsiUueGSdMuvErB87Z6JDbKFseaPPM85T069oSMFfW3LPzKzziOyHvJDe01QBaYpS2WBpr3uZYRBuRwAWVoW2ExvusoiW7oDTDblzg6GXo2H1P_dqt71fNmPY/s1600/pizzakiln.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0Z95Pn4GjWih6wmHsstsiUueGSdMuvErB87Z6JDbKFseaPPM85T069oSMFfW3LPzKzziOyHvJDe01QBaYpS2WBpr3uZYRBuRwAWVoW2ExvusoiW7oDTDblzg6GXo2H1P_dqt71fNmPY/s320/pizzakiln.JPG" width="285" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A pizza kiln/oven.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYke_afyNBV0rwO4OTTyimQLJY3zFc4lxQxhjBLKH8wHLivo5FZ-eajRmoIrp0hCRW8RezisL6W9FvBg3lhwvnGzHQGt26YFxtzwN3lskvRaVyXG2_CIbEU-Tfjzhzu5JoXLZs3KajhsY/s1600/LuaLKiln.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYke_afyNBV0rwO4OTTyimQLJY3zFc4lxQxhjBLKH8wHLivo5FZ-eajRmoIrp0hCRW8RezisL6W9FvBg3lhwvnGzHQGt26YFxtzwN3lskvRaVyXG2_CIbEU-Tfjzhzu5JoXLZs3KajhsY/s400/LuaLKiln.JPG" width="353" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Lual Kiln by <span style="background-color: white; color: #636060; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18.5px; text-align: start;">Rita Gudino </span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvJMFGwLnkyWs2NdccN6s6Bw42ISJWfI2Eb72kHfEeCs_WqPR5F8VbelQJh9ITiME5v-ZfRT9AkXxYa6NcY2dtlbEWffj4rxlGC8MSd5-QUPJepO5lC2xhcTEwcrW2AoyqHUkuhbMkWo/s1600/LuaLKilnUnload.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvJMFGwLnkyWs2NdccN6s6Bw42ISJWfI2Eb72kHfEeCs_WqPR5F8VbelQJh9ITiME5v-ZfRT9AkXxYa6NcY2dtlbEWffj4rxlGC8MSd5-QUPJepO5lC2xhcTEwcrW2AoyqHUkuhbMkWo/s640/LuaLKilnUnload.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Unloading the Lual Kiln</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRck4lnZN2nTYHjinNFv8PScATEM44VVaEbygZ5GjANpdtccTYRPxCEYfQ7Fplo3mwRbZDGhFoJ2filEuGNAsX9_SpZk8CfGdTgRlhpM7ZvmLWhS3vV49tEbR_-xROmTJyPdaXeoi97Q/s1600/RecycledKiln2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRck4lnZN2nTYHjinNFv8PScATEM44VVaEbygZ5GjANpdtccTYRPxCEYfQ7Fplo3mwRbZDGhFoJ2filEuGNAsX9_SpZk8CfGdTgRlhpM7ZvmLWhS3vV49tEbR_-xROmTJyPdaXeoi97Q/s640/RecycledKiln2.jpg" width="441" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #636060; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 18.5px; text-align: start;">Sergi Pahissa's kiln from local reclaimed material</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not shown here is the medieval Japanese anagama kiln by <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.5px;">Gas Kimishima. And that's just a highlight of the kiln firings... The workshops and presentations were a LOT to take in.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.5px;">I probably would have benefited from doing a second 100 kilometre walk just to let my mind digest some of the wisdom and creative spirit from the festival. Here are a few more photos of some of the gorgeous coastal path from the Ceredigion Region of Wales.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.5px;">In my next post I'll talk about how the festival and the landscape is making me rethink how I work with clay.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Aberystwyth Castle- photo taken around 11 pm (long summer days slightly further north) on the way back to my flat after the kiln firings </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Llangrannog</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This section of trail on the hot sunny day required some focus on footwork.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aberaeron</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail marker on top of another hill near the end of the day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North of Aberystwyth</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The extensive sand dunes of Ynys-Las</td></tr>
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If you're wondering what I have available for the Christmas season, you can browse my market inventory at the link below. I will be adding new inventory and deleting sold items on a regular basis, so if you don't see your wish list item today, check back later. There may also be some goodies at my booth that don't appear here.</div>
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Happy Holidays.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrLte-7zBTD-34JTzsf-HT8lTziswCHd8iNYKdx6piQpkCeDEpctCuCRshGh8kSzT-ErR1Vp-CdGZTaFPe82hoV4LCWy6W3v0BGKxAe_NkT79gz4-unREWtbsmo7dswbADse38EJYeL4/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrLte-7zBTD-34JTzsf-HT8lTziswCHd8iNYKdx6piQpkCeDEpctCuCRshGh8kSzT-ErR1Vp-CdGZTaFPe82hoV4LCWy6W3v0BGKxAe_NkT79gz4-unREWtbsmo7dswbADse38EJYeL4/s1600/13.jpg" height="283" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cheese boards $25-35</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.901007859909931.1073741836.111785522165506&type=1" target="_blank">See what's available at my booth at the Wolfville Farmers' Market by clicking here.</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-79244124746054104092014-11-13T16:28:00.002-04:002014-11-13T16:29:05.779-04:00'Tis the SeasonCome find me at the Wolfville Farmers' Market EVERY Wednesday evening from 4-7 pm and Saturday from 8:30-1 pm or at one of these great local events.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-77766467577927689422014-09-11T15:48:00.001-03:002014-09-12T08:32:22.372-03:00Hand-Building Workshops!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have <i>FINALLY</i> set the dates for the Fall workshops. See the "Classes" tab at this website for more information, or check out the Event listing on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/tracy-horsman-ceramics/111785522165506?sk=events" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> or talk to me at the Wolfville Farmers' Market.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGuz4Y6drtu_gfRQ0knrAgK7mldp32ry5qjIXYOiE5v_y4I5JneTa1VQebVB1kXkipE99jgkNfJ9YQhTlDRX4b1HCRpo6mpGwy61ccWyM6pfvSsbmz_BAzExmShiUJAZKjqVvMSmxS9I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-11+at+3.41.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGuz4Y6drtu_gfRQ0knrAgK7mldp32ry5qjIXYOiE5v_y4I5JneTa1VQebVB1kXkipE99jgkNfJ9YQhTlDRX4b1HCRpo6mpGwy61ccWyM6pfvSsbmz_BAzExmShiUJAZKjqVvMSmxS9I/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-11+at+3.41.50+PM.png" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YbdNgJD9skQqvuOg1QMVg1IJ1HaVewLYy7C07fnIFV2TJJOjZZH9-R0jf2rnFpqxgqWT5D5qKc0nDBAZqGLPH4M2P7cNJfLUuwQ3dRPOs6Ac13mskokKbIgXtMTChfB_CoJJfNVHA54/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-11+at+3.42.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YbdNgJD9skQqvuOg1QMVg1IJ1HaVewLYy7C07fnIFV2TJJOjZZH9-R0jf2rnFpqxgqWT5D5qKc0nDBAZqGLPH4M2P7cNJfLUuwQ3dRPOs6Ac13mskokKbIgXtMTChfB_CoJJfNVHA54/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-09-11+at+3.42.32+PM.png" height="640" width="472" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-29286455645153085442014-09-02T17:41:00.001-03:002014-09-02T17:58:08.594-03:00My Slow Pottery MovementSo... you may know that I'm into "Slow Food". I guess I could even be accused of being "a Foodie". I like to imagine that my foodie traits are primarily rooted in eating well (with health in mind, for the body AND the environment... as if you can separate the two) rather than some kind of food elitist constantly in pursuit of a rare and/or difficult to acquire edible item.<br />
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Creating food that's really worth consuming takes time. That's what slow food is about. Sure, you can pick a fresh juicy peach from a tree and eat it in the sun in all it's naked, dripping glory and say "how is this slow food?", but you'd be ignoring the time it took to select and cultivate the tree. The time it took for the bee to pollinate the flower, the time it took for the blossom to transform into the 'sparkle in your eye' of the juicy fruit that you have just picked. That's slow food... the time and also the acknowledgment and the appreciation that it takes time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfGA0RURVK8LYBIke-310tJ2MXFC36WGTT3Bw6xF3l5xCQ5tDGsCBXlgiROnp9GuD9QrZjE-Inykpr2m079TrnLdEQaKfOrOtYX-3b1krUina5bNoWr_CvKHC1Tjby4as7pG_e7q6SC0/s1600/bee+mug+handle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVfGA0RURVK8LYBIke-310tJ2MXFC36WGTT3Bw6xF3l5xCQ5tDGsCBXlgiROnp9GuD9QrZjE-Inykpr2m079TrnLdEQaKfOrOtYX-3b1krUina5bNoWr_CvKHC1Tjby4as7pG_e7q6SC0/s1600/bee+mug+handle.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfPGS96iE_zuDgqXzwqe7ukSK-FdEKEGNyuwPX-Q4Gz4B_xtdd3zu2rhaF08_ZV8pPb5xjM-pWnLKt_i0SNVoiZBrfex3SDMzongamCH8uMuwtKVQQTzt_eCsKVODXmKAR7P76pjOyD8/s1600/Bee+Mugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfPGS96iE_zuDgqXzwqe7ukSK-FdEKEGNyuwPX-Q4Gz4B_xtdd3zu2rhaF08_ZV8pPb5xjM-pWnLKt_i0SNVoiZBrfex3SDMzongamCH8uMuwtKVQQTzt_eCsKVODXmKAR7P76pjOyD8/s1600/Bee+Mugs.jpg" height="176" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my recent mugs. Be kind to bees, they're kind of important if you like to eat.</td></tr>
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I've been eating for quite a few years now... Pottery on the other hand is a more recent occupation. But, it's been a few years (more than a decade) that I can say I've been hacking away at clay and I think I can officially say (based on keen scientific observation) that I am a "slow potter". That is to say, not the kind with immediately obvious talent, or the kind that overwhelms with productivity. I am the slow, plodding kind. If I am going to truly embrace "slow pottery" I need to accept that. To embrace that it takes time.<br />
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In the spirit of Slow Pottery... here is the result of the project I started nearly a year ago. A large mosaic, that I'm using as a sign. I would do some things differently if I were starting over, but in the end I am sufficiently satisfied that, in my slow and plodding way, I managed to hang it up next to the entrance to the studio. It'll be there to welcome all who come here to experience slow pottery with me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUZbj51zuWDxteOxX5HAjKAZw0oJ7OKMKOBdQGUEwExQJNTh3UOL_VvYVYAUgtjhyphenhyphenV5-4q_N4GrwQCk_qZ_Z0Qa99wnvNZQKhH9e2tsWwBLYOebwKByC-y4OM0n65r55ziQgAD9SeuYY/s1600/Pottery_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUZbj51zuWDxteOxX5HAjKAZw0oJ7OKMKOBdQGUEwExQJNTh3UOL_VvYVYAUgtjhyphenhyphenV5-4q_N4GrwQCk_qZ_Z0Qa99wnvNZQKhH9e2tsWwBLYOebwKByC-y4OM0n65r55ziQgAD9SeuYY/s1600/Pottery_sign.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mosaic piece (the poppies have a special significance at the studio)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14eAzzOJ4S4kCbdSEMtwte23mfofysSV7zgl8OkSwuh052dr_Ok6jgyM627eVB-GlJneW6p9YHzwR3MY7TnRyedeCyt09QmKoY_dsOQCAbGCYTKcNemh7m-4K43FARyisgk7rAEFO8nE/s1600/Pottery_studio_Sept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14eAzzOJ4S4kCbdSEMtwte23mfofysSV7zgl8OkSwuh052dr_Ok6jgyM627eVB-GlJneW6p9YHzwR3MY7TnRyedeCyt09QmKoY_dsOQCAbGCYTKcNemh7m-4K43FARyisgk7rAEFO8nE/s1600/Pottery_studio_Sept.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the sign - finally mounted on the wall of the studio</td></tr>
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<br />I should probably also note that you can now find my "slow pottery" at my booth at the Wolfville Farmers Market every week for the rest of 2014! Look for this fabulous old cabinet... I'm working on filling the shelves with new and always unique stuff.<div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-54620477608474602992014-02-22T09:20:00.004-04:002014-02-22T09:23:04.381-04:00Scope for Growth and Adversity<div>
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In my last post I got a little whiny (maybe even a lot)... feeling pretty overwhelmed with the work that's required to be a professional artist-artisan. For the most part I stand behind my previous comments, but I would be an ass if I didn't acknowledge that throughout all the trials and tribulations of this journey (that nobody forced me to take) there are a LOT of amazingly kind and generous people. These people offer all sorts of support, knowledge, advice and assistance. They hold me up when I need it and they'll even pick me up when I'm already down. They do it all from the goodness of their heart and the kindness of their being. It's really inspiring.<br />
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Thank you!<br />
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"Thank you" seems insufficient.<br />
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In my feeble attempt to offer something back here, I realized that this is a recurring theme in life. This scope for growth and adversity. Several years ago I created this piece (below) that I knew would be the first in a life-long series on this theme.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHqdB82SIzBDn9J1cAh9iaZ4O7il12w4jNOOudgYEPMIHAxOEOg7-QbovTe-YFnuepCrCzN5GjRpQlaZqwW98ZrKnyK_gIhK-O23m8-ehYOZdQ9dLzMKZeBZ_ciQ5VyhWvgdotXBxuFs/s1600/P1010111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHqdB82SIzBDn9J1cAh9iaZ4O7il12w4jNOOudgYEPMIHAxOEOg7-QbovTe-YFnuepCrCzN5GjRpQlaZqwW98ZrKnyK_gIhK-O23m8-ehYOZdQ9dLzMKZeBZ_ciQ5VyhWvgdotXBxuFs/s1600/P1010111.JPG" height="400" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scope for Growth and Adversity - 2011</td></tr>
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This is the kind of piece that kids love. You get to interact with it. You have to interact with it or you will miss a major component of what it's all about.<br />
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Are you inclined to look inside? I hope so. </div>
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If you ask me what it is, I will be hopeless inarticulate about it. I'm still discovering the answer. </div>
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Inside there is a vaguely humanoid figure. Folded in a not-exactly fetal shape. Is it trapped in there? Is it developing? Is this an adverse environment? Or one that offers scope for growth?</div>
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There's no right answer. Where am I on this continuum? What is this experience to me? Can I change my experience? </div>
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There are two ways to look into this piece I created. From the scope on the side (seen in the photo above) and also from a hole in the top. Either way you need to illuminate the interior some how, but you will only ever have the two perspectives.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuEglokvXOvTaEgd3QYhyphenhyphennEslPO9UvHqZyjIx42afqE2sIsmVD2McnmKcO9Hy2XM4pgy27D96A6JzMo-1fd4YVmzo4lZZDqe7RCnYcSUA6_CfnnHSUolQjf5qQt29fPoUCjpFU0y-n3o/s1600/P1010789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcuEglokvXOvTaEgd3QYhyphenhyphennEslPO9UvHqZyjIx42afqE2sIsmVD2McnmKcO9Hy2XM4pgy27D96A6JzMo-1fd4YVmzo4lZZDqe7RCnYcSUA6_CfnnHSUolQjf5qQt29fPoUCjpFU0y-n3o/s1600/P1010789.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">figure inside</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-53390273611540975162014-02-04T11:43:00.001-04:002014-02-04T20:38:50.038-04:00An Artistic Life.... Blow by Blow<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One woman's story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I was a wimp and I thwarted art as a career for most of life. Then I surrendered to it. A lot of artists take a different path. They embrace it when they are young and energetic and not too daunted by a bohemian life and lack of money. To some extent I had that experience too. Working as a biologist on conversation initiatives is hardly a path to riches and security either. But unlike the minimally paid biologist living in a cabin or even working in a office pouring over maps of critical habitat for endangered species, the artist is pretty much a one-person band. There's no NGO or government/industry program behind them, quietly soliciting money to keep their work going (except in rare and exceptional circumstances). No, the artist takes on all the roles: fundraiser, promoter/publicist, editor, designer, marketing, creator, maintenance worker, custodian you name it... if you're an artist it's probably being done by one person - you!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I have days when my work is all about keeping the cabin (my studio) from dropping below freezing. Yep, that's a job! Other days when I will crack the kiln open to replace thermo-couples, relays and elements. Days when I make a supply run into the city (~200 km return trip) to load up with clay, glaze chemicals and the other supplies to keep the kiln running smoothly. I have other days that are spent designing posters for upcoming sales events or pottery lessons. And days like this when I'm nearly so defeated that I am almost ready to throw in the towel and admit that I'm not up to the challenge.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin25a8nnT5h1iZ8CrFijySt8uSWG7_RNL2qymml-HcdpI9pcoyGkfyp5zgR2effNRu3j66cKQrV72rpwONxNyZgZYBAIY-J1wZaYxhzMed2XKOHMRj3r2uKVWItJTOpKK5SOciZRtmfkc/s1600/1557557_734587639885288_2091983302_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin25a8nnT5h1iZ8CrFijySt8uSWG7_RNL2qymml-HcdpI9pcoyGkfyp5zgR2effNRu3j66cKQrV72rpwONxNyZgZYBAIY-J1wZaYxhzMed2XKOHMRj3r2uKVWItJTOpKK5SOciZRtmfkc/s1600/1557557_734587639885288_2091983302_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the studio on a snowy day.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The idea seemed simple enough at first. I was lucky to have had a steady job for enough years that I'd squirrelled away the funds for the space and the kiln, purchased wheels and other equipment bit by bit. Ceramics/pottery has pretty high start-up costs compared to some other art forms. I don't know how someone fresh out of art school would pull it off on their own. You definitely have to be creative about keeping the costs down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My hope as a ceramic artist is [was] that I will be able to plug away at making things with clay that have real spirit to them. Hand-made pottery is art that you can use everyday. If you're sensitive to it, you can feel the difference between a piece made by someone's hands. The energy that went into making it is fired into the piece and stays with it for millenia. There are so many different styles that there is someone making pottery today that will speak to you this way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I knew that I would have a challenge finding my "voice" as a potter and I knew that I did not want to be a production potter - which can complicate the task of finding and keeping a market for your work. I don't have a replacement for that bowl you got from me two years ago. Part of what keeps me excited about pottery and ceramic art is that I'm constantly mucking around and trying new stuff. I'm pretty sure I could live to be 120 years old and still find new things to try. The field is both deep and broad and there are many 80, 90 and even centenarian potters out there proving my point on this. I suspect they are not in a financial position to retire either.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTB5hRI-FnxRSZhoNL0V7GYPnM94RZnTgryCR_OJqGxOWd81OpDog8bQHsCvRI-cO2nTPI-BZPbfv6STg7W5tOUbkLuxwwm2RoW0dT1EM61jdGPilhXfBqCjjcKSGkQv1BbZaUThYIEg/s1600/images-12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTB5hRI-FnxRSZhoNL0V7GYPnM94RZnTgryCR_OJqGxOWd81OpDog8bQHsCvRI-cO2nTPI-BZPbfv6STg7W5tOUbkLuxwwm2RoW0dT1EM61jdGPilhXfBqCjjcKSGkQv1BbZaUThYIEg/s1600/images-12.jpeg" height="266" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Beatrice Wood, 105 years old</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">To keep my aspirations of working with clay I knew I would have to be creative, not just in my own work, but also in ways of maintaining some cash flow to keep the power flowing to the kiln and to continue to replenish the clay supply. For me, and many artists, part of that plan is to share the joys of working in their chosen medium with other people. I really love this aspect of the "job". It's a lot of fun. It's the MOST fun part of the job. Way more fun that packing up pottery and lugging heavy boxes of breakable items off to set-up to sell for a few hours and then re-packing it. No, I can say hands-down that if I'm not actually making something with clay, then the absolute next best thing is helping someone else do it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So... here's what spurred this blog.... As you may have noticed, I'm offering three six week classes this spring. I was hoping to let our little rural community know about this. There's a great little website called "Annapolis Valley Events" that is supposed to be all about promoting arts and culture events in our community. I posted the notice about pottery lessons there and last night I was informed that I'm not eligible to post my event listing... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Hello and Welcome to ValleyEvents.ca. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Started in 2008, ValleyEvents.ca is a free portal for informing residents and visitors in the Annapolis Valley of upcoming arts, culture, entertainment, and educational events happening in the Annapolis Valley region. We have worked very hard to attract a specific, focused audience and want to ensure we can retain them with high quality content. In that regard, policies were put into effect to keep businesses separate from our event listings. Within these policies we do not list: </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Business events involving customer solicitation; Business advertisements or sales; Business run Fitness Classes; Sporting Events; Other events that are deemed to be business related ventures
We make a conscious effort to keep commercial posts out of our event lists, as this is a site driven by the users, not by businesses."</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I guess technically I am a "business" and that is too offensive to be considered an art event, even under the classes/workshops section. All this to say: you won't be finding me in the Valley Events. BUT, if you are interested, I do offer intimate classes (4-5 people) and workshops with clay. At most twelve people (in total) can participate in this little endeavour that is offered from spring through the fall in a little log cabin, which is also a ceramic studio.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the corporate headquarters</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks for letting me vent about this to you. Next time you see an artist, just know, they could probably use a hug and any support you can offer, which does NOT mean you have to buy something, but could just mean that you finally take that painting course you have been telling yourself you'd like to do or mentioning to your friends that there's a cool little pottery studio up the road that offers lessons from time to time...</span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-58285229982997632752014-01-31T15:50:00.002-04:002014-02-16T17:53:56.141-04:00Spring... into a Pottery Class<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Corny title. Yes. Sorry!!!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcYdPMlRUAxmENJgesPCnkmegKX1Od2VkyNjX6o3541X-nUNkSDmJMF-USrFeyl6zUiQiN8wjPe-vlBjqit1wFG9oWkSMB7B8Fne_DPK0vimlF1VDJhj6CJ_HShxSK0Aj3pHAizOc6Uc/s1600/134875080.GkZcfl7i._SWM7066-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcYdPMlRUAxmENJgesPCnkmegKX1Od2VkyNjX6o3541X-nUNkSDmJMF-USrFeyl6zUiQiN8wjPe-vlBjqit1wFG9oWkSMB7B8Fne_DPK0vimlF1VDJhj6CJ_HShxSK0Aj3pHAizOc6Uc/s1600/134875080.GkZcfl7i._SWM7066-002.jpg" height="299" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcYdPMlRUAxmENJgesPCnkmegKX1Od2VkyNjX6o3541X-nUNkSDmJMF-USrFeyl6zUiQiN8wjPe-vlBjqit1wFG9oWkSMB7B8Fne_DPK0vimlF1VDJhj6CJ_HShxSK0Aj3pHAizOc6Uc/s1600/134875080.GkZcfl7i._SWM7066-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I could wax on about all the benefits of taking up pottery. There are lots of studies in art therapy that show the social, emotional, mental and physical benefits. Arthritic hands may respond really well to the warm water and gentle work-out that helps with circulation and movement. Your mind that's been turning over those zillion things may finally quiet down under the hypnotic movement of the clay on the spinning wheel. Classes usually get a bit silly too, so expect to laugh (truly the best medicine).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHnlSTK-77LT-C4RohpAVyVjsQqyioCGLR1iK1jb9j9do7qPOuISwSrVDk9ACi4smU9olMCFfq0NcqQGfwRu6jNtRbhuC_vNOJAF6GJBUUdkTUStjJUGzs7VJyfSAn6ETpThjywEMck8/s1600/Sept2012_ServingorMixingBowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a></div>
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</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOO0vvwYrDJ0ovaVxu9jP2NE0lDAXgVUQoCEU1wUv9G-tXkZDKEfWAuUmnWL1fi0MG19aIQwjAgduYyPKLv3sY5unUEyPHvMI5jijgChUddKp-U2msf9FT64vJ9OoXUAyP22Zd7kkijc/s1600/BeforeDarkness_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">If you envision your cupboards filled with hand-made pottery with warm runny glazes, oozing the kind of karma that only comes from items made by hand and with affection, then pottery may be for you! It's certainly what drew me in. </span><br />
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From early spring through to the start of winter I offer classes in introductory & intermediate pottery. The classes are small and intimate. The people who come are always lovely and more often than not end up as friends if they weren't before. The space is a little log cabin, nestled on the south mountain near Wolfville, Nova Scotia (~8km from downtown) and just up the hill from the little hamlet of Gaspereau. The studio isn't large, but it's well equipped with wheels and work tables, lots of glazes and other goodies. The mood is always relaxed. There is usually some mellow singer-songwriter music playing in the background. If it's cold out, there's probably a fire in the wood stove to keep us warm. If this appeals to you, you're invited to join me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Spring 2014 Schedule</span></h2>
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<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Introductory pottery classes</span></span></span></h3>
<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Classes are weekly on Monday evenings from 6-9 pm starting March 31st. *</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br />Demonstration & instruction in both thrown pottery and hand-building are offered in this 6 week class.<br /><br />During this session you will learn all the basics of creating pieces on a potter's wheel. Over the course of four weeks you will get to make bowls and mugs. The 5th week is an opportunity to finish up your pieces and learn hand-building techniques. In the final week you will learn how to glaze all your pieces. </span></span></span><br />
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<span itemprop="description"><span class="fsl"><span style="font-size: small;">$215 (supplies, 10 lbs clay, glaze and firings included)</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Limited space. </span></span></span></span></td></tr>
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<b>Intermediate pottery classes</b></div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">Two options: Classes are weekly on Sunday evenings 6-9 pm starting March 30th <u>or</u> Monday afternoons 1-4 pm starting March 31st. *</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">$215 (supplies, 10 lbs clay, glazes and firings included).</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">$215 (supplies, 10 lbs clay, glazes and firings included).</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">Limited space.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">Beyond bowls: four weeks on the wheel working on more advanced shapes and perfecting the ones you already know, o</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">ne week of soft-slab construction. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px;">Finishing up with a marathon of glazing all these creations. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">If you can wedge clay and centre it on the wheel, know what bisqueware is and also that glaze is not paint... this class is for you!!</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">* dare I even say... "storm make-up" scheduled for May 25th</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">Please contact me directly to register. You can reach me by <a href="mailto:tracyhorsman@gmail.com" target="_blank">email</a>. Phone: 902.542.1213 or message me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/tracy-horsman-ceramics/111785522165506" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;">To stay current on classes, workshops, shows, sales and other things I might be up to, please visit my Facebook page. </span></span><br />
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The things I want in my life have changed. Maybe it's age, or a growing global consciousness that relates to our current social and environmental predicament. "Stuff" has become repulsive. It takes up space. It can even feel oppressive. Our "stuff" has become excessive... yet we can't seem to stop getting more. Walmart and Winners is full of whole sets of beautiful and even funky dish sets for $20. So for me, the potter, the idea of making more stuff can sometimes feel WRONG.<br />
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My potter-self is extremely conflicted.<br />
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I've shared this inner-conflict with some of my artist friends. It's a surprisingly common problem, at least among my peers. Maybe it's contagious. But in all seriousness, in this era of "austerity" art can seem extremely superfluous, not just in the buying but also in the making. Who knew?<br />
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Do people really need or want my artisanal products? Or, are they a burden?<br />
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If they do need (or want) them, <b><i>WHAT</i></b> do they need or want? Is it a mug to be cherished. "Your" mug. The one you reach for in the morning to savour the first steaming cup of java on a cold winter morning. The one you curl up with, cradled in your hand, resting against your belly for the extra warmth as you sink into a good book in the evening?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs30jWyYhh1rOV3nN5i76OUatYPMZkjLQPZz6Snruc3HvhXa8UE_bRPTzsjt4bu_ttGlb2GXBMGRenTf7zgGuzUcAa44G7GMaOmFcOE1M-Me2JucjdPVZTYByHmjKT8MSiQN5Yd4PI6N0/s1600/db_mug1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs30jWyYhh1rOV3nN5i76OUatYPMZkjLQPZz6Snruc3HvhXa8UE_bRPTzsjt4bu_ttGlb2GXBMGRenTf7zgGuzUcAa44G7GMaOmFcOE1M-Me2JucjdPVZTYByHmjKT8MSiQN5Yd4PI6N0/s640/db_mug1a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a requested bowl</td></tr>
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A piece of sculptural wall art that makes you smile each time you pass it in the hall. A piece so whimsical and outrageous that no matter your mood, you can't ignore it's ability to bring a smile to your face and embrace the ridiculousness of this life.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/qpunQZ4cUyI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Song "Art" by Tanya Davis (definitely worth the listen!!)</div>
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This post has no conclusion. It's an ongoing debate that I struggle with each time I enter the studio. What I do know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, is that whether "stuff" is produced or not the act of being creative is absolutely essential to our existence. It should be encouraged in all its manifestations. This is especially so in times of economic austerity and impending environmental catastrophes.<br />
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(to be continued...)<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-28505670200467122062013-08-16T13:15:00.001-03:002013-08-16T13:17:42.556-03:00Back to School!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Cqg0jk1MHpLg02b4qwyJ8zV82lrkVvzN4KnyRkEO4w6-IMm0HUAAPUEoUpCW78kP3BsLCdUzCAasMiFlbpimA1WJRHOUKKVANZju8IVPXX8MHNdrMrSwUZeCAyFfDqwuzMZw2zqKq_U/s1600/long+serving+tray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Cqg0jk1MHpLg02b4qwyJ8zV82lrkVvzN4KnyRkEO4w6-IMm0HUAAPUEoUpCW78kP3BsLCdUzCAasMiFlbpimA1WJRHOUKKVANZju8IVPXX8MHNdrMrSwUZeCAyFfDqwuzMZw2zqKq_U/s320/long+serving+tray.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand-built platter</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What is it about those cool mornings in August that set your mind to thoughts of school?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Or is it just me?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">With August fading away too quickly, I'm getting ready for the line-up of fall classes and workshops.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There are four classes for Introductory pottery. Each is a 6 week session. I've also announced a few hand-building workshops - two sessions for making hand-built mugs and one on making a platter (in time for Thanksgiving dinner no less!).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">These classes are small and intimate and not at all intimidating. All the Fall classes will be taking place in the log cabin.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">See the "Classes" tab above for more details. <a href="mailto:tracyhorsman@gmail.com" target="_blank">Contact me</a> to register.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hand-built mugs</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-10141906337297451612013-07-21T09:14:00.000-03:002013-07-21T09:14:12.281-03:00Crunch TimeIn less than one week I'll be set-up for <a href="http://www.artfestivalwolfville.com/" target="_blank">Art Festival Wolfville</a>. I only do a few select show/sales during the year, so it's a lot of pressure. But then again, setting up a booth and moving a ton of pottery is a lot of work too and it takes a younger body and soul to do it on a weekly basis. <div>
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So... For the first and only time this summer you'll find me set up at <a href="http://www.luckettvineyards.com/" target="_blank">Luckett Vineyards</a> on Saturday, July 27th. The view is stunning. SERIOUSLY STUNNING! There will be music and food and lots of art. Bring some money. Support the artists. Take home some unique pieces made by people in your community. </div>
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I've added some photos to my gallery page of new work that you'll find at my booth. (Check it out. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.) </div>
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I hope you're able to make it out to the event. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large bowl in the new turquoise and cream glaze combination.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-83781156899222003922013-06-26T13:44:00.000-03:002013-06-26T13:44:11.895-03:00Some Rockin' 1st Pots!If you're following me on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracy-Horsman-Ceramics/111785522165506?ref=hl" target="_blank">facebook</a>, you've probably already seen these. If not, I think you're going to be impressed. I know I was. These are photos of the first pots made and glazed by participants in my intro-pottery classes.<br />
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I'm so impressed and a wee bit proud.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xO54tfTk6Ucd-JiSQoRqYBVWwsqQ259CLXswggE14cypiojvwrLDVUkqlamF6Zt3V912hsghiANg6cSuaY3O02X7GKynqcPK6SH5jXWUiSD93BJR9SU2nP7CJ9YbP9dLQy3d_UOLGVs/s1600/ad+mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8xO54tfTk6Ucd-JiSQoRqYBVWwsqQ259CLXswggE14cypiojvwrLDVUkqlamF6Zt3V912hsghiANg6cSuaY3O02X7GKynqcPK6SH5jXWUiSD93BJR9SU2nP7CJ9YbP9dLQy3d_UOLGVs/s320/ad+mug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H5pgY1rQzPcCe0nyPdT6a3uXdne4ghSoKvN02_PveFXtlp7nfT18B7K9K7lehPEMGKdiUUbwNSfcy5vKnhZVaACJQniCzYBT1Q8tad2Ets5HhWT5sQ_cx2GJlmK50iPrkEoitLx6a6I/s1600/ad+mug3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8H5pgY1rQzPcCe0nyPdT6a3uXdne4ghSoKvN02_PveFXtlp7nfT18B7K9K7lehPEMGKdiUUbwNSfcy5vKnhZVaACJQniCzYBT1Q8tad2Ets5HhWT5sQ_cx2GJlmK50iPrkEoitLx6a6I/s400/ad+mug3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-91793647772290654342013-02-17T19:55:00.001-04:002013-07-09T14:37:08.564-03:00Introductory Pottery Classes (with the pottery wheel!)I have offered workshops in the past. They have always been hand-building projects.<br />
But so many of you have asked me about classes with the wheel.<br />
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Up until now I have only been able to offer these one-on-one... but I'm excited to announce that I have some more wheels. Introductory classes in throwing are winding up for the summer months.<br />
New classes start up again in September.<br />
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Four classes to choose from:<br />
Monday evening 6 - 9 pm<br />
Tuesday morning 9 am - noon<br />
Wednesday afternoon 1- 4 pm<br />
Wednesday evening 6 - 9 pm<br />
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6 weeks sessions - $220 (includes clay, glaze and firing)<br />
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If you'd like more information or to sign up for a class send me an <a href="mailto:tracyhorsman@gmail.com" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">email</span></a> or a message through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracy-Horsman-Ceramics/111785522165506?ref=hl" target="_blank">facebook</a>.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> *Fall Schedule *</span></h4>
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Starting in September classes will run for 6 weekly sessions. $220.<br />
During the 6 week period there will be 4 sessions of instruction on the wheel, one session of hand-building and a session for glazing.<br />
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<i>(Note: Anyone registered in both sessions may continue with wheel work throughout the period if they prefer).</i><br />
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<b>Fall Session #1 (September-October)</b></div>
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Start the week of September 9th. (Note: no classes on holidays)</div>
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<b>Fall Session #2 (October-December)</b></div>
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Monday evening sessions start October 28th</div>
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All other classes start the week of October 22nd.</div>
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Please Note! Class size is limited. So, please book early to get into the class that suits your schedule best. You can sign up for classes by sending me an <a href="mailto:tracyhorsman@gmail.com" rel="nofollow"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">email</span></a> or a message through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracy-Horsman-Ceramics/111785522165506?ref=hl" target="_blank">facebook</a> or by calling (902) 542-1213.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-22497529890300935212012-10-11T15:35:00.002-03:002012-10-11T15:35:38.880-03:00Staying ConnectedI'm still not sure what the best way to stay connected with you is, but I'm giving this idea a shot. It's a catalogue of recent work that is available. It's not always easy for you to visit my home studio and it's always nice to browse from home, so in that spirit: here is my first catalogue.<br />
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I'm hoping it will be a good way for me to track my progress too. To flip back through the months and years to see what persists and what changes I make. It should be a fun experiment.<br />
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Starting on October 21st, my studio & gallery will be open for visitors on a regular schedule<br />
The hours are:<br />
Sundays: 1 - 5 pm<br />
Fridays: 10 am - 6 pm<br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/109739308" target="_blank">Here's the first catalogue!</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-24356768850399693232012-08-06T12:03:00.003-03:002013-07-30T08:55:41.249-03:00Are you still there????From blog posts alone, one would be justified in assuming I've gone on to do other things...<br />
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But as it turns out, I have actually been making pots and art pieces in what has been a very exciting few months on many fronts for me. Where to start?</div>
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<u><b>Functional Pottery:</b></u></div>
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I'm really excited about my current line of functional pottery. The forms appear deceptively simple. They are thrown on the wheel, with very little embellishment, except for the etched pieces, a process that is all about removing clay rather than adding to it. The pieces have an earthy feel, that I have been striving to achieve. The darker clay bodies and glaze contribute significantly to this effect. The matte glazes give the work, which is fired in an electric kiln, an appearance closer to wood fired pottery. Perhaps best of all is that I think these new pieces are the most versatile functional work in my collection to date. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New collection of functional pieces in blue glaze.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnfATSBDchWanxnzzdHyXTQl8kr2yO5jZkOUYC8bh6jzapoYnVXH4r8H-jcEnPVGjieAkq8o-17KoPcRPLxrmHAPizWBfd4Mf6C9iPlKd8sp689ucEVcdaXYXO5HbDBS5fZGVgqS2nDM/s1600/cappasoup3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnfATSBDchWanxnzzdHyXTQl8kr2yO5jZkOUYC8bh6jzapoYnVXH4r8H-jcEnPVGjieAkq8o-17KoPcRPLxrmHAPizWBfd4Mf6C9iPlKd8sp689ucEVcdaXYXO5HbDBS5fZGVgqS2nDM/s400/cappasoup3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cappu-Soup Bowls. <br />
A versatile vessel to take you through all the meals of the day:<br />
morning cappuccino, fresh fruit and yogurt, soup, casserole and so much more. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cappu-Soup Bowls in brown with etching.</td></tr>
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The push to complete these pieces was facilitated by the first annual <b>Art Festival Wolfville</b>; part of the Mud Creek festivities in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and coinciding with Tastes of the Valley (a spectacular annual culinary event). It was a perfect summer day for an outdoor art festival and those involved (myself included) are planning/plotting to make it an even better event next year. So if you missed it this year, you're not completely out of luck, but you will have to wait a while.<br />
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<u><b>Art & Creative Inspiration:</b></u></div>
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Not enough has been said to date about my first year as the newest member of the artist collective, <a href="http://www.sevenartisans.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">Seven</a>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Seven </b>is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a;">a collective of multi-disciplined artists from rural Nova Scotia.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span>Do check out the link! The first part of the year we spent playing with two different projects that had us collaborating and inspiring each other in an artist version of the telephone game. It was a fun way for me to get to know everyone in new ways and it resulted in several sessions of deep belly laughter. </div>
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Halfway through the year we decided it was time to get a bit more serious again about making art. On a dark and stormy winter night (I'm not making this up), we got down to business and came up with a theme that resonated with all of us. Kelly Marie Redcliffe, the poet in Seven, went away with two words, "Get Better", which would be the theme of our next collective body of work. Kelly Marie came back to us two months later with the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ahk8h0MgwQ00t0Nu7YpN44q-72yiLTGNw-pzd8PnIvynaEKJ6yAfW2EKp6bV5wkbUkTb9lMyNIreQunmVBjc-vCN5qZVcbSw2q-usk6MwFBaISca7Dt3RsllB5a6PO2cHK74uO2BG-o/s1600/Get+Better+Poem+large.jpg" target="_blank">poem</a>, that would inspire our pieces.</div>
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I'll confess to you, that I find the poem is so incredibly visually evocative that it had my creative juices running in several different directions. Some of these are still just in my mind, but several others were followed to some point of execution, terminating at a node that left me feeling I could "get better". I'm happy about the seven pieces (pure coincidence... or is it?) that I have submitted to the show. And I'm excited about the river of creative inspiration that has been revealed. Some of those nodes are starting places, or picking up places for me.</div>
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<b>Get Better</b> has been a huge process. The show opened this past Saturday, a memorably hot and humid day at the <a href="http://www.swoonfineart.com/index.php?/site/events/" target="_blank">Swoon Gallery</a>. Swoon is a fantastically sophisticated and also whimsical gallery on the outskirts of Halifax, en route to what is definitively Nova Scotia's most iconic destination, Peggy's Cove.</div>
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<u><b>Life, inspiring art:</b></u></div>
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Sometimes I'm not sure where all the time goes... but a good lump of it has been dedicated to the two newest and youngest members of the domestic pack. I've been bonding with these two interesting beings (see previous post, but to bring you up to speed: one puppy became two). They are definitely "<i>keeping things real</i>" as they explore their world. It's fun to simply watch them and see things from a new perspective.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first few days at home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first day in the studio with my new companions.<br />
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The pups are a good reminder of the cyclical nature of life. After a year of palliative care with my last canine companion, the exuberance of youth is lots of fun. I've noticed this cyclical pattern in my ceramic work too. I'm revisiting techniques that I've tried before and entertaining some whimsical inspirations like the platters that Duncan inspired.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duncan Platters</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-75024031288144791132012-04-30T13:57:00.001-03:002012-05-02T07:59:59.995-03:00Learning CurvesIt's been almost exactly a year since my last post... It's been quite a year and there's been a lot of loss. Some of the best friends I've had both human and canine passed away. It's helped me reflect on the life I'm living... the way I spend "my time".<br />
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This quote by Helen Keller was timely: "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature..." Sometimes this life as an artisan, artist, crafter (take your pick because I personally feel weightless and unbound to these terms and enjoy playing within each of these "realms") seems very insecure. Well let's face it, it IS insecure... but then I'm reminded that life is insecure. None of us have been given any guarantees, even if/when we "play by the rules".<br />
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But I'm jumping ahead, because part of my learning curve in the past year has been trying to figure even what the rules are. To that end, I've been testing glazes and practicing making pots (still well below the 10,000 hour mark).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">test tiles for glazes...</td></tr>
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Test tiles done!</div>
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And I've been pretty happy with some of the results I've had. </div>
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But probably the most successful thing I've done all year is to abandon my expectations and try something I've never done before... sawdust firing... I was hopeful that I would like the results, but with ceramics, like in life, there are NO guarantees. It is my constant lesson to embrace this and appreciate what is available to me in each moment.</div>
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Enter Duncan. </div>
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I was pretty sure that I would wait for at least a year before getting a new dog. But then, suddenly a friend who has a wonderful farm and even more wonderful philosophy of farming has a lovely dog with four puppies and my heart broke and exploded simultaneously... so much for best laid plans. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDmIFEa0vi-r5bHakhMP7zhhQ1AWpvabrqqu_Y8xKKDVLGrmHm7000l1M40WV_y6DSXMr1SUI1GefUsa5XIx2WDWsegPVrDBdoyGcIigs99MpVXvoaOF2mWgYAsCIgG4dPvQqbsjenpQ/s1600/duncan+and+bull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDmIFEa0vi-r5bHakhMP7zhhQ1AWpvabrqqu_Y8xKKDVLGrmHm7000l1M40WV_y6DSXMr1SUI1GefUsa5XIx2WDWsegPVrDBdoyGcIigs99MpVXvoaOF2mWgYAsCIgG4dPvQqbsjenpQ/s640/duncan+and+bull.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duncan (~ 6 weeks) meeting a bull calf. (Photo credit Brooke Oland)</td></tr>
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And while I'm throwing out my rule about no new dog, I'm abandoning glaze recipes for the unpredictable results of firing pots in garbage cans with sawdust and organic material and I'm really liking the result... It's starting out to be an exciting year!</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-8351792717281742212011-04-23T18:32:00.002-03:002011-04-28T08:50:23.905-03:00Spring, Life, Art and GardeningAh spring. It's not my favourite season because it always seems to go on and on and on. There's no more snow to play in, but it's still too cold, muddy or wet to do a lot of other things comfortably outdoors. Gardening is the exception and I'm starting to embrace gardening even more enthusiastically.<br />
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It's finally warm enough to start working in the garden here. I love these first few weeks when the soil has warmed up and old, faithful plants are re-emerging or showing some fresh green colour again. The other great part of this time of year is that the weeds haven't taken over yet either. It's a very manageable time. In my mind's eye, I can see what the plants and flowers will look like as they grow and blossom. It's all as clear as can be. With nothing but the soft, rich earth and the transplants from other parts of the garden, it really looks so tidy and my vision seems completely plausible! Ha!<br />
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Gardening is great thinking time. Once I decide what's going where and what the tasks are, I let my mind go where ever it wants while I sink into the manual labour. Today, while my mind was wandering and I was consciously taking mental notes of how tidy the garden is starting to look (again), I concluded that there might be some similarities between my garden and my life in art as a business. <i>Too big of a leap without some more explanation?</i><br />
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A year ago, just like in the garden now, I had a reasonably clear idea of what I wanted to do with my artwork and where I wanted my "business" to be. Fast forward through the weeks and all the unpredictable things that life threw at me, including a journey through the world of canine osteosarcoma and modern veterinary medicine with my old buddy who is now sporting three legs instead of his usual four and just finished his last round of chemo... all things I would have said I would never do (famous last words)... but also a variety of other art-related distractions that weren't in the original plans. And suddenly, as if it happened overnight, the weeds have taken over. There are still a lot of great ideas planted and taking root, but it's harder to see them right now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmfLXLwyFmEaaXID2rhtr_nq_0nMHnZzjxiy5P17qI4XkeXWpbGHKBksO7pIZbXds-TBpzmWxgHsDQl-RDgEW1VfAweRPWs5Z8F_tXjJUD1peJI8__fovbDXB15zQXhx59lTCLMQjq-M/s1600/P1010288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAmfLXLwyFmEaaXID2rhtr_nq_0nMHnZzjxiy5P17qI4XkeXWpbGHKBksO7pIZbXds-TBpzmWxgHsDQl-RDgEW1VfAweRPWs5Z8F_tXjJUD1peJI8__fovbDXB15zQXhx59lTCLMQjq-M/s320/P1010288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My good buddy and studio companion/guardian.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I'm looking forward to more time in the garden (and time with my buddy, who also enjoys our gardening time). I'm going to use it to reset my focus and priorities in the studio. I'm already starting to work out some of the kinks. The first step... getting back to basics with students and other clay enthusiasts. Workshops start up again on a monthly basis in May and there are a couple spots available in my "open studio" arrangement. All part of my plan to have fun with my career and give other people an opportunity to enjoy the recreational side of ceramics. See <a href="https://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/pages/Tracy-Horsman-Ceramics/111785522165506">my facebook page</a> for more information. In May we're making platters with slabs and slump molds! :) If you think this sounds like fun, please call or email soon to book your spot... (space is limited).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4lt-LMvFouy9l8zcikrYhi_-KHBp8xhxAN27hmWdsY6N_F7Zq85fQp9_wC7vPRUjueAxVaGziMBiPT6M7y_ZKIU3f74GCe4jTQgUNqUnHGcayfmYByHm4ArkDHu81zgWs5rwiqp4lBs/s1600/CopperFoxGallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4lt-LMvFouy9l8zcikrYhi_-KHBp8xhxAN27hmWdsY6N_F7Zq85fQp9_wC7vPRUjueAxVaGziMBiPT6M7y_ZKIU3f74GCe4jTQgUNqUnHGcayfmYByHm4ArkDHu81zgWs5rwiqp4lBs/s1600/CopperFoxGallery.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper Fox Gallery and the Chicken Coop Folk Art Gallery<br />
Halls Harbour, Nova Scotia.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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May 6 is also the grand opening at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/home.php#%21/pages/Copper-fox-Gallery-in-Halls-Harbour/163687883681670">Copper Fox Gallery </a>in beautiful Halls Harbour. Copper Fox is carrying my work and I'm very excited to be part of this gallery. Fabienne Leydecker (artist and gallery owner) has brought together an exciting group of very talented local artists (I can't believe I'm part of this group!) and she is always motivating us with her seemingly boundless energy and delicious french crepes!!! I hope you can come visit the gallery. It's also a great opportunity to have a nice lobster dinner down by the wharf.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOditvc7vJpshC65eMkjT27BSrLZOJcBDryAOd08K3KLcSJooXvTzbZfVY9ZgYAvnCVOZ_2oDhkrH-0gVOuPsI-s8Ruc9v_tMrKp59VJUi0i17FRSnHwBN0LMXXacdQ4ck1Gc13TYSNH4/s1600/P3310322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOditvc7vJpshC65eMkjT27BSrLZOJcBDryAOd08K3KLcSJooXvTzbZfVY9ZgYAvnCVOZ_2oDhkrH-0gVOuPsI-s8Ruc9v_tMrKp59VJUi0i17FRSnHwBN0LMXXacdQ4ck1Gc13TYSNH4/s320/P3310322.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird feeder - "Four strong winds, No. 1" (available at Copper Fox Gallery)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-61381345835450301192011-01-20T21:24:00.000-04:002011-01-21T11:31:42.111-04:00No Fear of Losing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">There a days in the pottery studio when I need to remind myself to let go of my expectations. Generally those are the days that I open the kiln after a glaze firing. I never know what I'll find. As an artistic medium ceramics will allow the artist to lead the way for most of the journey, but in the final stages, you MUST surrender the piece to a variety of factors beyond your control. At that point, what will happen is never a given, no matter how many practice runs you may have made. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
Just a week or so ago, I was reminded that this is not just my own personal experience as a potter, but the journey of all studio potters. I stumbled upon a notice of Paul Soldner's death. <br />
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<a href="http://www.paulsoldner.com/man/man_main.html">Paul Soldner</a> (1921-2011) was incredibly influential to American ceramics, but it's his spirit rather than the many prestigious accolades he earned during his life that inspire me. He's well known for encouraging divergent thinking and teaching his students to embrace "mistakes". "In the spirit of raku," Soldner wrote in 1968, "there is a necessity to embrace the element of surprise. There can be no fear of losing what was once planned and there must be an urge to grow along with the discovery of the unknown."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">If you've been following my blog, you might remember my <a href="http://thceramics.blogspot.com/2010/11/perspective.html">November post</a> about perspective. It's the one where I got over my disappointment about a glaze I'd made and discovered it was more interesting than I thought at first. I was pretty happy that I hadn't abandoned it completely, but my latest results with this glaze have really exceeded my expectations.</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyBETtjndXT4EcE5RFUdLjz-irqNT9-2o6ua675PU6aWs6aVEOC_kqNs3FStm3xClwU2gHELoOjHIuAADa_WFGvZ5s6ZQb-80CijSnDhJXQyuSbBadzxi_Nc35SQGh8tCGokJSFatsjE/s1600/Poppies1a-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIyBETtjndXT4EcE5RFUdLjz-irqNT9-2o6ua675PU6aWs6aVEOC_kqNs3FStm3xClwU2gHELoOjHIuAADa_WFGvZ5s6ZQb-80CijSnDhJXQyuSbBadzxi_Nc35SQGh8tCGokJSFatsjE/s320/Poppies1a-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">close-up of poppies mug, 2011 </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCplzrQLonyJip8LAVpLaMNZ703vMpHhqCoB6gTsK4xzJqPY5TT7nLiwuhiG-kPc1INmv7v9ntenPnrzOtsuJU4nHngap2RXbDr55g6MLwVjhhRNstbritScM2kgJ-tjZPQsIxTgChJ0I/s1600/poppies1b-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCplzrQLonyJip8LAVpLaMNZ703vMpHhqCoB6gTsK4xzJqPY5TT7nLiwuhiG-kPc1INmv7v9ntenPnrzOtsuJU4nHngap2RXbDr55g6MLwVjhhRNstbritScM2kgJ-tjZPQsIxTgChJ0I/s320/poppies1b-1.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another close-up of poppies mug, 2011 </td></tr>
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I mentioned <a href="http://thceramics.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html">before</a>, that I was struggling with a style that felt "right". I think that these new discoveries are beginning to shed light on where I'll be going in the coming months.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6Yujhz69RC5ugyBdyStRIPCfzIQ34wXdhVVohjk9KQ3nS9apaq0x6876Mm-mJPEF54fpfWieW56NN1ghBWG7iF1k9bOfEeFKkRngGPRku55Raz22ErZJTobklc7yenQm62p8hkfgYU8/s1600/poppies1b-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6Yujhz69RC5ugyBdyStRIPCfzIQ34wXdhVVohjk9KQ3nS9apaq0x6876Mm-mJPEF54fpfWieW56NN1ghBWG7iF1k9bOfEeFKkRngGPRku55Raz22ErZJTobklc7yenQm62p8hkfgYU8/s320/poppies1b-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-13035236010847387982010-12-28T16:02:00.000-04:002011-01-05T12:13:32.481-04:00A romance storyA new year is here and the advice I recently received for the coming year was "romance the details as you revel in the big picture". This may be important because I've been toying with the "big picture" idea about how to make the making of everyday things more important and relevant for our everyday lives.<br />
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Is it even possible in your local area to acquire all your everyday items from a local producer? I've been wondering a lot about this lately. For me the question started with food and expanded to the other items I use on a regular basis. Food is a really good place to start though, because it's incredibly important that communities can feed themselves. I lived in Seattle during the 9/11 attacks and had small taste for how quickly the shelves of the grocery store become depleted when air traffic is completely grounded for a few days (and it wasn't pretty). That was a short-term problem, but what if it wasn't? Where would your community get their food in a long term crisis? Where would you get your 'stuff'? [Note: <a href="http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2010-07-27/article-1626556/Percentage-of-locally-produced-food-has-decreased-in-past-decade/1">Here in Nova Scotia the amount of locally produced food on our communal tables is somewhere around 13%</a>. That's a long way from food security for a province dominated by a rural landscape and with a strong agricultural history... what do you think happened???]<br />
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But that's really only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to locally-produced goods. A dollar spent at your local pottery, textile producer or farmer's market will bring a lot more prosperity to your community than one spent at the big box store. Those dollars that get passed around the community increase everyone's well-being. A portion of the dollar spent in my pottery studio will go to a local carpenter to help with repairs to my space, then move on to perhaps the massage therapist, to the local mechanic, to the farmer and so on. When those dollars leave the community through stores like Walmart, they only thing left is minimum wage jobs without benefits. The rest lines the pockets on multi-national corporations. And those multi-national corporations are so powerful now that they direct government policy and even have a HUGE influence on how 'good' government policy gets enacted (i.e. climate change commitments come to mind, but I have lots more I could share). And, at least here in Canada, these companies are frequently given the latitude to police their own activity!... all under the guise that they provide important socio-economic benefits for our society and that our well-being is in the best interest of these companies... but, think about it... is that really where the socio-economic value in your community comes from? Can you envision a different reality? What if the socio-economic strength in your community came from a breadth and depth of talent and diversity and self-sufficiency?<br />
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I'm romanced by a modern twist on what I imagine life was like before the extensive high-speed road systems that cover the modern landscape and before air transport became a normal way to move goods around. Each community with their farmers, coopers, blacksmiths, educators, doctors, hunters, tailors, textile manufactures, lumber mills, potteries and so on. How did they really work? Can a community really support itself? Economists keep telling me "no"... but they haven't convinced me. They seem to be hung up on 'volume'. But, at the heart of the 'volume' argument is the assumption that you, dear consumer, will only pay the lowest price for your 'stuff'. To get the lowest price it needs to be mass-produced, efficiently at a low cost (read offshore where wages are meager and environmental issues are over-looked). We (the tax-payers) then subsidize this by off-setting the transportation costs to move the stuff around. Do you really think it's possible to make a coffee cup in China and ship it to your community in a bunch of packing material and sell it for $2? You may only pay $2 plus tax at the counter, but we have paid (not just figuratively, but literally in real tax dollars) much more to make this possible. The price you see is an illusion, a slight of hand.<br />
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Is it possible to change this reality? Can a community take back the production of it's "stuff" and would it make us more prosperous? If you have some personal experience with this, I'd love to hear from you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-74484443423108072282010-11-01T14:17:00.000-03:002010-11-01T14:17:36.668-03:00PerspectiveIt's interesting to me how themes seem to develop in my life. Does this happen to you, too? If I had to identify the one that seems most prevalent now it would be 'perspective'. Lately, everywhere I go I am reminded of the variety of ways of seeing and experiencing the world. Even my <a href="http://www.freewillastrology.com/horoscopes/">horoscope</a> for the week seemed to be on board with this theme, providing me with the advice: "Don't turn your focus into a white-hot beam of piercing intensity; relax your focus into a soft-eyed enjoyment of playing around with the possibilities." I have definitely been guilty of white-hot intensity so it's good for me to be reminded of the joy of play and divergent thinking from time to time... but this new "perspective" seems to be a more natural state for me, so I'm happy to indulge.<br />
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In the studio in the past couple weeks I developed a new perspective about one of my glazes. I'm not sure what to call the glaze; 'amber' seems to be winning out. I was actually aiming for a deep rich mahogany brown colour, so I was disappointed with the result initially. The first pieces with this glaze seemed stamped with my unrequited expectations and I didn't really like them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZxEvLT9b3X3zADi5bVp-USu0iekl8y-W5J3GGyQV3u8mnwxtX7zHMk2RjXnkMQL1kHQfe0XO6d290XhXHkO0zWyW4MCCt1mRwBViCKumqv_IsX21LwFSJMCO26Vm5gKBsGpc5C4kh1k/s1600/serving_dish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZxEvLT9b3X3zADi5bVp-USu0iekl8y-W5J3GGyQV3u8mnwxtX7zHMk2RjXnkMQL1kHQfe0XO6d290XhXHkO0zWyW4MCCt1mRwBViCKumqv_IsX21LwFSJMCO26Vm5gKBsGpc5C4kh1k/s320/serving_dish.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baking and/or Serving Dish with amber glaze </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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There's a good chance I would have abandoned this glaze; finished off the bucket that was mixed up and then tried again to get the colour I wanted. But, in an effort to fill up my kiln with glazed ware so that I could submit a commissioned piece, I took a bowl and poured this amber glaze over it quickly and placed it in the kiln. I wasn't expecting, when I pulled this same piece from the kiln, to be pleasantly surprised by the results. This time, I noticed the playfulness of the glaze. The way it varied with my movement during the application and the mysterious way it pulls other colours around the pot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQ6C01bP9ZEFaeqRfTieUN4M2JuhNKBFKOVSeXK7cZlkFDpaYi37SqKclqadXexhMAn4VXGJLdhr8HdjVZowiFY7kQBjcHQTpP0XMbdJBkoG5wesDLOFKl7qT2yaoBZfaQotOkRPMZqw/s320/serving_bowl2.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small Serving Bowl with amber glaze and wisps of misty blue.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQ6C01bP9ZEFaeqRfTieUN4M2JuhNKBFKOVSeXK7cZlkFDpaYi37SqKclqadXexhMAn4VXGJLdhr8HdjVZowiFY7kQBjcHQTpP0XMbdJBkoG5wesDLOFKl7qT2yaoBZfaQotOkRPMZqw/s1600/serving_bowl2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>This new perspective about this glaze encouraged me to keeping playing with it. I used it on many of my most recent work and will continue to explore the possibilities.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvv-3GOulFk30BhS0KG1A5S0JDk6wXlSP9l_X0-IwU6mgDobsm5BkdcmxIXcL1D4IVpHVCOVrQdziDTQz8bs0AewQXd9-T-dbksxMG2tB4QSQxJQPK4QimfunfLWTsbPchgSthGANXqlw/s320/small_servingbowl.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Another) Small Serving Bowl with amber glaze. This time with wonderful brown effect.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvv-3GOulFk30BhS0KG1A5S0JDk6wXlSP9l_X0-IwU6mgDobsm5BkdcmxIXcL1D4IVpHVCOVrQdziDTQz8bs0AewQXd9-T-dbksxMG2tB4QSQxJQPK4QimfunfLWTsbPchgSthGANXqlw/s1600/small_servingbowl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> I've also discovered how well this amber glaze pairs with the black glaze that I just made (I actually got the colour I wanted that time.) So, I think the two colours might find their way on to the same pieces.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgeBsoASQcZasT2K2e8Ot9vXmQ6CAWm9X4mt7qzVpVt-j7xZRoIEy6vg8Sauwa47wtUlqP9IqoEOVzO_ppWBQJKkWcWFta7dyBdKpTDEiWt_Xgp5CrvQH8N2w_RrRbvGos842mvnYzEk/s320/kiln+goodies.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sampling of pieces with the amber glaze and one black tea bowl.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgeBsoASQcZasT2K2e8Ot9vXmQ6CAWm9X4mt7qzVpVt-j7xZRoIEy6vg8Sauwa47wtUlqP9IqoEOVzO_ppWBQJKkWcWFta7dyBdKpTDEiWt_Xgp5CrvQH8N2w_RrRbvGos842mvnYzEk/s1600/kiln+goodies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>This contemplation about perspective has inspired me to explore this theme in my pottery production a bit more deeply and purposefully. Looking through my sketch book, I can see now that it's been a theme that has been bubbling beneath the surface for a while. I feel full of ideas, thanks to a small bit of playfulness and a slight change in my perspective.<br />
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If you're interested in seeing more of my pieces or maybe even buying something, please visit my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracy-Horsman-Ceramics/111785522165506?v=photos&ref=ts">facebook page</a>. cheers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-41550554732692269702010-09-10T15:18:00.000-03:002010-09-10T15:26:02.466-03:00Back in the saddleGrowing up with the name Horsman, I think I've earned the right to use references to horses even if I don't actually have one [Note: If you're confused, my name is actually pronounced horseman, sometimes even spelled with the "e" and I especially dislike the alternate pronunciation that some people apply quite innocently I'm sure.] But back to the point of this post and why it's been so long since the last one.<br />
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I must confess that I have been struggling with finding a style or technique that <b><i>really </i></b>feels right. I've been trying lots of things out, both functional pieces and also things intended purely as art work. I've been reading all sorts of books and doing lots of internet research. For a while I decided to stop reading and researching and just to play with the clay, but then I became obsessed with rearranging my studio. For some reason things just didn't seem to be in the "right" place and it was really bothering me. A fortune cookie at a local Chinese restaurant confirmed my affliction by saying "<i><b>You are sensitive to your surroundings</b></i>." I was reading this cookie wisdom inside the grey cubicle walls where I was working at the time, but even after leaving that job to work with clay full time, I still find that I am sensitive to my space. BUT... and here is the crux, I don't always know how I want the space to be. I've got lots of ideas. Too many really!!! It's another affliction that plagues me in both interior design and in pottery design.<br />
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Just a couple days ago, I came across Kristin Muller's take on personal style (in <i>The Potter's Studio Handbook</i>). She says that "<i><b>Discovering personal style is part of the intellectual journey of an artist.</b></i>". I stumbled upon this quote about the same time that I actually felt like I was having bit of a break through. I had just moved from feeling overwhelmed by the nearly infinite possibilities and I am starting to feel rewarded by the research I've been doing. I've got a couple distinctly different but very appealing [to me] "styles" that I plan to work with over the next year.<br />
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I like the idea of staying with these for at least a year. A full circle of seasons, ending and beginning and ending. I'm anxious to see what the year will bring. Now the busy work begins.<br />
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I'm not sure what most people envision when they think of the life of a potter, but I'm pretty sure it probably doesn't resemble how I spent my morning. First, bent over a bucket of reclaim clay that I was trying to mix by hand only to discover that I should have tried standing up much sooner as I was now nearly permanently fixed in that position with clay up to my elbows. Later on with dust mask and safety goggles, electric jigsaw in hand, ready to attack a piece of scrap mdf board that I was about to turn into a new slump mold. It was a pretty productive morning: three new slump molds, one more bag of recycled clay another on the plaster to be prepped tomorrow. If this is how you picture life in a pottery, you're probably a potter yourself.<br />
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While wielding the power tools this morning my mind drifted off to my horoscope this week. Probably not the safest thing to do, but it happens. I'm not really into astrology but one in <a href="http://www.thecoast.ca/">The Coast</a> always seems to have something that I can relate to. This week the message was essentially 'Isn't it time for you to circle back and reclaim an early part of you that got lost along the way?' All appendages still intact, I began to reflect on the seven year old me. The girl who had completely filled in her math note book with beautiful doodles all through the margins. No blank space was wasted. Everything was adorned with some kind of personal embellishment. Despite the fact that all the math work was done accurately and on time, my teacher's response to this was to keep my behind after school to completely rewrite everything in my scribbler without the artistic additions. I'm sure she had her reasons; though even at this point in my life, I'm still not quite sure what her point was. This was probably the first time I was really punished for something at school. So that got me thinking, what else had I been punished for... oh yeah, drinking from the water fountain without permission on the way back from the library when I was 10. Geez they were strict, eh??? The punishment for that was 100 or maybe 500 lines of "I will not drink from the water fountain without permission." or something like that. I don't recall exactly, but what I do recall is that I quickly developed a solution (although I'm sure I didn't invent this myself) of using multiple pens fastened together so that I could write multiple parallel lines at the same time. Bingo! This was the solution to a small problem I was having designing the slump mold. Problem solved. Thanks to Mr. Steeves and the water fountain incident. I'm sure with time, my inner child will solve the rest of my problems too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3814362440815902363.post-28128384925303733102010-04-10T08:34:00.000-03:002010-04-10T08:41:41.831-03:00Slow Food WareI am a huge fan of slow food. <span class="testo13b">If you haven't heard, the movement called "<a href="http://www.slowfood.com/">Slow Food</a>" is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.</span><br />
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<span class="testo13b">In part, slow food is an awakening to the pleasures that food produced locally with traditional farming techniques can offer. There is an incredible range of diversity and flavour in the heritage of our food production, but it's being lost with the transition to large-scale farming. I prefer to </span><span class="testo13b">enjoy the dozens of different varieties of tomatoes, picked fresh, each </span><span class="testo13b">with different and intense flavours</span><span class="testo13b"> (in season) over the </span><span class="testo13b">few varieties of tomatoes grown for their unique characteristic ability to be transported all over the world rather than for their taste. We have sacrificed a lot for the convenience of having any food in any season and especially we are sacrificing greatly for the production of "cheap" industrial food.</span><br />
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<span class="testo13b">So with that in mind, I enjoy making functional dinner ware and I especially enjoy a slow food meal served on hand-crafted pottery. No two pieces of hand-crafted pottery are ever the same. And this is a beautiful thing. It is real life. It is beauty in the imperfect, beauty in diversity. </span><br />
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<span class="testo13b">So while even the most industrial pottery and ceramic production hasn't become as disconnected from its roots as standard food production has, there is something quite fitting and maybe even more satisfying about eating a slow food meal on a hand-crafted plate or bowl, if you can. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2