Labor? Day in the Studio

To celebrate his home brew that was not chilled, friend and brewer, Dan declared himself manly enough to drink from a pink can and we popped a Priscilla.  Now back to glazing.  No, I’m not supposed to be working today but fall shows are fast approaching. Photos of my new work coming soon. Schedule is up on my website!  Thanks for the afternoon break, Dan!

The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour…seen as the darkest or final hour… will be lucky for shoppers tomorrow at my Super Duper Summer Sale (Sale pots are less than half price. The tables are full up.) because…

Today, at the Eleventh Hour of my shift (I do work…pottery is not play. Well, pottery is not just play. OK!, I DO PLAY ALL DAY, get over it:) Anyway, I found two boxes of pottery in my storage unit marked “Tara archive”. In the boxes were pots that I’ve stored away for quite some time. I had kept them because they are favorites or good representations.

The sale is from 10am to 5pm, tomorrow August 6 at Rafter E Studio, 4501 Fairmount.

Here are some pictures. These “unarchived” pots are not necessarily on sale but I do tend to price modestly…

My favorite cup from my “shino phase”. This was way back when I was spraying glaze. This one has wood ash sprayed over Malcolm’s Shino…

A favorite from my “soda-fire phase”…

Also from my “soda-fire phase”, these two pitchers sport glorious colors derived from copper. I think these have a stunning surface…

Remember the green glaze? Many customers just won’t let me forget. I sold so many of these small pouring vessels. It sits on a little black base and is an excellent example of that very challenging glaze. Great for tea or olive oil, soy sauce etc. Hmm, maybe I’ll buy this one, myself…

Another great example of the green on this “optical illusion” cup and saucer…

The one and only tea bowl of this design and the first time I used wire with a pot. Why did I not make more of these?

Oh my gosh…I made so many of these big bowls. BIG! I kept one for myself but am letting this one go…

Perhaps the first pot I carved with my narrative. This little cup was the start of a great body of work…

Perhaps the last cup I will carve my narrative into. It sits atop a hand built saucer.

Well, this photo is out of focus…

Out of hundreds of “narrative pots” that many of you are enjoying today, I made 3 pots with the grey surface and…I DID NOT CARVE on them. This was so hard for me. I loved to carve the narrative into those two layers of slip. I sold the vase, kept a tea bowl for myself and am going to set this tea bowl out tomorrow…

Come and enjoy! Well…I mean “shop”.

 

 

SuPer Duper Summer SaLe

It’s that time of year. “The Dog Days of Summer”. Do people still use that term? Well, I don’t have a dog but I do have the tables at Rafter E Studio full of pots at reduced prices. Less than half price!

Stop by this week if you see my car in the driveway or come to the sale on Saturday. Stock up on a stash for gift giving or treat yourself. 

Saturday August 6. 10am-5pm

Rafter E Studio, 4501 Fairmount

West Plaza area

Brookside Art Annual!

The first weekend in May must be here because I just finished setting up my booth at Brookside. 

I’m in booth # 116. Outside, not under the big tent. I know! Bummer! The weather should be fine on Friday night and Sunday. Maybe Saturday won’t be horrible?

Try to stop by, though. I have all new work. For more information about the fair check  here. 

   
    
    
    
 

NCECA 2016!

Planning your trip to Kansas City for the upcoming NCECA Confeeence? Click on my website for information and links to my shows. My work will be included in two NCECA Exhibitions and two closely associated shows. You’ll even discover my favorite barbecue restaurant! www.taradawley.com  

    
   

It Happened…

The “Dreaded Potter’s Thumb Crack” has struck again. Arriving on February the first, credit must be given to my yearly culprit for punctuality. Still at Stage One (very tiny) I will take care so that it  doesn’t split through Stage Two right into the advanced, Stage Three when a potter reaches for the Super Glue.  (If only all problems were this small.)

 

How To Make A Tea Pot…

  It’s easy. Just make these parts… one tall circle thing, four flat things, and make extra pointy things so you can choose the best one later. 

  Take the flat things and cut some circles. 

  Put two circles together like this. Use your Bison tool to trim the little circle a bit.  

 Now, attach the conjoined circles to your tall circle thing. You are making a teapot! When you look through the bottom, you will see your fingers. Not mine.  

 Cut a circle from your third flat thing and attach a bottom to your teapot.   

 Use the last flat thing to make a lid. 
  Cut a hole in your tea pot. Don’t forget to do this! Malcolm told me he forgot to do this once. That teapot did not work! 

  Attach a pointy thing over the hole. 

  Attach a different pointy thing as a handle. Use a damp brush to smooth things over.  

 Now only take sneak peek pictures and make people wait until NCECA to see your tea pot! Because you are ornery that way.   
  
You can see more sneak peek pictures on my Instagram feed. @taradawley

You can find out more about NCECA on my Tara Dawley Ceramics Facebook page. 

And now, you can make a tea pot!

Blog followers receive free shipping from my studio. (continental U.S.)

NCECA 2016

The 50th annual NCECA conference will take place in Kansas City in March. My work will be at the Bredin-Lee Gallery in this exhibition… Generations: A Legacy of Mentorship.
The show, organized by Mike Jabbur, will also include the work of Steven Hill, Kenyon Hansen, Conner Burns, Lauren Smith, Mike Stumbras, Jon Townley and, of course, Mike Jabbur.

The gallery is on the NCECA bus route. The exhibition will run from Tuesday through Saturday.The opening reception is Thursday 5-9:30pm.

Our very own Rafter E Studio is pleased to have been selected as a NCECA venue as well. John Eck and I will have a showing of our work in the exhibition, More From Less.
We will both have new, never seen before, pieces in our West Plaza studio just minutes away from the conference center. Unfortunately not on the NCECA bus route but close enough to be considered a short drive.

Here are the hours Rafter E Studio will be open:
Wednesday, March 16 (10am-5pm)
Thursday, March 17 (10am-5pm)
Friday, March 18 (10am-9pm) + Reception (5pm-9pm)
Saturday, March 19 (10am-5pm)
Pre/Post-Conference by Appointment

For general conference information visit NCECA.

I am currently putting “sneak peek” images on my Instagram account… @ taradawley
You may find me on Facebook as Tara Dawley Ceramics as well as just Tara Dawley.
My website is taradawley.com where I do not charge extra for shipping from my online shop (continental U.S.)
My out of town U.S. blog followers also receive free shipping when purchasing via email inquiries.

Hope to see you in March!

Hospital Cups!

Would you believe Year 10? Yes, this is the tenth year I have made Hospital Cups. I wish I could make many more for people who work at St. Luke’s Hospital and my friends and family. Seventy is a lot of cups but I could multiply seventy billion times seventy billion and still not come close to the amount of gratitude I have for those who took care of me during the year of My Little Coma.

To the medical staff; thank you for your dedication to your profession. You are very much appreciated by me and I’m sure many others. You put me back together in 2006 and somehow kept me smiling. Quite a feat!

To my friends and family; I’m certain you know how happy I am to have enjoyed this last ten years with you. Gravy! Icing on the cake!

I hope all of you had a lovely year and am wishing you a very happy New Year.

Scroll on down if you are interested in the details of the making of your cup…
This year, I chose a dark stoneware instead of our usual porcelain. Just one half a pound of clay because when I thought to make thank you gifts in 2006, that was all I could manage…
The first year, it was a big challenge to make all the cups. That September, I was just barely “back on my feet”. Now it is easy to pull up a little cup. And fun to make a bunch more!
Here are some of the cups all dried out and ready for the first firing. Dig the red stripe? 

Loading the kiln…

After the first firing, it was time to glaze. I put a clear glaze inside but before firing, it looks white!

I’m what you call a “clean potter”. No glaze drips or runs for me…

Usually! However, on “glaze night”, although I kept my first few cups clean and tidy, I thought… this is gonna be a long night…I wanna have a little fun. So I kept some little drips at the top and let the glaze sheet down the red stripe. Which kind of cup did you choose? Drips?

Or Runs?

Whichever, I hope you enjoy your Hospital Cup and remember there is someone out there with a lot of gratitude for YOU!

  The cup you chose is the best. Because you are The Best!
http://www.taradawley.com

Holiday Show 2015

By the way, did you know that my blog followers receive free shipping? Well how could you…I just decided! Yes, I will not charge shipping to those who follow my blog. Continental U.SA.

It’s that time on year! Please consider stopping by Rafter E Studio this coming weekend. John Eck and I have our gallery chock full of new work so that you can enjoy stress free holiday shopping. Why trudge around a big box store full of people when you can park across the street, step into a quiet, lovely space, and choose from a selection handmade gifts that range in price range from $20 to $200ish.

Our show is part of the KC Clay Guild’s Holiday Tour. We have a poster and map for you to take along if you would like to enjoy visiting other local ceramic studios. Join us!

Dec. 4-6

Friday night 6pm-10pm
Saturday 10am- 5pm
Sunday 12pm- 5pm

Rafter E Studio is located at 4501 Fairmount Avenue. We will have cookies! Handmade, of course!

Here are images of some of my new work.

Free shipping from my website shop, as well…taradawley.com

You can follow me on Instagram @taradawley