I’ve Moved!

Hi everyone, just letting you know that I’ve moved my blog over to melynnallen.wordpress.com and will no longer be posting here. I’ll be leaving this site up for a while to give folks a chance to find my new address, but eventually I’ll be deleting it along with the posts. Most of my old posts moved over with me. Please bookmark my new site! Thanks! Melynn

New Work

Actually, this isn’t really new work, but a series of bowls and mugs that I made late this fall in the style of the red and black bowls that I posted a while back, but in blue and green. People commented at my shows, that the color reminded them of the ocean.  I sold a lot of these during the holiday season, as well as the red/black version which had a slow start. Meanwhile, I was planning to take the month of January off after a long hard year, but my break only lasted 2 weeks. I”m back to work, testing some new clays and glazes, and making more of this series to replenish my supply. Now, to add some plates to match and I’d actually have my first set!

New Office, New Year

Has it really been 4 months since I last posted to this blog? I wish I had an excuse, but really all I can say is that I’ve been incredibly busy producing enough pottery to last me through the holiday craft fair season and blogging (plus a lot of other stuff) was put on the back burner and pretty much forgotten. I had a great time though, knee-deep in clay with a lot of successful shows on the books, but whew! – glad that’s over and I can take a small breather before the new season begins in the Spring.

Meanwhile, I found the time to move my computer/desk/office out of the clay studio and into the living room. I’ve been wanting to make the move for a couple of years now and I finally broke down once the first cold snap hit. My studio is extremely cold in the winter as it’s built over an uninsulated space (garage), and I couldn’t bear going through another day sitting at my desk half-frozen. Making pottery is physically demanding and much less chilling. I get warm by moving around constantly – quite a different activity than sitting still working on a computer. The living room is actually the warmest, most peaceful room in the house and surprisingly, like most “living rooms” I imagine, the least used. The sun floods in through the windows early in the morning too, which will hopefully be another draw to get me to sit down long enough to write a few more posts, more often. Here’s to new rooms and a new year!

More Pattern Bowls

A couple more shots of the red/black pattern bowls.

Pattern Bowls

I’ve displayed a series of bowls like these at the last couple of craft fairs, but only one or two have sold. Maybe the colors are too dark for this time of year, or the pattern a little too strong. I’m developing the same glazing technique in blue and green, thinking it would be nice to have another version, plus the colors might be more appealing and less of a risk, especially if someone is buying a gift. I like working with porcelain and the lighter glazes, but I especially love the rich dark earthy tones. Our kitchen has wooden floors, cherry cabinets and black granite countertops, so the red/black glaze combination works well for my everyday dishes. Even though I’m not sure how well they will sell, I’m still going to make more of this series and if they pile up too high, I’ll be more than happy to add them to my own collection.

Self Portrait #2

Like the other self portrait I posted a while back, this one was done using the camera embedded in my computer and filters in Photoshop. I don’t know what it is about the self portrait and why so many artists choose to try their hand at it. As with any art form, I suppose the self portrait gives the artist yet another vehicle with which to portray their vision, controlling how much to reveal or how little, and in this case, how they see themselves or want to be seen – and not necessarily in the same way others view them. I always learn something new about myself in photographs whether taken by me or someone else. Like, why is it that I always look so wistful? Or my eyes so sad? Sometimes I see the residual effect my (past?) illness has had upon me. Those pictures captured back then, I have trouble looking at, even now. Maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to post a self portrait that hasn’t been retouched or the light diffused as in this one where part of my facial features, namely my mouth, are gone. I didn’t intend it to be that way – it sort of happened on its own. I found what Sperlygirl wrote in her post about self portraits and the discovery of oneself intriguing. The ones of her belly and baby to come are simply breathtaking – their impact so great, I’ve been thinking about the process ever since.

Change of Weather

What a difference a day makes. Saturday and Sunday turned out to be perfect days for my craft fair this weekend. I made a record amount of sales, saw a lot of friends and reaquainted myself with customers who had bought pottery from me last year. All in all, it turned out to be a great weekend. On to the next show!

Rained Out

Today was the first day of a three-day craft show in my hometown, and of course, it poured all morning and into the afternoon. When the rain let up a little, I ventured out and set up my booth, put together my display furniture, unloaded my pottery, then zipped up the sides and went home. It was a sad sight looking down the long rows of craft fair booths and seeing them all buttoned up and empty of people. The boy scouts who were selling hamburgers and hot dogs at the far end looked especially forlorn. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Meanwhile, I finished up a graphic design project, then took a walk out back with my dog. I found this really cool skull sitting on top of a log. It was kinda small, maybe once a racoon or a mole, and I liked the way a vine had made its way in and around one of the orifices as if someone had planted it there deliberately. I thought to take a photo of it with my new cell phone since I always seem to have my phone with me but never my camera. This is my first cell phone with a camera and so far it has come in quite handy. I’ll have to remember to take a photo of the fair tomorrow, bustling with people and the sun shining high in the sky – let’s hope!

A Rainy Day

I’m not quite sure what it’s doing in other parts of the country, but if you live in Massachusetts, you know first hand that we’ve only had about 4 sunny days the entire month of June. Negatives: The kids are getting restless, the air is damp and musty, the bed sheets feel clammy, the flowers in the garden are drooping, my boots are continuously soppy, and the clay in my studio takes twice as long to dry. Today I was grateful to be able to squeeze in a walk with my dog in between bouts of the wet stuff. Getting outdoors was all that it took to completely change my mood. If it’s not the rain we complain about, it’s not enough of it, or the heat or the cold, etc. etc. It’s best to be happy with what we have in the moment. At least now I know a little about what it would be like to live in a rain forest. I have to admit too, that the fog that comes with this weather is absolutely eerily beautiful.

The Beauty of Fine Craft

Not that these bowls live up to it, but I do think about the aspects of what’s considered a fine craft whenever I’m at work in the clay studio – and which is described so beautifully by the following quote:

Fine craft is a matter of equilibrium. To produce an object that is pleasurable and practical, all forces must strike a balance. A form that expresses its function, a beauty that is conveyed through use, a process that understands the nature of materials: these are the traditional standards of fine craft. In day-to-day living, well crafted objects lend grace to simple actions. To sip coffee or tea from a cup that is good to hold, to choose fruit from a bowl that is a delight to see, to arrange flowers in a vase that inspires but does not intrude, appeals to the eye as well as the soul. Well crafted objects serve and please. But, more than that, they encourage us to hold the moment, elevating daily rituals to sensory experiences. – Charles Jahn