It has been a crazy few days. The Potters Market was a huge success both in general for the Market and for me personally! While I was working, I had come up with a dollar amount that I was striving for, and my actual sales DOUBLED that number! So I am quite thrilled and very happy that all my work paid off. Having help from my assistants KT and Brendan really helped, along with the moral support of Jeremy, *the awesome-est roommate/brother evar* and of course my sweetie Alex. It was a success, it was a ton of work, it was a lot of fun, and whew! I am glad it is over for another year.

I am starting to wind down and am looking forward to spending time at home and with friends for the holidays. I have a just a few days left before the end of the holiday rush to get a few more things listed on Etsy, in particular... I have some new ornaments and tiles listed in the Galleria, and will add a few more soon.

The Creative Maelstrom tile is a celebration of the creative thought process. A Maelstrom is a wildly swirling and churning whirlpool, and this is how I visualize the spinning of the mind when gathering up ideas and thoughts when thinking. The swirl of the maelstrom is accompanied by gears to represent process, and little dots of bright color to represent partially formed ideas, getting ready to explode. The books below are like the foundation bricks of the mind, a library of saved ideas and storage for the statistics and facts that we carry with us in our thoughts. This design represents the duality of the creative process and the logical mind, and it makes me think how these two elements work together, and how they are different. The Creative Maelstrom tile was inspired by a very dear friend, who is a poet and a very thoughtful person, and I am pleased to have been able to design and carve it in celebration of this friend.

Well after a series of kiln mishaps and adventures in glazing, I finally finished all of my inventory for the Potters Market. I don't know how I managed to make all these tiles over the year! It looks pretty impressive though. I also made some jewelry, mostly simple pieces on faux suede or gunmetal chain. I hope to list some of those on Etsy when the show is done. I really enjoy doing this show, and even though I don't have as much inventory this year as usual, I am excited to be working at the Market, seeing all the great pots and tiles that my peers have made, and spending time with a great group of people that I don't get to see as much anymore, because I don't do the art fair circuit anymore. Its a great time, and a great show. If you are in the Metro Detroit area this weekend, I hope you will visit the Potters Market. and check out some of the best clay in the state!

Above, a sorta blurry cell phone picture of the Fortress Key tile while it was in process this summer. I think I mentioned that I carved it at the same time as the Fortress Threshold tile, working on one for a while, and then the other. But what I didn't mention that these two tiles were made in the presence of friends, through the entire process. From designing, to carving, to molding, I was either sitting with friends who were physically in the room with me, or was otherwise in contact with them in the moment, through phone calls or IM conversations. It was an important part of my process, because I wanted to be reminded that I was surrounded by people who kept me safe and secure, and who were helping me to unlock happiness that I had been missing. Now I think of all of these things when I see these designs, and it means a lot to me.

 

A dear friend made a post today that linked to an article about process and failure, and how people react to those things differently. It is very timely for me, as it is something I am thinking about a lot lately. I think about the processes we go through in life, and how we react and relate to them. And I am in the process of trying to learn from my process, if that makes any sense. Not my technical and material processes in art, I am comfortable in failing and succeeding with those already. Now, I am thinking about the processes of my life and relationships.

 

When I started researching steampunk, the gear image became an obvious choice for a symbol, as it is prevelant in much of the steam culture. But it has become a very specifically relevant symbol for me personally, one that represents process. The gear is an element that makes the machine work, that moves things along, and is a part that works with other gears to make one big movement. It may be a small thing in itself, but when seen as part of the whole, its importance becomes clear to me. And it is a symbol of movement, working through, processing and continuing... because other parts of the machine need it to be whole. So I have used gears in all of my new tile designs, and when I see them, it makes me think of these things, and helps me question how my machinery (mind, body, heart) is moving.

 

But speaking of process... The day before I wrote up my description for the Fortress Key tile, I somehow managed to break the mold... clean in half, with one hard smack. It is fixable, I can remake it, but the process to do so is involved. It was unfortunate and frustrating, but I am determined to make it again, and stronger and better next time. And that is what learning from my process means to me.
 

This tile is the companion piece to the lock image in the Fortess Threshhold tile. The key accompanies the lock and is symbolic of many things. It is the device that opens a lock or a door, it holds much power. It can be a key of happiness, of strength, of knowledge.
 

I designed this key to be elegant and beautiful, and the way the top of the key formed into an infinity symbol was not planned, it just happened as I carved, and I really enjoy that element to it. The key sets atop of a large gear image with darkness behind it, with bright red drops coloring it, making it stand out visually in the center of the tile. It is a strong image to me, the key, as if it is guarding and protecting something, and it also is full of possibilities.
 

What could be behind the lock that it allows access to?
 

Info about the ceramic tiles:
 

This sturdy stoneware tile is approximately 3.5"w x 4.5"h. It has a notch on the back for hanging onto a wall. It will lay flush with the wall if using a small nail or a flat head screw. The tile can be used outdoors too, although I recommend bringing it in for the winter months, to prevent freezing. Keys and ruler are shown for scale, and do not come with this purchase. Available in the Earthenwood Ceramic Etsy shop

Here is a picture of the Fortress Threshold tile when it was in progress. I carved it over the summer, over the course of many days. I did it simultaneously with the key tile (which I haven't shown yet). It seemed appropriate to do them both at the same time. I didn't have a sketch for them, or even a really solid vision, before I started. I had this idea, and a few symbols, and I just rolled out the clay and started in with my carving tools. I wanted to create this series of tiles and have them all fit the same format (the shape and size) and have elements of repeating imagery. Most of the tiles so far have the image of bricks in them, one of a few very strong symbols for me lately.

The brick represents the building and unbuilding of walls. The bricks are a symbol like the keyhole lock...one with layered and sometimes opposing meanings. The brick can be a protective symbol, like the walls of a fortress. Building such walls with bricks is an image of strength and safety. Perhaps it represents the building of confidence, or pride, or friendship. But there are also times when things need to be unbuilt, when bricks can keep one imprisoned when they want to be free. So the brick symbol has this dual meaning, it also represents the taking down of walls that keep one bound. Perhaps this is symbolic of one becoming more comfortable with the world around them, taking down the walls that one hides behind, and smashing down one's walls of fear. A third symbol of the brick that I connect with are bricks of not a wall, but a path. A path to life, to love, to joy. In my mindscape, there is much construction happening, and bricks are moving around everywhere. Building up, tearing down, and moving forward. I am also particularly drawn to bricks because of their material: fired clay. My house is made from rusty fired clay brick, and I feel very comforted by its earthy presence. I wanted this layered symbol to be a central image in this series.

This is the first tile design in my new series of Santcuary tiles, and it is called the Fortress Threshold. The keyhole symbol is a fascinating one to me. It can be symbolic of many different things, most of which I associate with either entering and keeping or exiting and exploring, because the keyhole lock is something that either lets you in or out of somewhere, like a portal.

 

The keyhole can represent something that is locked up and stored away, perhaps something secret or valuable. It can be a symbol of protection: a keyhole lock holds something safely inside, like the lock on a vault or to the door of a castle. This can be comforting or it can be restrictive, depending on what is being locked up. A heart, or mind, or soul locked away from the world feel like prison. But a lock on a fortress can keep you safely inside, and you can choose to find comfort there, guarded against the world outside. It is a symbol of the home and its safety, to me... both the physical home and the home of the heart and mind.

 

The keyhole image also makes me think of unlocking and opening. Just as it keeps things safely inside, it performs the function of setting things free. Unlocking the mind to new possibilities, and opening the heart to friendship and love. It can be a symbol to set free creativity and break free from the ties that bind one from finding happiness in life.

 

This symbol has been a very important one to me in my own path of self discovery. I have a rich inner mindscape filled with interesting imagery, and this series of tiles has helped me explore many symbols and thoughts that seem to repeat in my mind. Thinking about them and incorporating them into this new series has helped me learn about myself.

 

Now, where is the key to this lock...?

 

This series of tiles is available in the Earthenwood Ceramics Etsy shop

Ahh, I have returned home after an impromptu overnight visit to the parents' house for an Independence Day break. There was the promise of grilled food, a quiet refuge from the fireworks in my neighborhood (oh noes...scared Zoey!), and the appearance of my brother, who is in the process of moving back to Michigan (yay!) so I could not resist the time spent away with family. Of course, I did bring work with me, and surprisingly did a great deal of it. Hmm, imagine that! But now I am in a good place to do some playing with clay.

 

Above, a picture from last year, of my Goddess Tiles in process. I have had the itch to carve a new tile lately, and to do something different. I have a general idea for the tile, but not really the specifics...no sketch or anything. I rolled out a couple of slabs last night and I think I will just attack them with my tools, and see what happens. Something different, like I said. The plan in the log run is to have two new designs for a fun project that is NOT related to my business so much, something fun to do with friends. So, Project Raku begins today! It does take a pretty good amount of preparation, so I am excited to dig in. I will keep you updated as it progresses!

 

Much to do today, much to do. Have I mentioned SEVEN days until we leave for Bead & Button? One week, Whoo Hoo! There are piles of beads and pendants and displays and everythings piled everywhere! I need to get organized today, very badly, and figure out my display stuff, and do some glazing. Tonight is Punk Fitness, which I dread, yet look forward to. I am loving the hula hoops! I have nothing to really contribute to blog land today, word wise, I used up all my good thoughts in yesterday's blog and in other writings, so today is just a jumble for you. And how about some NON bead pictures for a change? Above, I don't think I ever showed the full line of the Elemental Goddess Tiles I did last year. I blogged the three new ones while I made them here: in the really rough stage, plus thoughts on Air, Water, Fire, and when I made the molds. Well the molds sat around for a while, and then I madly pressed many of them, which sat around for a while, and then I frantically fired and glazed them and sold them at the holiday show, barely stopping for pictures, and never listing them in the etsy shop as I had planned. I still plan to... after Bead & Button. It is just another one of the things on the giant To-Do list. These tiles, by the way, are made of stoneware, and are about 2.5 x 5" wide...they are *not* bead sized, they are meant to be hung on a wall, or they could be set in tile work. But usually people hang them on a wall. They are a great size to fill a little lonely nook, on their own, or as a set can be lined up for a bigger statement, if you liek to see all the elements. My tile work comes and goes, it is hard to make time for it with the bead business, so I do not show it often...