The New Plan

After trying to have another baby for the last few years, since realizing that our first was such an amazing little person, we are finally pregnant. I spent the first three months very sick to my stomach and with a powerful case of narcolepsy. 

The studio had slowed down to a crawl as I fell asleep at the lunch table, while patting totty's back for his nap, stirring soup, knitting and of course immediately after dinner if I was magically able to make or eat a meal. Now I am back to a bit more of my old pottery self. 

(not my car, haha)

I have let a small stack of custom orders pile up and really get stale before I threw them and it was such a delight to finally glaze and fire a whole batch yesterday. It was our 12 year wedding anniversary and hubby spent several hours on his bike in the glorious weather with his pals and then spent the afternoon with tot so I could finish the orders and load the kiln. We are so lucky to be still negotiating well and happily married despite the statistics (technically i am gen X and he is gen Y so the numbers for wedded bliss are pretty dismal for our cohort). 

A lot of time has been spent training other volounteers to take over all the jobs that I have been doing at the HUB Studio for the last year. When we opened to doors, it was just Franziska and I and there was a lot to do with class registrations, accounting, website, forms and actually teaching. I have tried to seek out people who are really happy doing certain chores that suit them in some way. We have a clay reclaiming voloutneer who is happy for the heavy work in exchange for free access to the studio, she is also perfectly wary of the dangers of clay dust and wears a mask to protect herself.

We found someone that used to do all the books for her own business and was more than happy to take over the money flow and tracking from my rather rudimentary system. I trust her completely with every penny and at our first deadline meeting when we all had to have our receipts in and she would write the cheques, she was prepared and things went smoothly. I have also found someone who will plan and coordinate all the open studio volounteers, someone to do the website and promotions and have a team to keep the glazes in order (don't get me started on the complexities of a glaze committee in a community setting :(

As for the new plan, I am at the Farmers' Market on Saturdays, 9-2. I am doing Arts on the Avenue in Ladysmith next Sunday 10-4. I will be at Christmas Chaos in November here in Duncan and will likely have my Solo Show at the HUB as the Rec Room is just a perfect space to hold a pottery show. I moved the show around a bit over the last few years and I think that if I set the date and print out 

 and hand out post card invites early on so folks can plan to attend it should be okay even though it's out of town a few minutes. We shall see. Of course, hubby will have to do ALL the work for my show as I can barely lift much now and we are just halfway through so I will need to make the plan with him first. 

**on a random miserable note, some asshat stole my handmade chiminea from my front steps, i made it years ago and fired it in the tozan kiln costing over $100 plus an entire night of loading wood into the kiln, i coil built it and then beat it round and built the stand and flange, needless to say i am still very mad that it's gone**

Fresh Teapot with slip clay decoration

Photo was taken by Sarah Hall. Her photostream is availlable at: (lots more pottery pictures there along with her wonderful pics!!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31044915@N05/

The teapots continue. This teapot was just out of my "damp shelving" that is completely sealed up in plastic to slow the drying time of the fresh work. In the summer it is like a desert around here and then in the winter the rains keep the ambient humidity between 70 and 100 percent. The teappots are a lot of work with the thrown bodies and lids on day one with the spouts thrown and handles pulled on day two for them to be trimmed and built up on day three. They are very popular at the Market and I pack them very carefully to get there. The big teapots get an extra, small handle to help the wrists of my customers with more friends than forearm muscle! (hahaha)

Pottery at the Farmer's Market

Photo by Sarah Hall

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31044915@N05/

Trial By Fire Pottery is starting back up with the Farmer's Market in Duncan, BC on the 20th of March. I will be at the market on saturdays from 9-2 selling my functional stoneware pottery to the public and the gallery is still open if you want to call for an appointment. I am very excited to see what people think of my new oval baking dishes, they are a 'stretch' for me from the round form but I think they look great.

I might be away from the Market for a few days this July if I am accepted into the summer workshop that I have applied for on Saltspring Island but I will let people know if I will be away. I would also like to thank Sarah for putting my website together for me, my photos pale alongside her masterpieces! (see the link to her flickr account)

One change at the Farmer's Market (i know the apostrophe is wrong in the name) is that I am now the President of the Market with a Board of 8 and an employee, so if I look a little tired it's just because I've lost a little sleep over things. Details will follow, trust me!