Time Flies

Yes, dear readers, a photo of me doing some work! I have been busily creating lots and lots of neighbourhood mugs for some of favourite  neighbours in the City of Guelph. Currently I have The Ward, Exhibition Park, old St. George’s covered. I am working on some of the other older ‘hoods too. Officially, we have now entered ‘the mad season’ of getting prepared for that date at the end of December that all the big shops start promoting ad nauseam!!!

I have also decided to have another online retail location over at http://www.bunnysafaripottery.com to help the Canadian collectors of my work. Why? The US dollar is so expensive that I feel the pain of trying to buy something from the US (for me that would be purchasing film…..). This way, all my prices are in Canadian $$ for items in the shop.

Stay tuned for some more fun photos and I will get back to making more pots!!

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100 Strangers #90 Rob O’Flanagan

If you have been following my 100 Strangers journey, you may have noticed that I have a tendency to brag about what a great community I live in. Here is another example of why I know this is true. I was recently awarded an arts bursary for me to pursue some early photographic techniques down in Rochester (I am so excited!). Fortunately, the local paper thought this was an important award and sent one of their journalists to hear the who, what, where and why….and to take my photo (gulp). The man for the job was Rob O’Flanagan. He came armed with his digital and I was at the ready with my trusty YashicaMat. Since my project is about combining clay and photography, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get Rob to be in this current project. In addition to being a busy journalist, he is a painter sharing space with a local woman that I have known for many years in town. Rob has taken up wood working as well. It turns out that we know many of the same people in Guelph. I may have encouraged him to get back into film photography too………The photo that Rob took of me in my studio ended up being on the front cover of The Guelph Mercury. That was awesome and totally unexpected! I hope Rob likes his grainy film portrait!

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The Elfie

Get it? The “Elfie Selfie”……….
You know I can’t let a good pun go!

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Go With the FLO

Yes. YES! I know. Where have I been? Back in the clay studio, making, making, making more pots. It took a bit longer than anticipated to finish, but the studio upgrade is now finished. Sturdy new floor (perfect for dancing), new smaller efficient wood burning stove (straight from an Ontario farmhouse kitchen), new paint, new shelves and lots of creative energy! I will be ready to razzle and dazzle you with lots of new ceramic delights. Mugs away!

Please come and enjoy this little show that I have curated for the past 8 years. The setting is in my friend’s lovely photography studio. This show originally started as a house party with lots of creative makers. After a few years, we all got tired of moving furniture around. My studio wasn’t big enough to accommodate all the people I wanted, so I discovered FLO studios. All artists/craftspeople have been hand picked by myself. These are people you would want to hang around with in your living room. So the FLO studio has become that large living room. Featured will be organic body products, jewelry, knit wear, art prints, upcycled eco gear, seasonal cards, clothing and more.

Stay out of the malls and have a happy time hanging with some kind, arty folks! Cheers!

 

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Spring Is In My Studio

It took its time this year. It did, it really did. Yes, that would be the season known as SPRING that I am referring to. Last week we had snow showers on the Wednesday. How rude! I feel confident that we have finally turned a corner with the weather and we can finally, put all those winter accessories away til the autumn.

Spring sales wait for nobody and I have been working away in the studio in preparation. This coming weekend is the Hamilton Potters Guild sale in Dundas. 94 eager potters will be displaying their wares, myself included. My wheel and kiln have been running full tilt for the last couple of months and I am quite pleased with myself. I had so many people ask me if I had large bowls that would serve as wedding gifts, that I have a nice selection. Not many though!

More Poe inspired pots are currently in the kiln. I have done some large Poe bowls too. They won’t be ready til Thursday night, so no photos I’m afraid!

I will be working the sale on Friday, so pop by and say Hello!

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Enough Love to Warm the Coldest Winter Heart

Enough Love to Warm the Coldest Winter Heart, originally uploaded by BunnySafari.

Finally, a proper winter has perhaps arrived? Temperatures were bitterly cold last week just as they should be in mid January. Cold enough to freeze the snot in your nose and give you one of those ice cream headaches. So I hunkered down and immersed myself in a fascinating new book about the studio potter Michael Cardew. That still qualifies as work, no? The book is called;

The book is stimulating those creative juices again. I have enjoyed gazing at the sturdy pots that he made, so much so that I have dug out my sketchbooks and sharpened my pencils. Solid, practical forms that look as though they would feel comfortable in the users hands. Thanks to one of my former instructors at Sheridan for the heads up on the book. Nice one Tony Clennell!

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BOO!! It’s BLUE!!

Did I scare you? You don’t need to rub your eyes because I didn’t play a real trick on you. Are you surprised that I glazed another pot this deep colour?  Yes, I must be in my blue phase again. The cobalt really does pop out when I open the kiln lid and this vibrant blue colour stands in the middle of a sea of white vessels. I just reread that last sentence and holy schmokes I could be a poet!  Where do I find such inspiration? “A sea of white vessels”…….you heard it here first folks.  I could be famous (only in my own mind I am, really).

Remember to Keep Calm and Carry Yarn.

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Inspired by Poe

Well fancy that!  I have been making some new work in the studio. What should I call this collection? The “Poe” or the “Nevermore”…… Any suggestions dear readers? What would Poe say? Hang on, I made a few wall pillows with that quote already. Perhaps I will re-read the illustrated version of The Raven done by Guelph local, Ryan Price. It is dark and yet, the illustrations are YUMMY. Trust me.

I have this set on my etsy page. Happily, the butter dish sold shortly after it made an appearance on my page.  I sometimes forget to make sets of designs. I think I have my work narrowed down to three different styles. Wedding season is upon us once again. Time for big bowls and matching sets. Back to the clay pits then for me!

 

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Fascinated by Ferns

I can’t help it. There they are every spring, tiny spirals of goodness, sprouting up out of the ground. From where I sit in my studio, perched on my potters wheel, I can see them. They wave at me in the breeze. The ferns demand my attention. Look at us! Look how intricate we are. We are fractals!!  We are the boss of you! Oh yeah?  I cooked some up with butter and balsamic.”You are NOT the boss of me” I told my plateful of dark green goodness. ‘We’ll see.’

Every year, there are more and more spreading their fans throughout the garden. I do love them. Ferns are fascinating. Ferns were around when the dinosaurs stomped around. Talk about staying power. The ferns won. I have had dreams about how to decorate my pots with them. Sneaky. Now they adorn mugs, bowls, and a butter dish or two. What next? A teapot perhaps.

Pass the balsamic and the butter, of course.

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You Want It Blue?

In my fourteen years as a potter, I wish I had a loonie for every single time somebody asked me “do you make this in blue?” Truth is, there are only a few things that are blue that I really like. Blue jeans for one.  The other being the Tuareg people of the Sahara and the brilliant colour of indigo that they wear. They are known as ‘the blue men of the desert’, because the indigo dye colours their skin. I brought back some indigo fabric from Mali and it is a true lovely blue. I digress.

One very persistent customer kept asking me to make a set of mugs and bowls in a blue glaze. I suggested a lovely jade green glaze instead. No. What about something funky and outrageous? No. Plain blue. Being a ‘business’ person, I made a batch of glaze and went to work. In the end the customer was thrilled and I kinda actually liked the blue colour. I wasn’t ‘mad’ at the blue colour, I have just seen one too many blue pieces of pottery in my life. Now, when I open the kiln and there are a few pieces that are glazed this blue it is a startling surprise compared to the green and white pots around it. It is a change from the ordinary in my world.

So here is the only pot that I have in the blue glaze at this very minute. That may change however.

Blues to you!

 

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