I was recently asked to provide an answer to this question for a Redfin blog post. Click on the photo to read answers given by me and many other incredible ceramic artists. And if you have even more ideas, send them my way. I always love to hear from you!
Marching Forward
Frederick Magazine featured a story about me in their March 2020 issue. Read on to see what’s been happening in my life over the last year!
Write On!
Since February 18, 2014, I’ve written and published over 250 blog posts every Monday morning without fail. The goal was to document my clay studio life, express artistic ideas, gain valuable feedback from my readers and reveal a bit of myself along the way. Each one was vetted and edited by my husband, Barry before publication. This morning’s blog post will mark the end of the once a week diaries I plan to write. I do intend to blog when I’ve got studio news or artistic content to share, just not every Monday morning.
Here are a few of the pieces I created in 2018. Several of them came from suggestions you made!
I’ve been away from new clay-making projects for the last week or two. The holidays, family visits, pottery sales and a deep cleansing of accumulated papers, paraphernalia, and collected ‘stuff ‘have been a priority. Going through, culling (my mother’s word) what’s still important, throwing out and reorganizing the bins filled with memories has been cathartic, revealing, comforting, and emotional. Some stuff is easy to toss, but not everything.
See that little clay sculpture in the upper right-hand corner of this photo? That’s one of my first clay creations from the early 1960’s.
It’s been a great exercise of discovery, reacquaintance, and reassurance of the 62 year old person I am today. I’ve laughed, I’ve shed a tear or two, and I’ve narrowed down our family history into letters written and received, artwork, some collected memorabilia, and photographs.
Over the years, I’ve made many types of pottery for daily use, special occasions and simply to help decorate. These are some of my favorites.
Writing has been and still is important to me. It is one of several tools I use to express myself. Pottery, knitting, sewing, polymer clay, and other 3D crafting all contribute to my creative body of work and make me the artist I call myself today. As this new year evolves, I plan to explore more and all of these ways of self-expression to scratch the creative itch I wake up with every day.
Commissions have been a fantastic way for me to stretch my artistic muscle!
Thank you. Thank you for reading my weekly blog entries. Thank you for sending me feedback. Thank you for telling me how a particular post was meaningful to you. Thank you for purchasing my art. Thank you for suggesting new ideas to explore. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for listening — I think that’s the basic need every artist has.
Do you remember these? I made these ‘LUVBOTS’ for my valentines in February 2014. They were the subject of one of my very first blog entries. As always, I love to hear your feedback. Click the photo to send me a message!
As my editor Barry suggested, here’s an appropriate sign off sports announcer Jack Buck used to say:
"Thanks for your time, this time; until next time, so long for just a while."
Open
Tradition probably helps dictate how you celebrate Christmas (if you celebrate Christmas). When you open presents, how you open the presents and activity after opening presents can all be unique to you and your family.
I have a few strong memories of Christmas time from when I was growing up. Watching a televised production of Menotti’s ‘Amahl and the Night Visitor’ is one of them. I know the music and the words by heart and can sing along to the entire opera. The story always makes me tearful. My own family likes to make fun of me when I listen and sing to the music, but I don’t care. It is one way I open up to my roots and childhood memories each holiday season.
Christmas Eve was spent with ‘the Greens’ for years and years. Our two families would gather, share a meal starting with Oyster Stew (which I grew to love), open gifts and share festive conversation. Today I am thinking about that tradition and how the repetition of those gatherings were so special in my life.
When I was a child, Christmas morning had a ritual. My brother and I could open our stocking gifts at the same time, but each present under the tree had to be opened in turn, one at a time, and the wrapping paper was carefully saved to be used another time. I know other families approach opening differently, ripping into the presents willy nilly and all at once. There is no right or wrong way.
When my husband and I married and had our first child, we began our own tradition of celebrating both Hanukah and Christmas. Our kids enjoyed opening gifts during each holiday. Now that our family has grown up and live on their own, new holiday traditions emerge. Christmas Day is often celebrated with a movie, Chinese carryout, or a simple home cooked meal.
Merry Christmas!
Lighten Up
One of my favorite parts of the holidays are the lights that dress up the winter darkness. I have a visceral memory of driving around my Arlington, Va. neighborhood with my mother and father when I was very young to enjoy the colorful house displays. These days, my family enjoys perusing our neighborhood to enjoy our local light shows in the same way. This is a holiday treat to treasure.
On the flip side, the stress of creating a perfect holiday is also evident this time of year. Selecting the perfect gift, cooking the most delicious meal, acknowledging every family tradition, all at the same time can take its toll on the enjoyment of this festive season.
So lighten up. That’s my mantra for the holiday season. So much of the stress we put on ourselves this time of year, is self-imposed. It’s not a competition with our family or friends, or I don’t think it should be. It is probably impossible to create the perfect holiday you have pictured in your mind, and that’s okay. Do holiday time your way, the best way you can.
Here’s my nod to holiday decorating this year. A little tree covered in chili pepper lights next to my blooming Christmas cactus!
The holidays can be about spending time with loved ones. Gifts are nice, but time together is what we remember. Share some food, play some games, take time for conversation. Build those memories that truly last a lifetime. What better gift is there than that?
Click on the photo to tell me about your favorite holiday tradition.
Clean Sweep
I do my best cleaning when I am expecting company. Is it the same for you? The accumulated dust and cobwebs get addressed, unfinished decorating projects get completed, languishing art gets rearranged and hung on the wall. It’s the same when I host an open studio. I do my best to keep the studio ‘clean’ and organized, but my creative area gets a complete overhaul and scouring when company is invited.
Clay is a dusty business. There is no way around that, other than to try to continually clean up after a creative session. I learned that discipline first from my high school art teacher Winnie Owens. She was a stickler about cleaning up the potter’s wheel and tools after each session. It was a great habit to learn, especially when using a public creative space.
I spent the past week mopping, dusting and organizing my studio into a sales space for my Open Studio on Sunday. It’s an opportunity to observe my ‘body of work’ that has accumulated over the year with a fresh perspective. I quickly finished some projects that needed a final touch, enjoyed the glaze combinations that have evolved over the year, and took time to admire the signature style I’ve created as ClayByLaura.
Thank you for being my muse, my customer and my friends. I’d say it was a ‘clean sweep’ and I’m happy to open up my studio for you any time!
Show Up
In the art and craft world, holiday time is closely intertwined with marketing shows. In addition to attending to our own celebration of the season’s festivities, people who make art are working at a frenzied pace in the winter months to finish off their art and participate in numerous sales events. It’s true for me as well as many other creative makers I know. What we all count on is people showing up.
This past week, I attended three art events of my artistic friends. Olga Schrichte creates beautiful quilts that were on display at The Delaplaine Arts Center. Dami Hunter of Magpie Fibers dyes wool in gorgeous colors; she celebrated her anniversary with a Trunk Show at my favorite yarn shop, The Knot House. Margaret Hluch creates wearable fiber art by magically infusing natural materials (eco printing) onto beautiful fabrics and sewing them into scarves. They all happened to be on the same day in the same general location which made it fun and easy to attend. Also, I like to support my fellow artists. I like to show up.
I’ve been organizing my pottery and cleaning up the studio this past week in preparation for two upcoming shows. I’m lucky to be part of a group show held at the studio of InBloom Jewelry in Braddock Heights, Maryland. It’s about a 45 minute drive from DC and worth every mile! All kinds of art by some of my favorite artists will be for sale over a two week period. I hope you’ll show up! Click on the photo to let me know when and I’ll meet you there!
I’ll host my annual Open Studio Sale on Sunday, December 9. This year, 20% of the proceeds will be donated to the Frederick Chapter of Mom’s Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. I’ve also created a special little dish for the event. I’ll donate $6 of each one purchased to this worthy cause. Please show up!
Leftovers.
The aftermath of Thanksgiving’s abundance often leads to leftovers. Day-after meals often consist of various food-item concoctions. Turkey sandwiches are piled high with different side-dish items like stuffing and cranberry relish; turkey soup is derived from the bird’s picked-over carcass; or turkey pot pie is cobbled together with remaining ingredients. Depending on how many leftovers exist, a family might enjoy all of these aforementioned extra meals for days after the main event. At some point though, as the the leftovers dwindle, they lose their appeal.
In the studio, I work with leftovers as well. I like to incorporate discarded and long-collected treasures into some of my creations to make them useful once again. This week I played with a new idea I’m developing for a craft party I’ll teach at The Muse on January 6.
I created several textured medallion pieces from polymer clay I rolled out and cut into different shapes. I baked the pieces in an oven for about 20 minutes. When they cooled, I decorated each with layers of acrylic paints.
I purchased several types of cord to experiment with and ended up using leather cord I already have to create the finished necklace. A variety of beads, recycled fashion jewelry and charms were strung and simply tied into place with a knot. I like how this adds some visual interest to the final necklace and makes use of items that might otherwise be discarded.
At the same time, I used this polymer clay to create more shawl pins for sale at the Muse. The original design was made from clay I regularly use in the studio. Since these decorative fasteners are selling well and the polymer allows a quicker creative turnaround, I decided to experiment and make some with this alternate medium. These fun brooches also incorporate leftovers constructed from knitting needles, tubing from the hardware store, and collected beads.
How do you use leftovers in your life? Click on the photo above to tell me! I’d love to know.