Gobble, Gobble Kids Class Turkey

We'll be making these adorable turkeys during Kids Wheel Wednesday in November.  Can you guess what trace to make the tail feathers?

Below are some of the October Pumpkins the kids made- I especially like the purple one!

 

Happy Days, Teresa

Thursday Morning Drop-in is back!

Thursday Morning Drop-in 10 am - 12:30 am is back for the winter beginning November 4th

See you at the studio!

Teresa

Kids Wednesday Wheel Throwing

Each Wednesday during the school year 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm

I love teaching kids... they pick it up so quickly and are so proud of their results.

Dish, Dine, Paint & Wine

This month we will be painting these sweet "Ribbon Platters" at Dish, Dine, Paint & Wine. October 8th at 6 pm

It is so fun, anyone can do it!  Pre-registration required, call the studio at (530)550-7822

Kids, Kids, Kids Kids Art Camp

Kids Art Camp starts up again next week and runs through August.  There are still a few spots left if you are interested in attending.  Camp runs Mon-Fri 9 am - noon.  Daily drop-ins are welcome if there is space available.  We limit class size so all the campers get intimate attention while working on the potters wheel.

Hope to see you- Teresa

New Class Schedule is out!

T Pots Pottery has added classes in fused glass and pottery painting workshops!

Check it out - great fun, exciting new classes and mediums. 

There are still a few spaces left in the Summer Kids Camps in August.  Camp has been so popular, the studio will be offering kids pottery classes starting in September.

Truckee Thursdays

Wow- I could not believe how many people were at Truckee Thursdays last week!  It is definitely the happening event in town.  About a dozen people painted pottery during the evening, most came over the weekend to pick up their masterpieces.



Being that I have Drop-in (open  studio time) Thursdays 5:30 - 8 pm at the studio, Gerri will be there tonight for T Pots Pottery.  Stop at our booth by the Kid Zone to say Hello and paint a piece yourself or come over to the studio and check out the happenings there!

Enjoy your Thursday in Truckee,



Teresa

Tahoe Kids Camp

Another fun week of Kids Pottery/Art Camp started today.  The campers did great!  We spend the majority of time on the potters wheel.  After snack, we handbuilt mushrooms and started our art journals.

I'll try to remember to take some pictures tomorrow.  Another fun morning planned with glass fusing and more time of the wheel.

Teresa

Peace, Love and Pottery Kids Camp

Summer Camp started this week, what a blast we are having so far.  The kids are between 6 and 12 yrs old - are all such characters!

I've been so impressed with how well then all have done on the potters wheel the past two days.  The youngest ones throw standing up since they just can't get close enough to their wad of clay while sitting.  Older kids sit with blocks of wood under their otherwise dangling feet.

Check out what the campers made on the wheel...

 Great stuff!

Today the kids trimmed and painted glaze on their ceramic pieces.  After snack we used glass to make sun catcher peace signs.  The glass is in the kiln now.... stay tuned to see the results!

Teresa

Summer

Summer arrived yesterday... and is leaving again tomorrow.  So sad.  It has been wonderful having the big roll up door open, it is South facing, so the sunshine beams in all day long.  The studio feels so much larger.

With summer comes all sorts of activities, "Truckee Thursday" begins this week.  New this year, Donner Pass Road will be closed off to cars.  Stop at our booth to say "hi". 

The first Raku firing will be this Saturday from 2 - 7 pm at the studio.  It is so exciting!  Probably not an issue this year.... if you are going to Raku fire your own piece of pottery be sure to wear long pants, long sleeve shirt and closed toe shoes.  Using tongs, we take the pottery out of the special Raku kiln when the pieces are around 1500 degrees!  That is hot!

Kids Camp starts next week with a 60's theme- "Peace, Love & Pottery".  I'm so excited, have some really fun projects planned.  This first week, we will be playing in clay, both handbuilding and on the wheel, doing some fused glass and so much more.

And, of course, ARTour, North Lake Tahoe's Open Studio event.  Two weeks of fun are planned July 9-11 & July 16-18.  I'm really looking forward to ARTour this year, with the new studio, I can leave the "working" area as is without to much interruption to production and class schedules.

Lets hope summer comes and stays for a while!

Teresa

Painting Pottery Field Trips

This past week, a second grade class at Incline Elementary and Middle Schoolers at Loyalton painted pottery. 

 A sampling of the 18 ice cream bowls painted by the 2nd Graders at Incline Elementary for their Moms.

 A few of the 8" square plates painted by the 11-13 year olds in Loyalton.  Mr. Fisher spearheaded the project to help the kids release some tension and stress after a long week of STAR testing.

All of the painted pottery turned out beautiful!

Teresa Wik

Martis Camp Folk School Forum

I am so excited to be teaching a workshop at Martis Camp this summer!  Over Presidents Day weekend, all of the visiting artists instructing at the Folk School will be in "The Barn" with hands on demonstrations and a sneak peak at the summer session.

I will be teaching a slab building workshop.  Each participant will make 2-3 items choosing from half a dozen fun and functional projects such as birdhouse, planter, pitcher (or watering can), dishes and platters.

I have some samples in the kiln which I'll take pictures of and post this week while I am getting ready for the Forum this weekend.

I won't be at the studio Saturday but, will be there Sunday and Monday.

Teresa

Spinning into the New Year

Life is beginninng to get back to normal after the excitement, stress and hardwork of moving the studio in November '09, the holidays and work. 

We celebrate Thanksmas, which for us is a wonderful few days at Moms house (check out her blog at http://pinkdogwoodblossom.blogspot.com/) where we celebrate Thanksgiving with a hike in the foothills and an incredibly delicous meal prepared by Forrest one day and Christmas the following with presents under the fake fiscus tree iwth white lights.

The hecteck holiday season begins after that with the finale of working the ER at Tahoe Forest Hospital from Christmas day through New Years day, the busiest time in the ER.  I also taught at Martis Camp for two days and helped with their budding paint your own pottery program.

As I said, life is beginning to get back to normal in the studio and at home.  Still busy yet, manageable and fun.  Last week I added an additional drop-in time on Thursdays from 10 am to 1230 pm to compliment the Wednesday and Thursday evening drop-in sessions at 5:30 to 8 pm.

A Mini Beginner Wheel Throwing class started last Sunday with an awesome group of 5 people, three additional pottery classes are scheduled to begin in January.

I really enjoy teaching classes and helping out during drop-in sessions.  I feel so blessed to have such a creating, engaging and fun group of people who frequent the studio.  So much of what I blog about is technique and/or studio issues, both are a huge part of what i do at the studio yet, it is the people and interaction which really make it such a comfortable and relaxing place that I am excited to go to everyday.

Enjoy Today! Teresa

Clayworks at Kilohana

Clayworks is a really cool spot, located just South of Lihue on an old plantation, this pottery studio and gallery has it all.  The set up is simular to T Pots Pottery iwth classes and instruction.  Clayworks is the perfect rainy day activity for those on vacation, looking for something fun and different to do.  The "studio" with wheels, work tables, and kilns are outside under a covered porch in a tranquil, garden like setting. 

If throwing is not your thing, Clayworks also offers paint your own bisque and they seem to specialize in Raku firing.

Inside is a retail gallery space with some beautiful pottery from different artists.  The prices are reasonable and they will ship.

Next time you are on kauai, be sure to check out  Clayworks!

New Pottery Studio Pics

Two Sinks! Working room which is home to the wheels, extruder, slab roller and tons of misc. tools
The studio is split into 3 room. This picture is taken from the back room (glaze, kiln, drying shelves) through the middle working room into the front gallery area.

How to Make a Pottery Measure Stick for Under $5

I saw a measure stick in Pottery Making Illustrated which looks very nice, just out of my price range. So, I made my own for under $4 using wood scraps.

For the most part, my pottery is not all exact and the same size... close enough for "sets" yet all are a little different in size and shape.

There are times, a special order for example or working towards a very large collection when I would like to be able to know exactly what size I made to make more of the same or have an easy way to re-create the same size for special orders.

Material List:
2 drywall screws
1 Piece of wood approx 4 x 2 and 1/2" thick (base)
1 Piece of wood approx 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 and 10" long (vertical stand)
1 Piece of trim board type wood approx 1" x 1/4" and 14" long (movable arm)
Wood Glue (I did not use but may be a good idea)
Bolt (I found one with a knob)
wing nut
locking washer

After cutting the wood to size, Drill holes (use a drill bit the same size or a tiny bit larger than your bolt), every few inches on the two long pieces of wood.

Screw the base onto the vertical arm. It is easier if you drill two pilot holes before trying to screw the pieces together.

Assemble the parts by putting the bolt through one of the holes in the vertical piece then put the "arm" onto the bold then lock washer and wing nut.

That is it! You now have a measuring stick.

Back at it- Studio set-up

Now that the excitement, preparation and clean up from ARTour Open Studio is over, I am back to the normal routine in the studio.

Drop-in has started up again and the first Mini Beginner Throwing class starts this Sunday.

I rearranged the studio (just a tiny bit) to improve the flow of work during Drop-in pottery nights, have moved part of the retail pottery display to shelves against the wall,


added additional space for wedging, handbuilding and work space along the wall,


Put all of the handbuilding tools, supplies and "texture" stamps and tools in a single area,

organized the glazes and incorporated the "Cink" a recirculating sink for washing clay from ceramic tools and equipment and put little shelves next to the glaze spray booth for the mason jars of glaze.

Whew, it was a lot of work, fun to do and I am liking the end results!