Where is East Street Studios?

That is the question of the day. Right now I have a huge project in the works outfitting an entire restaurant in my pottery. If it isn't a water glass, it's being served on something I made, am making, and have yet to make. To say I'm busy would be a bit of an understatement. With clay, timing is everything. And there are plenty of steps.

Right now, given the deadline, I have no time for tattoos. Other than existing clients and appointments, East Street Studios is officially on hiatus. When that changes, I'll post. I'm still booking summer caricature gigs, because the restaurant will be open by this summer and I will be over the hump by then. Fortunately, not many people want to get fresh tattoos in the summer because there's too much fun in the water and sun. Plus, I'll be on vacation, heading out to Seattle at the end of July! I can't wait.


I should be available for tattoos again in the fall.

Rocking and Rolling Right Along..Happy New Year!

Okay, so I've been seriously neglecting my blog. The bug spray totally worked, by the way. The entire summer ended on my second spray bottle full of the concoction, not even halfway through the original bottles of essential oils. I sprayed my dogs down once a week and rubbed it in. No more than that. And no fleas or mosquitoes hanging around. Admittedly, we had a few ticks, but not that many - less than five the whole summer - when the dogs going swimming outweighed my spraying. Overall, still better, less expensive, and hopefully healthier than the alternative.

I've been busy upgrading my tattoo studio! Recently, I've invested in a new stencil machine, new tattoo machines, books for my tattoo library, and studio equipment and furniture. And the artwork I've been collectiong is up on the walls, with more being added all the time. I've been working on longer term, bigger color pieces, too, which I love. Soon I'll be able to share a big Phoenix piece I'm very excited about finishing.

The 365 Caricature Project was paused at 92 or 93, and I have not had the time to get back into that groove. While that was a relative fail for the year, at the same time, hey, I produced 92 or 93 new images, which makes me happy. The other upside of even doing that many was that when a regular client came to me for a batch of caricatures for an event in September, they were the best set of caricatures I had done for him to date.

Just after Thanksgiving I had another deadline - Secret Santa gifts with fellow artists on illustratedATCS.com. I was seriously hooked up with some incredible art. Here is one piece I sent to a fan of David Bowie. It is 8"x8" acrylic on canvas.

and here is another, a portrait of the person receiving the gift:

 

You can probably tell I had a little fun..

 Pottery sales have been booming! Last year, I worked out of a tent in my living room. I was too busy over the summer to accomplish much, and I've recently relocated my studio to the former guest bedroom. Now that we have two six month old kittens running around, no greenware is safe, so I've had to modify a bit. Winter is high gear for me when it comes to working the pottery wheel and running the kiln pretty steadily. Plus, I have eight place settings to make right away.

When my hands are covered in clay, I avoid my technology. I won't be online much for the next couple of months, so I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter!

Finally! Natural DIY Bug Spray That Works.

I have been trying to find a better, natural bug spray for years. One that would work for my dogs as well would be even better. After much research, I combined some essential oils that repelled all three threats: ticks, mosquitos, and fleas. The first formula wasn’t strong enough for the mosquitos around here. Until now, the only commercial bug spray that even comes close to working for me is ‘Deep Woods Off!’ Even then, it sweats off halfway through a hike, most of the time. And for some reason, DEET creeps me the hell out. 

For my four dogs, I’ve always used the monthly treatments available from my vet, to the tune of about $60 a month. That treatment is deadly to cats. How good can that be for my dogs? Not as bad as a tick bite, I suppose, but all four dogs have already tested positive for Lyme’s disease, in spite of using the treatment. And mosquitoes transmit heartworms, in addition to several other potentially deadly diseases. 

Since I’ve been using this spray on them, there have been no ticks, no fleas, and no mosquitos landing long enough to bite. Yesterday, I dared to take a four mile hike, through tall grass, past swamps, and deep into the woods wearing dark pants. Not a single mosquito bite, not a single tick. When I got home, I worked in my gardens for another two hours. Same deal. I am sold.

Not to be discouraged..

I have many rebellious bones in my body. It runs in my family. My brother claims John
Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, is our cousin. My aunt says it's John Lennon. My mother says Paul McCartney. I have no idea. Possibly. The Irish are quite prolific. And we're all related to someone famous. The point is, I don't like being told what to do. Ever, really, unless I'm learning something new. But whenever I'm in my sister's car, I ask her to shut down her talking GPS. It bugs the hell out of me not only to be interrupted, but then told what to do, repeatedly.  As if I didn't hear it's commands the first time. Once in a while, this natural inclination gets in my way. The caricature project became something I wanted to rebel against, especially after the contest failures.

So, I've finally fallen far enough behind with the caricature project that I have to figure out a way to catch up without sacrificing quality. Then again, sometimes I fuss too much on a piece and the life is rubbed right out of the image. I will admit that the Wittygraphy.com contests had some effect. On me, my work, and my attitude toward caricatures.

Live caricatures are altogether a unique experience. Every person, every event is different. One thing that is consistent is the character of the atmosphere where they are the most successful. My best time caricaturing has been at places where people are having an escapist sort of experience. Renaissance faires, local, themed festivals, or vacation spots.The caricatures are quick, usually less than five minutes per person. And whether they're successful, or not, I will probably never see them again.

Studio caricatures are another story. If I had weeks to put into one image, I could. Early on, I thought using the 'Trending Now' section on the Yahoo home page would help me decide who to draw for that day's piece. Unfortunately, the same people trend quite often. Why people are so obsessed with the Kardashians, and Angelina and Brad, is lost on me. And most politicians aren't worth the lead in my pencil. That brings me back to choosing actors or characters out of the movies or shows I'm watching on Hulu or Netflix. Or simply people that I like. For example, Larry David.

This caricature is small, only 5" x 7". And I gave myself a time limit of 15 minutes. I think it took me longer than that to gather the reference photos. But I like the result so much that I did more quick ones using the same materials. Here's Robert Downey Jr.

Not that I'm even close to being caught up. We are 160 days deep into this year already, and Mr. Downey Jr. is number 72. Not that 72 new caricatures this year is a fail, but I'm failing to keep up with a daily commitment right now. But I've always been a bit of an idealist, and still think I can do it. I knew I'd fall behind when the gardens woke up until most of my planting is done. In just over a week, I have some down time planned, and I'm hoping I can have a bit of a marathon session. Maybe I'll get an egg timer and see how I do with 15 minute blocks. Either way, it's not over and I'm not giving up. And if the end result is that I get better, it's a win win.

Onward and Upward

The place settings have reached their destination and are completely loved! My new bowl design went over with flying colors - yay! Speaking of flying colors, my friend posted beautiful photos on her blog about her experience. Now that I won't ruin the surprise, I can post a few photos, too. The day the bowls came out of the kiln is the same day they shipped. While my gardens were grateful for the sunshine, it's not the best time to photograph shiny surfaces, but I did the best I could. I'm in the process of making more place settings, and once they're finished I'll be able to wait for a day with bright steel grey skies, my favorite kind.

Salad plate

It has taken many years of trial and error to get to this glaze, and I absolutely love the results. Even this minute, I want to hit 'Save' and finish this post right here so I can get back to work making more! However, the same day I kissed these plates goodbye, I received an order for a dozen Wonky Martinis, and as soon as I post this, I must go empty and reload the kiln. To fill the order, so far I've made sixteen, with another four waiting for assembly in the basement, just to be sure I end up with twelve that are the same height. 

And there's kayaking to do!

Last Friday, my thirty three rose bushes arrived, ready for planting. Most of my weekend was spent alternating between gardening and making the martinis. They're all in now, but I still have a ton of work to do planting three big buckets of dahlias and seeds for zinnias, sunflowers, and more. Gardens don't wait for you to have time for them, especially the weeds! This year I was hoping to install a vegetable garden in the backyard, but only if we had it fenced in time, which doesn't appear likely, at this point. As it is, I lose plenty to the deer, bunnies, and woodchucks.

On another note, I still haven't found the time for caricatures. With pottery, the process is so much about timing, and if something has to get done, it does then, not later. Later it could be too late and all the time and material are wasted. Since I'm getting paid to make pottery right now, not caricatures, that's my priority. I'm not making excuses or ditching the project, just leaving it as something I'll get back to as soon as I have the time to spare.

One thing my friend mentions in her blog is my intention to move forward with my pottery business. A few years ago, I invested in a much larger kiln, but the lid was broken in transport. There isn't a way to repair it, so it must be replaced and it's just one of those things I haven't had the money to do. The new lid will cost more than I paid for the used kiln. With my existing kiln, I can fire two place settings at a time. The larger kiln could easily fit all eight. Or large sculptural pieces, which is why I bought it originally. I'm hoping to apply for a grant to cover that, as well as a few other necessities which would speed things up around here, bringing my business to the level where I would be able to hire someone to help. That would officially make me a Job Creator! And on top of that, people could buy my plates, bowls, stemware, and bakeware made right here in Massachusetts. That's a good direction all around.

Plates and Bowls and Tiles, Oh My!

It's been a while since my last post, but I didn't even come close to winning the Ben Affleck caricature contest. 13th out of 19. Not to be discouraged, I tried again. This time the subject was Yoko Ono. Here's my entry:

I ranked 12 out of 14. Tough crowd. The result was a bit discouraging for me, so I decided to take a break for a few days. That has turned into nearly a month at this point. While I'm not abandoning the project, I'm certainly further behind that I expected to be so soon.

Fortunately, I've been otherwise distracted in a good way. Two projects popped up at once for my pottery business, Beaconsfield Designs. The first surprise was a friend ordering eight place settings! In this case, the place setting consists of a dinner plate, salad plate, and bowl. I got right to work making the dinner plates, which were going to take the longest to dry. Some potters use molds for plates, but I'm not set up to work that way, so they are all thrown on the wheel. I did my absolute best to make them all the same, although there certainly will be some variation. That's the best part, though, right?  As I write this, they are being bisque fired. I've been posting photos of the progress for my friend, and she is loving the process, too. Here they are freshly thrown, in the dark of my damp basement.
And then two days later they were dry enough to trim.

trimmed and drying..

Just after I started making the plates, another friend asked for help with tiles. He has been doing a complete renovation of his kitchen, gutted right down to the studs. To break up the modern upgrade that was feeling a little too sterile, he ordered hand painted tiles from a company in France to match some antique pieces he and his wife received as wedding gifts many years ago. Apparently, after months of waiting, the tiles went from 'back ordered' to 'discontinued'. He received notice about two weeks before the scheduled counter installation, the last step before tiles.

Even though I've never painted tiles, I said I'd give it a try. He brought me the original pieces of pottery he had and nine blank pre-made bisqued tiles he found at a local paint-your-own-pottery place. After a visit to my pottery supply, where I found a tile setter for my kiln and hopefully the right color glazes, I was ready to go. When I glaze stoneware, I plan on the glaze expanding and moving while it's being fired to an extremely high temperature. The tiles are not stoneware, and they do not need to be food safe so they are fired to a lower temperature. The colors stay exactly where you put them and there's no room for error.

The first tile was a color test and I found some of the glazes a little goopy. The result was a bit lumpy with some colors and some of the colors burned off a bit. I made the adjustments and painted one feature tile and eight tiles with just the corner motif. They were happy with the results and requested one more corner motif tile and six more feature tiles with what I believe is a Cosmo near the center. The final results are shown above and I think when they see them they'll be quite happy.

Firing the tiles has helped the plates finish drying. The glazing begins tomorrow and I'll be firing for five or six days straight. I can't wait to share the results. The bowls are still in the works, and I'm hoping to finish throwing them today while the kiln is going. I've worked a fun, new, all-purpose shape for the bowls. They're a combination of my small, angular bowls and a classic onion soup crock. My friend serves up a lot of stews, chili, and soups, so I want to make sure they look cool, hold a hearty serving, and have a shape that prevents sloshing over the rim. Plus, they can be stacked!

After I finish making the bowls, deliver the tiles, and have dinner, I might just sit down and draw a caricature. That's the plan.

From the Ashes (or Shreds) of a Fiery Temperament

Okay, I have no problem admitting I can be short-tempered. While I do my best most of the time, every once in a while I get frustrated with something I'm working on and tear it up. Not that big a deal. Recently, I joined a caricature site Wittygraphy.com. They have a contest every two weeks and I decided to give it a try, working into my Project 365 lineup. This cycle the chosen subject is Ben Affleck. He's not very remarkable looking, really, except for his chin. Even then, he's no Jay Leno or George Clooney. For two days, I tried to nail him. And it just wasn't happening. I started with a color piece, done with acrylic inks, but it just wasn't him. At the beginning of the second day, I decided to start over. I tried going with straight ball point pen and not trying so hard. That didn't work either. Aargh. Now I was feeling like I was just wasting my time and should move on. Ha. Like I could do that. But, I did need to start a third time and needed to clear the decks, so I ripped the two I had done and tossed them in the direction of the shredder. I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, and found myself looking at the scraps. Which now looked interesting in the pile. I grabbed some packing tape and stuck them together. Here's the result:

Now, I really like this, and it was the closest I had gotten to a likeness, but obviously I couldn't submit this as is. So I scanned it and reworked it in Photoshop. Yes, I could've spent another two days futzing with it, but at this point I'll be happy to never see Mr. Affleck again. Here's the final result that I've submitted to the contest:

They're taking entries for another two days, then the voting will begin. As I write this, I was the thirteenth entrant. I consider that good luck, although this has nothing to do with luck whatsoever. Whether I win, place, or nobody votes for it at all, I finished. Now I have to get back to work catching up on caricatures I didn't do in the meantime. As of today, I am a full twenty caricatures behind - eeek! Plus, there's an Art-A-Thon happening right now on IllustratedATCs, and I'm hoping to do some trading - wahoo!