I've been working on a big round of custom orders for the past month or so and thought I'd post a few pictures here. My timing on this wasn't great, given that the holiday season is upon us, but I needed to get these out the door. The images are of work which will be heading up to Alaska (hence the theme). They are about 16" across and have taken me a LONG time to make! I have four deco'ed and done, and three more to make. Then I'm on to my Amphicar order! 
Well, I am hardly on the once a week blogging plan that I swore to at the start of this year. It seems like the longer I let the blog slide, the harder it is to get back up on the horse (and the more monumental it feels the post should be). While my first post in two months may not be of monumental proportions, the pile of clay in the photo to the left (aka Mt. Reclaim) may fit the bill. I've come to find in my two months as studio tech at ncc that reclaiming clay is a lot like doing laundry: a never ending project!
Would you give the dimensions as the piece is oriented in the image, or as it is when set flat? In other words, what should the height of the piece be? My initial inclination is to put the dimensions when it is set flat (so 3.5"H x 15" L x 11" W), but as I'm thinking about it that may be a little confusing to someone looking at this image - maybe the height should be 15?? I dunno...
Things are on the move... I swapped over to my new studio space a few days ago (which I am sharing with fellow Fogelberg recipient, David Swenson and will post pictures soon!) and am nearly settled. I managed to fire off a few loads of work amid the chaos of transition, so I'm hoping I can keep the momentum going. Only a few more days now before I officially start working as the new studio tech at NCC. I am excited and nervous! I was looking yesterday at the ginormous gas kiln expertly packed by managers Pete and Irene and I was filled with jittery anticipation... But, once I start, I really won't have any time to be nervous. I'll dive right into the NCC American Pottery Festival, which is their biggest sale and exhibition of the year. People come from all over the country to see work by some of the finest ceramic artists out there working today. There are dinners and openings and workshops to tech. Lots to set up and hopefully little to pack in the end. I worked as a volunteer during the event last year and can't wait to be behind the scenes as a staff person this year.
The images I've posted are from a series of work commissioned by my mother (thanks, mom!) for her friends in Alaska. I included a picture of the moose stamps in my last post and you can see them in action in the top picture. As soon as I get photos taken of all the work fresh out of the kiln, I'll be sure to get a post up here to share...
