Happy New Year!  This is what we are up to lately. . . well, this is what the good, hard-working construction men are up to.  We are working hard to finance it!  Last fall we decided to jump into the remodel we have been dreaming about since we moved into our tiny cottage on the river.  What is very exciting about it is that it includes new studio space for me--still underground, but more square footage, better ventilation and lots of storage potential!  The increadibly cold weather this winter has stalled us a few times, but now that they have concrete poured, there is no stopping them! 

January is my favorite month in the studio. . . a fresh start after the crazy pace of the holidays and a time when very few social committments require my time away from home and work.  I have been enjoying a regular studio routine punctuated by runs with the dogs and making soup and pie! 

I will be a featured artist at the Red Lodge Clay Center for the month of March and will open a solo exhibition at Toucan Gallery on April 2nd.  My work has been taken on in the sales galleries of the Lux Center for the Arts in Lincoln, NE and the Clay Studio of Philadelphia which has been very exciting.  Don't forget to check out the Yunomi Exhibit and sale at AKAR in March, I have 5 pieces in that show and some of the proceeds will benefit Studio Potter Magazine.  I have several other exhibitions scheduled through the end of the year but I am still figuring out the calendar. . .stay tuned to this space for more information and links!

It is so hard to believe the holiday season has come around again, though I have had plenty of warning. . . . I have been busily meeting deadlines since early October and still have several kilnloads left to fire before I can relax a little! 

December will find us breaking ground for an addition to our home and studio--pictures and updates will surely follow!  I hope to maintain some kind of routine throughout the upheval as I have many fun shows scheduled for 2010, starting with a solo exhibition in April at Toucan Gallery in Billings, MT. 

In the meantime, you can find my work at the following regional galleries and some special exhibitions across the country!  Happy Holidays!

Holter Museum of Art--Helena, MT

Toucan Gallery--Billings, MT

Visions West Gallery--Livingston & Bozeman, MT and Denver, CO

Red Lodge Clay Center--Red Lodge, MT 

Artfusion--Bigfork, MT

The Clay Studio--Philadelphia, PA

AKAR Design--Iowa City, IA

Lux Center for the Arts--Lincoln, NE

John Michael Kohler Arts Center--Sheboygan, WI

Yes, I really feel snowed in these days--even though it's the end of April!  Every other day we wake to several inches of snow and it seems to be falling most of the time. . . the alternate days are partly cloudy and the snow magically disappears leaving behind lots of muck for the dogs to drag through the house. . . I sweep daily and harvest pan-fulls of sand and hair from all the shedding they are doing!  We have been turning chicken manure from our friends' farm into our garden and mentally planning our layout for this year's garden. . . a little less zuchinni, alot more swiss chard and beets. . . a fenced inner raised bed as a third line of defense against whomever was eating our carrots and beets last summer. . . . the work is good but will start taking over most of our spare time in the next few months!

In the studio I feel like I am in a holding pattern.  Two weeks ago I discovered one of the connections in my kiln's control box was sparking--NOT a good sign.  I turned it off and let it cool for a day and then investigated the problem.  The connection was totally burned out and a couple of the other connections didn't look far behind.  My kiln is very old and I knew it was only a matter of time before I needed to totally rewire it so I set about investigating that option.  After researching it and talking to many other artists, I came to this conclusion:  While it is thrifty and self-sufficient to embark on a total rewiring of this kiln, it's life will be fairly limited due to it's overall conditon and age, plus the fact that I am not exactly a whiz at electrical work.  In short, getting a brand new kiln seems like the best solution.  After all--this IS my livlihood and it would greatly increase my efficiency and production.  So, I ordered my new kiln yesterday and though it won't be here for another month, I still feel like I have some kind of new energy in my hands and body.  I am making lots of pots for the busy summer season and am working on a few new sculptural pieces that will be fun to see get finished finally.  I am also making some new fish-shaped dishes based on a kids' project I did last year at Eastside Elementary in Livingston.  I think they will be great for sushi! 

I hope you are all having a great spring in spite of the manic weather!  The birds are back, the river is up and everything is getting greener by the day!  Winter is (sort of) OVER!!!

This past week was super busy and I found myself working from dawn till dusk preparing work for the CM Russell Art Show and Auction next week in Great Falls, MT.  The house and studio stayed toasty warm with the kiln firing almost every night and I did everything from glazing and china painting, to photography and kiln repair.  The new work is now in the capable hands of Nikki, Jeb and Brian at Visions West Gallery and my studio looks unbelievably empty!   

Look for my 5 new pieces on the sculpture page as well as some rowdy new Rodeo-Queen/Trick-Rider platters on the pottery page!  I'm not entirely happy with my current photography setup, so my job this coming week is to rig up a new lighting system using translucent fabric and masses of cardboard I've been hoarding.  I'm also looking forward to cleaning my studio and getting started on some new work!  Giddyup!!

This past Saturday, I attended the 41st annual art auction fundraiser at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, MT as a participant in the auction as well as a quick-draw artist.  I have done many quick-draw events over the years and this was my third year doing the quick draw for the YAM.  I especially like this event because it is so gala -- delicious food, live music, great regional art and lots of chocolate at the end!  I sometimes feel out of place at really fancy art events, so the chance to do something with my hands is welcome and I feel right at home making work in front of big groups of people after a decade of teaching in schools and community centers.

This year the lousy economy joined us in the festivities, so prices were a little lower and many works (mine included) did not sell in the live auction.  In spite of that, it was a grand celebration of the arts in our region and patrons had the chance to mingle with working artists to get a glimpse of how they operate in their own studios.  I know the museum raised some much needed funds for exhibits and education programs which in turn will stimulate their local economy.  As for me, I am happy to be able to participate year after year and make my own small contribution.  It is encouraging that even when our budgets are stretched thinner and thinner, people still find refuge in the beauty, function and meaning of the arts.  

We are going to see "West Side Story" which opens at the Firehouse 5 Playhouse on March 13th.  How will you support the arts this month?

I have had a hard couple of weeks in the studio.  I aggrivated an old back injury while skiing over President's Day weekend and had to take almost a week off from working.  I have been trying to do light things like dusting pots for glazing and tidying things up a bit, but it is amazing how much of my studio work involves lifting fairly heavy things or repeatedly putting my body in positions which cause stress to my lower back!  Until the skiing, I had also been training for the Snow Joke Half-Marathon which is this weekend (Feb. 28).  I have decided that is not an option anymore and am setting my sights a couple of other races this spring.  Disappointing, but I don't want to put myself in traction and miss even more time in the studio!  So now I am back to yoga and trying to strengthen my core for a healthier back and more productive hands! 

It is never to late to resolve to do something better.  Today I resolve to be a better sketchbook keeper.  Look to this space for weekly updates on what is happening inside and outside of my studio.  Please feel free to e-mail me with feedback or questions!

Above you will see images of functional work in progress (including a teaser for the new Rodeo Queen Platters), sketches from my sketchbook and proof that I live and work in one of the most beautiful places on earth!  Ella and Lefty think so too!

This week is all about endurance.  My studio is filling up with more pots and sculpture than I have shelving for!  The kiln is running as much as it is capable of and I am considering a run to the dumpster with some old work that is taking up valuable space.  Either that, or I will have to go buy another shelving unit. . . . I am making 12 place settings for friends Lauren and Jon's wedding as well as some fun bobble-head cowboy & cowgirl sculptures for the Visions West room at this year's C.M. Russell show.

Last week I travelled to Helena, MT for the opening reception of Beyond the Brickyard, the Archie Bray Foundation's first ever juried exhibition.  The opening was great, with live music, good food and local beer.  The work in the show was outstanding and I feel honored to be a part of it.  Be sure to check out the show online (link provided above).  More bobblehead action!

Outside of the studio, I have been attending informal figure drawing sessions at the Danforth Gallery in Livingston.  It has been so beneficial to sit and study the human form again.  (It's been a decade since I have been to a figure drawing class!!!)  This experience reminds me how important it is to take time out of my busy studio day to sit quietly and study form, shape, line, texture. . . .

Speaking of endurance, I am right on target with my training for the Snow Joke Half-Marathon.  Last Sunday I ran a record 11 miles and though I am still pretty sore, I'm feeling like 13.1 miles is finally within reach!  The jury is still out on whether or not I will be taking Ella or Lefty with me.  They set such a strong pace and I'm worried that I will be pulled around the course against my will!   Neither of the dogs are very socialized and I can't imagine how they will behave amongst a couple hundred runners, many of whom have dogs with them!   

Happy New Year!  Craig and I flew East to spend the Holidays with his family and returned in our new-used truck, which was given to us by Craig's stepfather.  The truck promises to be a trusty steed and is a real conversation piece here in Montana as it still has it's New Jersey tags.  We managed to dodge most of the nasty holiday weather from Jersey all the way to Rapid City, SD which we feel was extremely lucky.  Along the way, I knit a long, lovely scarf (I'm not such a good driver but I am a good passenger).  The scarf is currently blocking--images are forthcoming. 

The best part of the trip was South Dakota.  I know what you are thinking. . . it's flat, it's desolate, it's boring. . . . and what's up with all those signs for Wall Drug?!  Well, what makes South Dakota so great is that the driving is easy and the good people of that state have created all manner of quality roadside attractions.  Reptile Gardens, 1800's Town, Wall Drug, Mt. Rushmore for crying out loud!  We even passed someone's hand-made sculpture park!  My Favorite attraction in South Dakota is the Corn Palace in Mitchell.  As a tradition, it is over 100 years old, but the designs on the outside of the building is redesigned and resurfaced every year with colored corncobs, husks, silk and stalks.  It is like a kindergarten seed painting on speed.  This year's theme was American Destinations.  There were images of the Space Needle, Hoover Dam, Lincoln Memorial, the Arch in St. Louis, Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore, naturally and MY favorite. . . .the Corn Palace itself.  Inside the corn palace is a gymnasium where some high school boys  were practicing basketball.  They play beneath large corn-mosaic panels of western themes.  Do you think they have any idea how cool their gym is?!

This is my final week of making things in my studio for the year--a cleanup/catchup week that finds me firing 3 kiln loads of pots and sculpture before I start the new year afresh.   Since all I am doing is firing and glazing a little, I have some time for other pre-holiday pursuits.  Because it was somewhere south of -20F this morning, I loaded my kiln and then got a jump start on the holiday baking.  I have rum balls in the fridge (first things first. . .), a pot of mashed potatoes that will become lefse tomorrow and I just finished baking 5 rounds of shortbread.  Oh, that bottle of mysterious amber liquid in the background?  That is homemade aquavit, a spiced vodka that is popular in the Scandinavian countries.  It is an essential treat on a cold winter night, which we are having in spades this week. . .

After handling all those carbs and fats this morning, I decided that the day had warmed enough (-12F) to attempt a little run.  I left the dogs at home, my thoughts being that I had a balaclava to keep my lungs from getting frostbite, but they had none.  They are very upset.  They are very bored. 

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm taking a break from making pots and loading website content to bake pies for tomorrow\'s feast.  Clockwise from the bottom left we have Cranberry Rhubarb Ginger, Bourbon Cranberry Apple Fig and Pumpkin Cream Cheese.  The sun is shining, the house smells delicious and we have a few days of rest ahead of us . . . I hope we can keep that feeling through the month of December!

As the holiday season gets rolling, please support your local economy by shopping "main street", buying local foods and most importantly, buying handmade items from local artists!  Enjoy the season!          -Sue