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Most of you know, I’m a transit marketer and PR chief by day. By night and on weekends, I spend hours in my studio, cleaning and organizing; measuring, wedging and throwing clay; hand-building pots or warrior goddesses; slowly and evenly drying my work; trimming, smoothing and applying textures; recycling clay; and constantly learning about myContinue reading “It’s all about process”

Mommy called this past Monday morning. She had seen a photo of the ugly duckling teapot I made the weekend before and wanted to offer constructive feedback – none of which surprised me. “Try again,” she encouraged me. “You can do it.” I decided to go with a more circular body form this time. MyContinue reading “Tea for boo 2”

Jenny asked for a teapot – another artifact that I don’t often make, mostly because I don’t have the space in by cupboards or on my countertop for teapots and their appendages. Therefore, my teapot-making skills leave much to be desired. I’ll keep at it, though, because practice really does make perfect. Additionally, I actuallyContinue reading “Tea for boo”

Thirteen weeks after placing an order for a portable Shimpo Aspire, I finally – finally – received the replacement wheel head for the wobbly wheel I’ve periodically posted about. I willed myself to wait, patiently and calmly, for resolution. When I opened the box, I eyeballed the replacement plate. It’s surprisingly lightweight – constructed from aluminum.Continue reading “Wobbly wheel – Part cinq: Final resolution? Not.”

Happy New Year, everyone! Here in Southeast Michigan, it’s a winter wonderland. We got walloped yesterday by a storm system that brought an abundance of snow and rain, followed by more snow. Around 6:15 p.m., I headed out to Frandor to pick up a custom-framing job, and found my car and our little corner ofContinue reading “Cold outside? Find me in ‘The Nest’”

There’s nothing quite so satisfying as a kiln firing that goes off without a hitch. For several Barnies, that happened Saturday, Dec. 19. Jane, Barb, Sid, Liisa, Leah, Jim Reinert (every potters’ mentor) and I – participated. It was the first firing for us in many, many months, due to COVID and a transition inContinue reading “Fired up”

Quick update: I ordered my Shimpo Aspire Oct. 16, and have traded emails with a couple of employees at Clay-King and Vijay at Shimpo. Vijay promised to send me a replacement wheel head and belt. I have yet to receive my new, balanced wheel head. I reached out to Vijay at Shimpo again on Nov.Continue reading “Wobbly wheel – Part quatre: Still waiting for resolution”

I recently posted that the wheel I purchased from Clay-King wobbled. I emailed Clay-King on Oct. 23 about my observation, attaching video proof of the wheel wobble. Three days later, I received a response from Shane at Clay-King: “We are sorry to hear about this! We have contacted Shimpo about your wheel, and we wouldContinue reading “Wobbly wheel – Part trois: Dialoging”

Whilst I am a potter, I have a number of interests beyond the art of ceramics. In that realm – the realm of clay, that is – I enjoy sculpting, for example, though I’m not ashamed to say, I am a horrible sculptor. I love the human form, but I’ve never really studied it –Continue reading “Maker’s masters”

As I suspected, there’s definitely a problem with my brand-new Shimpo Aspire. It’s off center, but I can’t determine where. You can actually hear or feel the wobble as the wheelhead spins. It emits a gentle “whompa, whompa, whompa,” almost like a washing machine whose contents were unbalanced in the basin … except there’s almostContinue reading “Wobbly wheel – Part duex: Head’s up, Shimpo”