Just a friendly reminder, I am still doing free shipping through my Etsy site for any purchase over $70. For purchases $70 and under it is only $5. Not too shabby!
I just posted several vases, both small and large, that would make great table centerpieces. Not to mention, what girl wouldn't like a beautiful boquet of tulips in one of these for Valentines Day?
Well, I have been in a bit of a predicament. I have some larger pieces that I have wanted to glaze, but I can't quite fit them in my glaze bucket. I know that you can pour glaze over the pieces, but I don't want my work sitting in a pool of glaze. I know that some people use a foam or sponge to help support it, but I didn't feel that would quite work either.
Enter the mesh screen! I realied I could build a little mesh screen on a frame to hold the work up above the bottom of the bucket. That way, I can pour the glaze over, the glaze goes through and my work isn't sitting in a pool of glaze!
The total cost was bit ridiculous considering what it is, but it was only because I didn't have a lot of the tools I needed (such as a miter saw). I know that i can use these tools again in other contraptions, but here is the finished product!
Tada!
Hi all-
Just wanted to let you know I now have my work available at the Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, North Carolina! They are a really wonderful gallery and have a great selection of work to choose from. I know that there are many people like myself who still like to handle, touch and feel an object before they buy it, so for those of you living in the Carolina's area...here you go!
Here is a link to my page on their site: Emily Schroeder Willis
Better late than never...this summer my husband and I took my first ever trip to Milwaukee. I know, I know! It's pretty bad that Milwaukee only lies 90 minutes from our doorstep and I had never made the trek, but a few weeks ago we went up there to see the Face Jugs exhibition that they had.
Unfortunately, the exhibition has now moved on, but there were a lot of other incredible pieces of work to see. The Face Jugs exhibition is traveling and it will be on view at the Columbia Museum of Art September 28 - December 16.
Two other pieces that were interesting to me were Robert Morris vs. Eva Hesse
It's interesting to see two artist play with the same idea, but both end up with a very different result!
Yesterday I went to the Art Institute and saw the new Roy Lichtenstein exhibition. I really didn't think I would like it very much. I am not a big fan of Pop Art and I always thought that Lichtenstein was kind of a one note tune. I think I may have to eat my words....
While, yes, Roy Lichtenstein stayed very much in the same style of painting for most of his career, this exhibition truly knocked my socks off. A lot of what I had seen of his was this comic books like paintings of women in distress, but his sculptures, his mirror paintings and his architectural paintings were absolutely incredible!
Regarding his sculptures, it is a simple thing to make a flat image look "flat". It's a whole other deal to make a 3-dimensional object appear flat.
My absolute favorite works out of this exhibition were his mirror paintings. Walking up to a mirror, you expect yourself to fill the object; when nothing appears, when nothing reflects, you reexamine how you approach certain familiar objects. When I am no longer the focus within the object, how does that make me feel about something where I am no longer the subject?
It's so hard balancing all of the different facets of being an artist. Hopefully by early next week I will have some new work posted on Etsy. Additionally, starting July 3rd, there will be an exhibition with The Nevica Project here in Chicago and you can check out some of the work that will arrive out of my kiln either tonight or tomorrow! Needless to say, there is a lot of new work coming at you in the not so distant future.
Here is a preview of some work that will be available on Etsy soon. I hope you like it!
Before
and after!
We got this little gem at the St. Croix River Pottery Tour on Mother's Day Weekend. Exited to see more of his work at the Arrowmont Utilitarian Clay Conference. Sign up for the conference if you haven't yet, there are only 200 spots available!
I have been holding off on posting anything about this until I had the final list of artists and bit more information about the Arrowmont Utilitarian Clay Conference this fall, but the cat is finally out of the bag! Registration starts in a couple of weeks and it is limited to only 200 people, Wowza! That's not too many!
So sign up right away if you want to go. Here's the crew of presenters (I am so excited to hang out with these artists for a week!): Jen Allen · Nicholas Bivins · Blair Clemo · Sunshine Cobb · Molly Hatch · Bryan Hopkins · Brian Jones · Lindsay Oesterritter · Doug Peltzman · Peter Pinnell · Monica Ripley · Emily Schroeder Willis · Deborah Schwartzkopf · Kevin Snipes · Shawn Spangler · Shoko Teruyama · gwendolyn yoppolo
So... I am finally going to let everybody in on an idea I have been stewing over for several months. Beginning in 2012, I will start limiting the number of cups I make each year and create a 2012 "Edition" of cups, so to speak.
For those of you who make functional ceramics, you know that often times cups can be one of the most finicky objects to make and you end up investing FAR more time into it, than you could ever reasonably ask. For this reason, I will only make 50 cups for the 2012 year. Each cup will be stamped with the year on the foot and then (if I can figure out a way to make it cohesive and attractive), it will also be marked with its number for that year (ie. 13/50).
All that to say, if you would like to purchase a mug, I would recommend picking one up sooner rather than later! Here are a few that are still here from 2011 that I haven't posted or shipped off (yet!)
Cups still available from 2011
A few more that are still available
Wow. I can't believe that it is only about two weeks after I unloaded my last kiln. Well, the good news is that the refired work turned out quite nice and it filled out my studio space to the brim! Also, now my work will be available at two new places, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art in Overland Park, Kansas and at Willock & Sax Gallery in Banff, Canada. Good news for you Canadian collectors (wink, wink.) But the sad news is that I think there are only 5 pieces or so left in my studio from the most recent firing! I knew there were quite a few shows and galleries that were requesting work, but I really didn't think it was going to wipe me out in the way that it did. If you are looking for something specific, let me know. I have a handful of cups that are still available and some serving dishes. I will post a few studio shots too of a few of the pieces that came out. Enjoy!
