It's Alive!

It's Alive! , originally uploaded by antfiresbetter.

As you know, just after Christmas, I needed to move from a rented community crafts studio to a home studio. I have been trying to jump through the hoops with local authorities to get my kiln OK'd.

I had to move it once after getting it hooked up, so that meant putting in all new pipes. It had to have it's own gas line and meter (more expense), and they didn't like my 'think out of the box' vent hood ( but finally admitted it was terrific!)

But now.....The inspector finally OK'd my gas kiln set up, and we are thrilled! I made a trip to my local-ish clay supply to buy my glaze materials. I am waiting on my scales to arrive so I can mix my glazes and get started!

Hopefully, I will be up and running soon! Possibly within a week!!!

Though I think I have been saying that since January 1st, this time I may be right!!

Ritual Hearth - Evening Sky Blue

Ritual Hearth - Evening Sky Blue, originally uploaded by antfiresbetter.

Not all Pagan folk are blessed with country cottages or crumbling Victorian manors. In fact a lot of use are living in regular, run of the mill homes without a fireplace or stone hearth in sight.

I've read about about hearth magic and always wanted to try some, especially on Yule or St. John's Day. I crossed my fingers and toes the last time we moved, but no such luck.

Enter Tasha. We were chatting one day and I brought up my complaints.

"Well...why don't you just make one?"

"A hearth?" I asked.

"Sure, a little ritual one out of clay."

The conversation quickly moved on, but the idea stayed with me. Why don't I just make a hearth? So I did.

The first one I made worked just fine, but I've modified this one to have more ritual space.

Where is the new pottery?

Folks may be wondering why there have been so few new items listed in my Etsy shop. I know Grandpa Doll looks like he is missing some new jugs!

The reason is a forced, but happy move of studio space.

I have been sharing rented studio space with other artists at in a large old building here in town. The building was sold, and we artists were given less than a week to move. So, I am trying to get my kilns up and ready as quickly as possible at home, but it means new wiring for the small electric kiln, and an inspector visit and new line for the large kiln, not to mention all the safety equipment I need! Whew!

I am hoping to be up and running by the end of February, but it really depends on how fast I can think outside the box to get things done safely and cheaply at home.

The upside is that will be producing pottery here, at home. I am very excited about that! And, since I already have my wheel set up, I am making greenware (unfired pottery) while I wait for the kilns to be ready to fire. And since my favorite part of the process is the throwing, I am pretty content.

Also, for those who have wondered- My husband Danny is doing well. He is out of the hospital again, and is up and around. Thanks for your thoughts and wishes for his health!

first teapot

first teapot, originally uploaded by antfiresbetter.

This is a photo of a little teapot I made a few months after first starting in clay. The cork is in the spout, because I made the spout too low on the vessel, and the water pours out just after you pour it in the top! We use this now for pouring homemade mulberry syrup for pancakes. It isn't that good, but it works and I am fond of it, because it is my first teapot. I am posting this photo, because of this discussion:


On Etsy, I belong to a guild of sorts, the Etsy Mud Team. Someone on the forum for our team mentioned that on another very well-known potter's forum, ClayArt, there was some discussion about those who sell on Etsy.

A few folks said they loved selling and buying there, but several folks were very vocal about the diverse skill level that was on Etsy, and they felt that it was a bad thing to let those of lower skill sell with those of higher skill. And that customers are rather stupid, and need to be protected from "bad pottery". That got our danders up!

Of course, we all had to pop over and read their posts, and it got a lively discussion going on our forums too.

I stated my opinion this way:
"I think quality and craftsmanship are probably the most important thing for many folks, not all, but I would say for most crafters. I guess I just overreacted to the feeling I got of some of the postings there of "I worked for years to get here, and until you are at my level, you have no place in the artworld". One of our newest members has only been doing clay for a couple of years, and his stuff is wonderful! The idea of "paying dues" is the idea I don't like. Or that there is an absolute line between quality and crud. Or that customers are oblivious of all this.

I have bought handmade bowls from new students because I liked the bowls, being full aware that they had some distance to go to become on par with Leach. But I still happily use their works, even if it is not the creme de la creme of handmade pottery. There is often something alive and refreshing and joyful in a novice's pottery, even though the craftsmanship is lacking. I like the energy of a piece that shows that an fledgling artist is discovering themself."

I don't think customers need to be protected from anything! Why can't a customer like any style they choose? Who is foolish enough to say "This is good and this is bad, this is nice, this is ugly, so you can only buy what I say"! Phooey!

I was very unhappy with that thought, then Natalie, (owner of nkpdesigns.etsy.com and nkpbeads.etsy.com) said this, and I thought it was the perfect expression of how exploring our art and craft through clay should be viewed:


Natalie said:
"I have the first bowls I started throwing back in 2003 and wow, I'm really glad I didn't try to sell them. I have them in my kitchen cabinets and use them regularly and they are special to me because I remember what it felt like to throw them, and I remember that great feeling I had taking them out of the kiln that first time. It's a great memory. But its my special memory and so I have those first efforts and I cherish them.

I had a friend come over to look at my pottery and she picked up this very awful small mug. It was crude. It was a first try. The handle was not on properly. But she knew me. She was my friend. She loved me. So she loved that cup. She wanted to BUY that cup. I gave it her. She still loves that cup. God bless her! But I think she loves it because she loves me. And that's great. That's what its all about sometimes.

And hopefully, as I continue learning and throwing and reading and studying and handbuilding and learning and doing then others who don't know me or have a reason to love me will love my pottery too.

Ah to dream .... :)"



Perfect. :D

Felted wool purse, first try!

Felted wool purse, first try!, originally uploaded by antfiresbetter.

At Kwanzaa, we give handmade gifts. For some reason my kids think that if I give them something I made from pottery that I am cheating, so I try to make Kwanzaa an excuse for learning some new craft. This year, I tried felting sweaters bought at a thrift store to make purses. I love the idea of recycling, and that what I make is useful!

These purses are my gifts for this year. I think they turned out pretty well for my first tries!

I bought the sweaters, and washed and dried them three times on the hottest wash and the hottest dry setting. Then I cut out the bags just by eyeballing what I wanted the finished product to look like.

Danny has been home from the hospital for about a week now*, and wanted to help. Thank goodness he was well enough to sew them for me - I was not looking forward to learning his sewing machine. I haven't sewn since junior high, which was so long ago it was before the world was in color! I pinned them, and he did the seams.

I am very happy with how they look, and I am thinking about making more!

* Danny has been in and out of the hospital for the last 9 months due to complications from an old injury. He is weak, and still unable to work with clay. I completely enjoyed his help with these. I have missed working with him. Having Danny well has been my favorite gift this holiday season!!

Poster for Etsy Mud Team Post Holiday Sale

Poster for Etsy Mud Team Post Holiday Sale, originally uploaded by intothefire.

The Etsy Mud Team, a street team I belong too on Etsy.com, is sponsoring an After Holiday Sale. I am participating by offering 10% off anything in my shop. Buyers during the sale will be registered for a drawing for prized donated by the shops. Lovely things, I am doing some shopping myself. My goal this year is to buy a mug or cup from every mud team shop. I don't know if I will make it tho, since the team grows daily.

So, come on by and see the sale, and say Hi when you get to Etsy!

Etsy Admin, Vanessa, contacted me to write about how my family celebrates Kwanzaa. I have to submit it tomorrow, so of course I put off writing it till the last minute!
Anyway, for the few folks who check up on me, you get a preview! Blessings on Tasha, who helped SO MUCH!!

Kwanzaa- A Handmade Holiday

By Antb

As we set the table for Kwanzaa my youngest daughter Grace sets out baskets and sings The 12 Days of Christmas, repeating the phrase, “Two Turtle Doves” about a half bajillion times.

“Grace, honey, that’s the wrong holiday,” I tell her.

“Oh right. Harambee then!”

Together we set fake fruit in the baskets to represent the harvest. Renee and Jasmine finally find the kinara, the special candle holder, and begin arranging it on top of the mkeka mat. Jens and Tasha bring platters full of fresh fruit, crackers, corn and peanuts in from the kitchen.

“Who remembers the seven principles of Kwanzaa?” I ask. Everyone crowds closer around the table, picking the piece of fruit which will represent them in the basket. Nearly everything on the table is handmade, including the pine needle baskets, made by my sister who learned the craft from the granddaughter of a slave who learned it from her grandmother.

(Caption- Gracie lights the Umoja Candle)

“Umoja!” Grace yells. “That’s my candle.” She carefully lights the central black candle.

“And that means Unity,” I remind her.

“Kujichaguilia,” Jasmine says, careful not to say “Goochee-Goo-Ya” as she did as a child. “It means Self Determination.”

(Caption – Jasmine lights the Kujichaguilia Candle)

“Ujima- Collective Work and Responsibility,” Renee says.

“So you’ll be doing all the chores?” I deadpan. Nobody responds.

“Ujamaa, which is Cooperative Economics,” Jens says, stealing a cracker from the bowl.

“Does Etsy count?” Tasha asks.

“Sure does!”

Snow hurries us on to her candle. “Nia. Purpose.” She has dropped by on her way to work and wears her uniform instead of the usual brightly colored dashiki shirt.

It’s my turn now. I light my candle. “Kuumba, Creativity. By the way, how are everyone’s gifts coming along? Do we need a craft store run?”

The kids look guilty. While everyone no doubt has a plan for the handmade gifts we give each other on January 1^st, I have a feeling they’re in the Kuumba stage and don’t have much Nia. (Caption- I wonder if Renee has her gifts made?)

“Imani,” My husband, Danny says. “Or Faith. And then we name our ancestors.”

“Kutoa Majina. For honoring those who have gone before us, maybe they’ve died, maybe they no longer live with us, but they’re a part of us anyway.” The kikombe cha umoja, or cup of togetherness is filled with sparkling apple juice and set front and center during the seven days of Kwanzaa. I think it’s a pretty good chalice, considering I made it my first year of ceramics class.

Tonight, we pass the cup and everyone names someone who has influenced their lives. We drink a toast to them.

“And then Jens drums!” Grace says.

(Caption – A little celebration drumming)

“And what part does bingo have to do with all this?” Jasmine asks cynically.

I smile. “That’s the part that’s uniquely us. That’s the fun of Kwanzaa.”

“Actually, weren’t there lots of games of chance played during holidays and festivals all over the world? So I’m pretty sure there is an African tradition somewhere that would translate into something like bingo,” interjects Tasha.

“Leave it to a Pagan to rationalize bingo during an African holiday,” Jens laughs.

Jasmine won’t be put off, however. “Mom, come on. White parents, black kids. Hel-loo! How does Kwanzaa compute in a family like this? Most of the black kids in my school don’t even celebrate this, why do WE?” Grace looks up expectantly – she senses a story coming.

(Caption – Grace waits to hear a Kwanzaa story)

I think back to when our family grew in one day from a family of four, to a family of nine. It’s been almost fourteen years, but I still feel tired when I think of the chaos and sheer busy life that happened when we adopted a sibling group of five kids from Chicago. The Barry family was as white bread as could be, how were we going to teach these children about their heritage? I couldn’t see my kids finding a lot of pride in their adopted Viking forefathers. My sister asked me if we were going to celebrate Kwanzaa, now that our family was mostly African American. I think she was joking, but the idea appealed to me on many levels: It would be a dedicated time of year to talk about African American role models and heroes, it was based on a blend of older African traditions and rituals and I could pick and choose what worked best for us, it was all about what we as individuals could do when we worked together – an idea I was anxious to instill in my children as part of a newly blended family, and it was about handmade – homemade - taking little and making it more through creativity and a little work, using what you have, honoring the handmade, noticing craftsmanship, taking pride in what we can do ourselves.

Yes, this was a holiday I could embrace! I couldn’t ignore the signs of a commercial Christmas all around, but I could make Kwanzaa into the handmade, family centered holiday I had always wanted for my family.

(Caption – The Kwanzaa table is set)

“Jasmine, we celebrate Kwanzaa because I am the mom, and I said so.” “Yes Mom,” she answered obediently, rolling her eyes. “Can we play bingo now?”

“Help me with the food, and then I get to call the numbers first!” We set up a buffet with southern food and spicy African dishes. As the kids pick their bingo cards, and find pillows to sit on, I look around at my family, and find myself completely content with life. This is how a family holiday is supposed to be.

“Bingo!”

(Caption – Ant with Orange Slice)

Further Resources:

http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.shtml

http://www.swagga.com/kwanzaa.htm