Herringbone Collection in colour!

The Herringbone Colour-way pattern was one of the designs that came out of the work I did for the Kindred in Blue show that Krystal Speck and I created for the Bookhou shop in Toronto last June.  I was working in shades of blue and came up with this design for a number of pieces that sold at the show.  It was one of my favourite designs, and I couldn't wait to try it with other colours! I launched the bottle vase design (with my own photos) in 5 colour-ways back in the fall, but for this photo-shoot I honed in on 3 that were my favourite, the yellow-green, the blues and the orange-red.  I also thought the design might look great on a couple of bowls in shades of blue, and I'm so glad I tried it. 

This design really reminds me of the west coast.  I see the mountains in the blues, trees in the yellow-green and orange sunsets in the orange-red version of the design.  There is something really architectural about the pattern that fits in with my architectural paintings.  I couldn't help thinking about perspective and angles when I first started playing with it and I can really see myself pulling it into a painting... if I ever get time to do that again.

This is one of those patterns that I have to take my time in glazing.  Each zig-zagged area is hand-painted with glaze after I've mapped out the herringbone lines in tape.  Then a resist is applied so I can dip the white glaze onto the piece. A bit more resist and the herringbone tape gets removed with a lot of touching up as I go.  I quite like that those lines are a bit different then the white glaze, so in some cases a soft grey blue or with the orange, the clear glaze in those herringbone lines finishes it off nicely.  I'm looking forward to seeing this design evolve and move onto other pots- like a teapot would be pretty sweet too.  Next photoshoot- I promise!

Last week for the Kindred Show

It's the last week that our show at Kindred is up and available through bookhou shop in Toronto!  Please do stop by if you are in the neighbourhood- things have become a little more sparse then when we opened but it's still a beautiful show to see!

I was so pleased with how this show turned out- it felt like a real treat to be able to plan it with Krystal and Arounna- I look forward to more of these types of collaborations and special projects down the road.  I think as a full-time maker I can get bogged down with some of the daily grind stuff- the orders and the business side of things (taxes/paying bills etc.) and sometimes forget what an amazing opportunity I have within my work to reach out and connect in a larger way.  The meaningful side of my work reveals itself when things like this happen- when a show of friendship and mutual promotion as artists and makers encourages us to create in a way we might not have otherwise.  So for this, I'm so grateful!

As for the studio this week- I managed to get some flooring for the new space this last weekend at the flooring auction (me + 2 boys + flooring auction= a little craziness, but it happened!), so this week I'll be finishing up some work to get ready for the renos.  I'll post some before pics soon.

A visit at bookhou

There is something really wonderful about meeting people you know you are going to like before you've even spoken or met in person.  My visit with Krystal and Arounna was just that- we greeted with hugs and it was as though we'd always known each other.  Here are a few pics of the bookhou shop with Arounna's beautiful textiles and silk-screened designs.  Arounna graciously showed us around her studio, introducing us to her family and talking about how they are able to make a living from the shop!  It was amazing to see her store-front studio/shop, along with a glimpse of her family home upstairs, in the heart of Toronto.  There is so much to be said for having the vision for a creative life and being able to bring it all together under one roof! 
Krystal and I are hoping to have a 'show' (part of the featured artist series they run) together sometime next spring at bookhou- both of our work speaks a similar language in clay, while at the same time having it's own voice.  And while planning the show was the main purpose of our visit together, we couldn't stop from talking about so many other things- we could have talked for a few more hours!  It was too bad I had a train to catch and just made it to the station with 5 minutes to spare.