21 Pop Shop

I'm just popping by to let you know about a Pop-up Shop for the SF Art and Design Show & Sale that my work is part of!  A few weeks ago Lauren & Derek from The Curiosity Shoppe in SF contacted me to say they were curating this Pop-up Shop  (called the 21 Pop Shop) as part of the event and asked if I could be involved!  So I'm thrilled that the work arrived in the nick of time (literally!) to be part of the shop!

Here are the details if you are in the San Fransisco area- it sounds like it's going to be an amazing show! 

SF20/21: san francisco art and design show & sale

september 16-18, 2011
festival pavilion at fort mason center

open to the public - show hours
friday & saturday: 11am - 7pm
sunday:  noon - 5pm

admission $15 - includes show catalog and re-entry

featuring 30 premier national and international exhibitors presenting decorative and fine arts from all design movements of the 20th century.

I'll be posting very randomly over the next 2 weeks.  I'm currently packing up my huge order to be shipped out, starting another order that is over-due for a local shop of mine and trying to keep all the balls of family, school and life up in the air in the midst of it.  Something had to give and it's been my blog- hope you will understand.
Have a great weekend!

Hello!  Just popping in with a few instagram pics for you- if you would like to follow along, I'm under 'dahlhausart'.  I have a theory that instagram will be the new twitter... I much prefer following people visually then following people's tweets.  And an image is worth a thousand words, isn't it?

I've had a busy week, getting the boys back to school and working at the studio.  I'm almost to the packing stage of this large order so the end is in sight! I'm off to buy boxes today, I loaded possibly the last of the glaze firings yesterday, so my head and body are starting to come down from all the work involved, which of course means I'm struggling with a bit of a head cold. I'm hoping to be able to sit back and relax this weekend and really enjoy the last bit of summer this weekend!

Hope your weekend is great!

summer skies on the shore

I've been looking through the photos I took this summer and noticed that I took a lot of 'sky' images against the backdrop of the ocean.  Photos of skies and sunsets never seem to be quite as amazing as being there in person, but somehow these are the images I want to keep in my mind as we head into the school year.  It's with a twinge of regret that I head into fall.  Perhaps it was that the summer seemed so short this year with the weather in July being so cold.  Most likely it's that my kids are getting one year older, things are getting busier and more complicated.  Nothing is staying the same, but is constantly changing and moving like the tides in the ocean and the movement of clouds and sun in the sky.  The rhythm of fall is going to be starting up again, and the swift tide moving towards the end of the year is coming much faster then I could imagine.  I just want to soak in the beauty a little longer...

Atomic Ranch: Cool Stuff!

My work has been featured in Atomic Ranch's Fall 2011 issue!  It's a magazine of all things mid-century and modern, so it's amazing to be highlighted, considering a lot of my inspiration comes from this era!
I've been receiving some lovely emails from shops and readers of the magazine and while I don't have a lot of work currently available, I do take pre-orders via email (heather@dahlhausart.com).  I have a lot of new work currently drying out on the shelves, getting ready to be glazed over the next couple of weeks, so thank you in advanced for your patience!
I've had such an extremely busy couple of months creating work for some amazing retailers and a pop up shop, as well as sending work to a set design for a TV show, all things I can't wait to share on my blog very soon! 

Embracing the gold within

Just in time for the golden hues of fall, I'm  managing to embrace this colour with a few finds from the thrift shop.  I couldn't resist the sunny pattern of this enamel plate, which fits rather well into our kitchen.  It's one of those things about our place that I wouldn't change even if I owned the house... our kitchen, that is.  Albeit an odd layout, with a very small eating area, I love the cheeriness of the tiles and golden counter.  I'm sure I would have cringed at this colour in the 80's but I can't quite seem to get enough of it now!  So much that I also bought this blanket for the kids bed.  Whenever I look at it I think of a summer cabin- it kind of has that feel and look to it, like it belongs in someone's cabin.  

Perhaps it's because it's mis-matched and a bit odd. 

Well, here's to the weekend- the long weekend!  School starts next week and I have a bit more to do to get the boys ready, lots more to work on in the studio and I'll be saying 'goodbye' to Sarah, my summer studio intern.  I'm sad to see her head back to school- she's been amazing in the studio with me this summer!  Her enthusiasm and hard work has made this massive undertaking all the more do-able.  I really couldn't have asked for a better assistant for the summer and wish her all the best this year at school. She's got big plans for her career: with her hard-work, attitude and talent, I have no doubt she'll make it happen! 

This Charming Wedding

I'm always excited to catch a glimpse of my vases in action! This week  I received a lovely photo from one of the owners of the Green Room, a shop that carries my striped bottle vases in Courtney BC, on Vancouver Island.  This is from her wedding (congratulations Cortney!), photographed by Crystal Clear Photography, with re-finished vintage furniture by Gabriel's Attic (also available at the Green Room)! Such simple and lovely styling, don't you agree!

the last hurrah of Summer

We managed to get away for one last road-trip up to Vernon.  It's a 5 hour drive through amazing mountains to the Lake Country- where the climate is dry and hot. There are orchards everywhere and we managed to come home with a bunch of fruit to make jams and just eat fresh.  I won't have time much time to make the jam though (that's Dean's job), as you can see, it's been a very productive summer.  This is only half of the vases that were made this summer... a 'little' order I've been working on that will be ready to ship early October.  Details to come soon:)!  In the meantime, I'm trying to work on some of my 'regular work' (non-vase related) so hopefully I'll have my online shops stocked up again soon!
Thanks for hanging in here- I'm hoping to get back into a regular schedule of blogging, with 'real photos' (not just i-phone photos), and real content soon.  School for the boys doesn't start until next week so they are hanging out with their Dad at home this week, getting the last of their fill of lego playing and back-lane scootering with the neighbours.  Hope your last week of summer is great!

Dean got home from a trip to Toronto and Montreal late yesterday, and I'm very relieved to no longer be solo parenting.  I usually have the boys on my own for at least an extended weekend a month, but in summer it's more like 2 full weeks.  Generally things are rough the first day Dean is gone and the last day before he gets home, but the middle time goes by fast, once we find our rhythm.
Of course, the boys are getting older, which means things are getting a bit easier.  They want to help out while grocery shopping, not run around the store like monkey's chasing each other, like they used to.  Perhaps the incentive of getting to keep the quarter in the cart after they help out is part of it, but hopefully also the fact that they are starting to grow up.  My 9 year old is clearly getting closer to the pre-teen stage then the school-age stage.  He wants to listen to 'dance music' in his room on the radio, he rolls his eyes if I have to talk to him about his behavior, all the while still playing lego and having light saber battles.  He's tall too- his head reaches my chin.  Yes, he's going to be as tall as me soon.  Yikes.

Cat Nap Yoga

Yup, she's sound asleep in these photos in all her stretched out glory.  Doesn't it just make you want to curl up and take a nap?!
I've been solo-parenting again this weekend but am so grateful for neighbours and friends who were kind enough to invite us to dinner or to go swimming so we weren't lonely or bored.  The boys even managed to help me at the studio one morning, unloading and loading yet another kiln load of bottle vases.  4 of 6 glaze kiln-loads (85 vases per firing!!) have been finished- I'm over the mid-way point! Phew, what a lot of work, but I can't complain- very few vases so far have been seconds, so thank goodness for that!
Hope you have a great monday! It's our first rainy day of August.

Lost & Found Paintings

Sometimes it's nice to find paintings in places I wouldn't expect. It inspires me to think differently about venue, space, mark making and colour.   I really love the random marks and painting on the bottom garage-  made by kids? with painted over graffiti and faded zebras...

Two major commercial art galleries in Vancouver have closed their doors.  It's caused a bit of a ripple of speculation among artists about reasons that are beyond just the economy, or the personal reasons of the gallery owners.  Some say the amount of art fundraisers in Vancouver at this time have changed how people buy art.  That people feel better about buying art when they are supporting a greater cause.   Perhaps without realizing it, what seems like a win/win for an art collector, has the potential to be a  lose/lose for both the galleries that support artists, and the artists themselves. 

It's  been interesting to think this through over the past few days and just to wonder about how art markets around the world have been changing.  Two fairly recent films I've watched about contemporary art were The Great Contemporary Art Bubble by Ben Lewis and Exit through the Gift Shop by Banksy.  Both had me really thinking about contemporary art, it's relevance, it's value, and purpose.  I find the art market rather intimidating, perhaps this is why I make more ceramics then paintings, but also very intriguing. 

Dream Boat

There is something so dreamy about a little row boat.  Forget a huge yacht, a little row boat is what ends up stealing my heart. 

Watching the Tides

Island get-a-way's are pretty easy to slip into when they involve warm weather, lots of beach, and a beautiful log cabin.  Our friends were great hosts and the boys had heaps of fun skim boarding, sandcastle building, getting motorbike rides around the Island, and even doing some tubing out on the water behind a boat.  It's the kind of place you want to spend the whole summer just watching the tide go in and out.

East Van Skateboarding talent

While we're away, I thought I would share one of the skate videos that Dean's van full of skaters (ages 13-19, plus 2 adult leaders) created while they were at 'Roadrage' Skate Camp last week.  Dean (my husband) has been running a skateboard club for teens in East Van for about 12 years now and also heads up a camp that's been happening for about 15 years.  At first the SkateCamp was at a regular summer camp, but they would build ramps for the kids to skate for the week.  The past few years they've done a road-trip style SkateCamp, where they've met with Skate Clubs from all over Western Canada in the Okanagan for an 'Amazing Race' style trip for Skateboarders, with a manifest that they had to fill out by landing tricks at certain spots etc.  This year each van had to film a skate video throughout the week and then they rented out a theatre to watch the videos, with the best video winning a 'van-full' of skate product (with 2nd & 3rd place also winning prizes too!).  So bear with me and check the video out- it's not just a bunch of skate tricks.  By the way, they one first place :)!

Summer memories

We are heading out to Savary Island for a few days for some much needed R&R.  The summer feels like it's just flying by and now that our weather feels summery we want to spend a little time enjoying it before the boys head back to $#*ool (It's a 'bad word' around here this summer:)!
Here are some of the flowers in bloom in our yard right now- so many purples and pinks. The vase is one of the last I have from the collaboration between my friend and designer Disa MacKay, from last year.  And the textile piece is something I got at a thrift store when I was about 18 years old.  It brings up memories of the shed at my parent's place; my sister and I spent one summer completely decorating the inside of it with thrift-store finds and having slumber parties in the loft. I'm hoping we'll make a few summer memories like that for the boys this week! 

on my side of the fence

I've had to step back on the blogging front here this past week. I'm so busy, working hard, long hours to be on schedule and to keep up with everything while Dean is away.  The boys were at the family farm for a few days and I was able to pool together a few lovely people: my sister, my good friend Kat, Sarah and my cousin, to help me out with the most tedious and repetitive part of my glazing process- the stripes. I'll be firing my first of 6 glaze loads to complete this order I've been working on... so much work.  In the meantime, a lot of my local galleries are starting to send me orders to finish up the summer with.  Not only do I not have a lot of spare work in the studio, but I also don't have any room or energy to make anything besides this order until September comes, even when they are expecting and asking for me to send the work asap.  Since when did pottery get made asap?  
I often straddle between worrying that I can't possibly keep up with the demand for my work verses being concerned that people won't be able to afford what I make, considering all the financial crises and budget cuts.  I hesitate to push my little studio into a bigger space with more equipment and a full-time assistant in order to keep up production, and yet I am at full capacity with just one order right now.  It's clear to me a few things have to change for me not to burn out, but I'm not quite sure what it will be yet.  I'm just taking it one day at a time and trying not to feel too overwhelmed by it all.