Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Mini Donkeys

So this weekend we got two mini donkeys! One is regular donkey grey her name is Marigold. We also got her baby which is grey with a glaze face and a white spot on her butt. Her name is Zinnia. I am super happy about getting them!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Etsy Blog Carnival

I participate in the etsy bloggers monthly blog carnival. This month the question is 1) What was your most successful sales event or product, and why do you think it was?

My most successful event was my very first festival. It was a seafood festival down the street from my great aunt's house in the Florida panhandle. The economy was still good, so that helped. I look back and think "how did that happen" My dishes were heavier, my display was no where near what it is now, and my colors weren't fully developed. My display was some white shelves, and that is it. Now I have tables, stands, table clothes, etc. I sold a large ceramic wall mural, and boxes of dishes. It was great! It was the push I needed to keep going, making, and crafting.

Etsy Blogger Featured Artist!

This month the featured artist is The Fab Miss B! http://www.etsy.com/shop/thefabmissb
She has great vintage items, as well as fun and funky crafts. She has clocks, framed art, and aprons. This shop has all sorts of stuff.



Thursday, October 29, 2009

Turtles

I just finished sculpting a new piece. It is two baby sea turtles crawling towards the ocean. When it is done it is going to have a new home in Canada. I guess this means I am officially international :)

Last weekend I spent all day firing the Raku kiln. It was a lot of fun, and my hair still smells like smoke. This is a pretty cool process; you heat the piece up to red hot (1900 degrees or so) , open it up and pull it put, then set it in combustible materials, and cover it up. I made a wall mural. Unfortunately, I had a bit more cracking then I wanted. But the colors were fun. Here is picture of a piece on fire before it was covered up.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year! I love decorating for it, and candy, and costumes. I like that for a week you can watch all the old great, crappy, gorey, scary movies. I love making costumes. Even though they get too involved, and end up taking way too much time.
This months etsy bloggers question is what is your favorite halloween memory? This is a hard one for me because I have so many. My most memorable halloween was when I was a little kid. My best friend Beth and I went trick or treating in her neighborhood every year because I lived out in the middle of no where. She was dressed as a genie, and I was dressed up like a mummy. My mom had spent forever wrapping me in little strips of cloth. So we went up to this house, and walked up the stairs. And about that time the guy cranked up a chain saw and started chasing everyone. It scared us so bad that we started running to her house. Beth lost her genie top, and I started unraveling. Beth's mom had to pick up our costumes all the way back to the house behind us!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

MadeByMelissa

The featured Etsy Blogger this month is MadeBy Melissa ! Her store is having this great promotion- Halloween BOGO Sale! Buy any Halloween item and get a second Halloween item for 50%!! Refunds given via PayPal.
So please check out her skull pendents! I have to admit I am a big fan of skulls, and hers are pretty sweet! I really like her bat pendents as well. So check out her store!


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

New Piece

I made a new clay mural today! It is a sun with a pirate patch, with stars and planets. I can't wait to fire it. I am going to use a process called Raku where you heat the piece up to 1900 degrees, and then open it up while it is red hot. Then I am going to put the pieces into combustible materials to add smoke into the crackle glaze. I will post a pic next week when it is done!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Worst Hair Cut Ever!

So I got my hair cut today. I grew it out to donate it to locks of Love. Well it was long enough to donate the ten inches and still have it come about an inch above my shoulders. Ha! The woman didn't measure right and cut off twelve inches in the pony tail, which still left me some below my chin. I asked her not razor it, and leave it as long as possible. Needless to say my hair in the back it shorter than Dean's! Let's just say he does not have long hair. My layers are about an inch and a half from the top of my head! Also my hair is now barely below my ear lobe. I can't even pull it back to work. I want to cry it is so ad. The worst part is my high school reunion is next month. Lucky me! The back is like an inch long. I look like a cross between Meg Ryan and Kate Gosslin. I guess in six months it'll grow out.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Very Excited - Blog Carnival Post

For the last week I have been firing my kiln like crazy trying to get ready for my show this coming weekend. I am doing a festival in Pensacola, and I am very excited. I haven't been to many festivals this year because I was trying to see what the economy was going to do, but I have decided to jump in and try one out to test the waters. I am bringing a bunch of small murals, including one that I just got out of the kiln today, it is of a shrimp boat docking. I also got out a lot of chip n dips and sculpted bowls with blue crabs on them. I am also very excited because my light blue had gotten a little faded looking, and I tried something new and punched up the color. I am going to get some pics up of it because I really like the results.

Here is a pic of me and one of my dogs MK in my studio. I work in an old tin building that is out in the middle of nowhere. It has several other artists in other tin buildings. My studio has leak in the roof, and a concrete floor. It gets really cold in the winter, but I still like it.

I guess for me I have always loved to craft, and now I am just happy that I get to do it full time :)

Friday, September 11, 2009

What's new in my studio!


This week I had to sculpt a ruddy turnstone. Which was a challenge to get it to look like it was walking on those little legs. I also fired a glaze load, but I wasn't paying attention, and instead of a green turtle I got a black turtle! Oh well it is not the first mistake, and I know it wont be the last. I also got a new line of soap dishes out.

Also, this weekend I am having an Open House for my home, and I am hoping a lot of people come and take a look. Keep your fingers crossed for me that someone love's it! I can't wait to move. I love my studio here because it is surrounded by other artists, and is in an old building from the seventies, but I am also excited about getting a new studio too. On one hand, now I am close to my mentor, on the other hand, when I move I will be closer to my market and be able to sell more pots. I hope to be able to get a shop next time that I can make a little gallery in the front for my work.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Designs By Vanessa


Is a really cool shop, that you should check out. She makes these little bird necklaces that are really neat, and she also works in paper. Plus she is one of the great people who keeps the etsy blogger team going!

Here is the link to her shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5984534§ion_id=5674666

Sunday, September 6, 2009

What's happening this weekend!

I posted three new pieces on etsy today, please check them out!


I haven't been out to my studio this weekend. Instead I went and watched outlaw race cars. They are like crazy go-karts/cars with a metal kite on top. Maybe that wasn't the best description! But it was a lot of fun.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Labor Day Special!

This weekend if you buy a piece of my pottery I will send you a surprise gift!

Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=75275

or

http://katiemcfarland.com

Thursday, September 3, 2009

I joined the Etsy Bloggers team

The group does a cool event called a carnival every other week where someone asks two questions about life etc. We blog about it on our blogs, and then submit it with everyone else's. The question this week is What are you most proud of in your life?

This is a very hard question to answer! I am proud that I try to be a good person, but I think my greatest accomplishment right now is my studio. It has been such a hard road. I knew when I decided to make the switch from going to law school to being an artist that it wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't realize how hard it would be! First, I had to learn my craft, which with clay you can never really learn it all! There is way too many different ways to make pots, decorate pots, fire pots. Then after you kind of get a grasp on that you realize there is a whole business side left to learn. I proud that I am finally starting to get the business side, not that I have all the paper work and promotion tips down. I also am proud that I have been able to stick with it through the ups and downs, and now I have a product that is all my own, created by me.

Two new items on etsy



I just posted a turquoise soup tureen and a bright green bud vase on etsy. Please check it out at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=75275

I also have lots of pieces on my website at

http://katiemcfarland.com

I went to my studio this morning to take a peek at my glaze experiment from last night, and from what I could see through the crack it did not come out good! Oh well, next time! I also have started back making dishes. In the beginning of the year I focused on sculptures, then murals, now I am back on dishes. I do have a new sculpture that I am going to post on my website later this week.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Punch Bowls

So I tried making something brand new today, a punch bowl. It is pretty funky it has raised flowers sculpted on the outside, and carved flowers around the inside. It also has twisted coils that like like vines around the top. It took way too long, but I am happy with the way it came out. I also am running an experiment in my kiln tonight. So keep your fingers crossed for me!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Craziness at the Studio




So I bring my dogs to the studio with me everyday. I have two border collies and a Kelpie. Well today Ty, my youngest and craziest, decided that while I was making dishes he would sneak over to the shelves and eat the corners off all of my pots that I had just made. He also ate a chunk out of a bat (the thing they sit on). Well, I guess it's just another day in the studio, and it was pretty funny to see his expression when he realized he was caught.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Hot out of the kiln




Well I unloaded the kiln, and found that I had a lot of great stuff in there! I have new chip n' dips, soup tureens, casseroles, mugs, and bowls. I wanted to post some pictures here first, but they will be available on my website http://katiemcfarland.com and my etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=75275 shortly.

I also joined the etsy blogger team, and will begin featuring some of the other artists soon!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Kiln Opening


Today I am opening my glaze kiln, and I hope to get a lot of great new pots out. Most of the pieces that were put in are functional pots with sculpted details. I also posted a new pink casserole on my etsy site.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Check out all the great stuff on etsy!

This week in the pottery world!


This week I fired my kiln, and got a really nice canister set. It is dark turquoise with sculpted shells on top I also got two pretty pink vases. I did have a few pieces that didn't turn out, but that is ok. I hope to have pictures up of the brand new chip n' dips by the end of the week.

I reloaded the kiln last night, and should be getting the results soon! I'm crossing my fingers that all is well.

I got some very exciting news this week! I might be nominated for the local art council, and a picture I submitted is being considered for a catalog! I was very excited to get great news!

Also, I posted a new piece on etsy today! It is a butter dish. The link is http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30062985

Sunday, August 23, 2009

New Article on Pottery

I had an article come out in the Athens Banner Herald this week. Please check it out at
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/081909/oco_483077826.shtml

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Bus Busy Busy

Well the studio has been pretty crazy the last couple of days. I have been working with plaster to make new molds. It is a lot of work, but I hope to be able to produce a lot of fun new shapes! I am going to be going out of town for a couple of days now that most of the molds have been made. I had one screw up in which I broke the original piece I was molding, but it happens! And I have learned a lot about the process.

Friday, August 7, 2009

At the studio

Today I unloaded my bisque kiln from yesterday, and started another kiln. I am also making brand new molds so I will be able to make a lot of new pots. A majority of my pieces are hand formed, but it is nice to be able to have some stable shapes to go back to! If you want to see more pottery check out my site at.

'Create

Thursday, August 6, 2009

What's new!

I make functional, fun brightly colored dishes, fanciful sculptures, and ceramic wall murals. I wanted to create this blog so my friends and customers could keep track of what is going on in my studio!
Today has already been a busy day. I fired my bisque kiln. This is the first firing my pottery receives. This step is to harden the pots before I add the glazes. I also finished up sculpting a brand new mural. It is a small mural about two feet by two feet. It depicts a shrimp boat on the water with reeds and a heron in the background. It reminds me of the gulf coast of Florida!
Please check out my website at http://katiemcfarland.com