Carmen Somerville

This past weekend I had a very successful open house to show and sell my wares. I had a wonderful turnout and lots of helping hands to make the day go smoothly. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who helped in preparations for the open house and to thank everyone that came out to support me. Thank you to all my friends and family who donated their time, food and moral support. Thank you thank you thank you!!! A special Thank you for Sophia who hung the candy canes perfectly!!!!!!

For the past few months, I have been working feverishly to try and get what I thought would be enough stock for the show. I am now left with empty tables, a cold, dozens of orders and now what feels like laryngitis. I’m feeling like a week on a beach with a book is in order, however, I must get back to filling those orders…..tomorrow.

I absolutely loved getting feedback from everyone and I am pleased that there were so many happy customers! It was great to go to work today and hear everyone chatting about their purchases and hearing comments “oohh, I was going to buy that one” or “I got one of those too, I love it”. It really is a wonderful feeling to make something that someone is going to love and use everyday. I truly feel honoured to have my work in someones home.

The summer must be coming to an end because Art in the Heart is officially over for the year. I set up my booth on the civic long weekend and was very fortunate to have beautiful weather and great traffic. Saturday was a highly successful day with lots of traffic through and sales to prove it. I made a lot of great contacts and I’m so proud of myself for the taking the plunge into selling my pottery.

Initially, I was very nervous about hearing comments from the public about my work but after getting set up and having a few people through I was very pleased with what I was hearing. I have taken on lots of orders for weddings, Christmas etc. so the work definitely doesn’t end with the close of Art in the Heart.

This was the very first show I have ever done with my pottery and I have learned so much. The program was a great way to jump into it with lots of support, advice and
new friends made along the way. I want to give a big thanks to everyone involved in
the program who made it such an easy process.

It was a beautiful weekend in Muskoka and while I should have been hard at work in the studio I was enjoying the benefits of being back home in Muskoka. We packed up the coolers, beach toys and towels and headed over to my brother in laws family home and enjoyed a full weekend of sun, sand and water.

His home is down the river from Santa’s Village and Sophia especially enjoyed getting to see Santa’s Summer Sleigh as it passed by with ‘sleigh loads’ of people waving. We also got a chance to give Sophia her first official canoe ride while my sister kayaked along beside us. When we lived in Eastern Ontario, we never had an opportunity to go canoeing and when we came home for visits, the weekends were always so busy. I can’t say how wonderful it is to enjoy a full weekend here without worrying about traveling. It really was a wonderful weekend.

Now that the cooler is emptied and the towels are in the washing machine, reality has hit me….. I only have three weeks left till my first art show. My bowls are ready to be trimmed and pieces are lined up to be glazed and everything in the studio looks rather
ignored.

My notebook of ideas is rapidly growing and time just seems to be disappearing rather too quickly for my liking to actually complete these ideas.

…..so back to work I go.

I’m hoping that this week I’ll be able to get some work photographed and post some new photos on the Pottery page.

I have been in workshops the last couple of weekends where we, the participants of Art in the Heart, learned more about marketing ourselves, our work and our image, along with other factors that are important in selling our art. The workshops were wonderful and were more than helpful. One point of interest that was discussed yesterday was self confidence and as new and emerging artists, we tend to be lacking some. It was a great topic and I definitely could relate. I think we are all artists. We just need to find our art. The art that allows you to open up and speak through it.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” ~Pablo Picasso

The workshops have made me analyze why I create, why I make what I do. Putting this into words is extremely difficult for me. I love creating pieces that you can use in your daily life. A mug that makes your morning tea or coffee more cheerful. A bowl that makes your ice cream disappear faster. A platter to showcase your favourite sushi. Pieces that make your day a little bit happier. I create, simply because I love to. I love being able to create pieces that someone might enjoy for many years to come. I think that when someone buys handmade, it finds a special place in their home and becomes a part of their lives. To me, this is such a special connection and am honoured to be a part of that.

Great news! I was recently informed that my application for Art in the Heart was accepted. I’m extremely thrilled about this new challenge and to be honest, I’m starting to feel like I’ll never get enough work through the kiln in time. Of course this means that I will be spending a lot of time in the studio every night until July 10 & 11, which is the weekend I requested. So if you’re in Bracebridge that weekend or planning a trip, that would be a great weekend to come check out downtown. Let’s hope for good weather.

I must give out a big Thank You to Jill Harris, who has been a wonderfully patient person with me during this application process. You’ve been a great sounding board with wonderful advice and answers to all my questions. Thank you!

This picture is of Sophia holding up the lid to one of my first sugar bowls. She is a great helper. When she picks up a dish, she often asks “What is this for? smarties?” It is very important to have a dish for your favourite things. It reminds me of Bert and his paperclip collection and Ernie’s soapdish for rubber ducky. Everything needs a home. Her love of organization makes me smile.

I forgot I had taken this photo last week – a few pieces waiting to be glazed. I love the look of them after they have come out of the bisque fire, they are such a wonderful white. I understand now that the actual shaping of the piece is such a small (but important) part of the job. The trimming, adding handles etc, firing, waxing, glazing, firing. It is hard work but very rewarding. I could almost see my Grandpa nodding as I wrote that last sentence. Hard work is the only way to accomplishment. My Grandpa was the epitome of a hard worker, one of the philosophies that he lived by was that nothing came for free.

You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.
~Jim Rohn~

The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure.
~Francoise de Motteville~

I ran home during my lunch break today to peek into the kiln. I was very happy with what I saw. I love my new “ocean” mug which reminds me of after the sun has gone down on the beach. There were quite a few mugs in this round, all a little different with a variety of glaze styles. I’ll be posting some pictures over on the “pottery” page, so if you have a minute, go over and check it out.

There are so many things I wish to create and everywhere I turn someone is suggesting another item to make. I’m loving all the suggestions, I’ve been writing them down and now need to interpret them into my own style. I have a notebook in my bag which is already brimming with ideas and inspiration.

I’m absolutely loving this!!!

c

I took today off from my day job to focus on working in the studio. A day for me. The kiln is firing now so I’m home bound till its completed. As I was cleaning off the pieces to put in the kiln, three of my platters were shattered. My own mistake, no one to blame but me and trying to hurry. This was done first thing this morning, setting the tone for the day.

After a few phone calls to friends and my sister to calm me down, I’m still a little hyper about it. My sister recommended listening to the song ‘Vagabond’ by Wolfmother for a little inspiration and then finish my tea and get back into the studio and focus. I did as my sister told me, and I’m feeling a little better. This song is on the 500 days of summer soundtrack, which is a great movie and it really did help get me in a better mood. I know that pieces will break and that’s life, its all part of being a potter. I know this is more upsetting to me because they are part of a new series of sushi sets that I was trying and I was quite proud of them. They were to be photographed and included in an application that is due this Friday for an art show this summer. With that, I’m getting back to work. I’ll post some photos as soon as I empty the kiln.

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A very special individual purchased two of my bowls for a wedding gift and I’m so proud that someone other than family will be using and enjoying my work. I love this feeling! I only hope that the newly married couple will enjoy them and use them. I’ve been busy taking pictures of the pieces as they come out of the kiln, however I still need a bit of work getting the light just right. There is still too much glare. Here is a photo of one of my bowls from the last glaze load.

It feels like the glaze testing period is going to last forever. The possibilities are indeed endless and being a gemini, I have two minds about everything. I would love to create a vibrant mediterranean turquoise but also love the soft romantic creams and whites. I do know that with the money from this sale, I’m taking it straight to the pottery store and buying more glaze supplies. One of every colour please!

“Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.”
Rita Mae Brown

The new kiln is warming up as I speak. After realizing that the old kiln was going to be a little more expensive than originally thought to be fixed, the decision was made to return the parts and look for another one that would be ‘plug in and play’ condition. Thanks to Joel’s expertise/addiction to www.kijiji.ca my new kiln was found. Below is a picture I took as I was loading it, which takes longer than you would think. Having to cart the pieces up from the studio in the basement and then trying to get as many pieces in as possible probably took about an hour.

Only one piece was broken in the first loading – I feel quite proud of this fact.

I’ve been reading over notes, reading the manual and “googling” everything to make sure I’m not making any unnecessary mistakes during this firing. Time will tell. Think good thoughts!