Good Morning!

Just a quick post to say I am still alive and Kicken'  The Nova Scotia Designer Craft Council Show was absolutely wonderful. My new Confetti line was a smash hit, I made some new contacts in different locales and have some new opportunities to persue farther afield. There is not much time to post amazing details of my trip to Halifax, since I have to be in town for the last day of the Christmas Loft at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design. Suffice it to say, there were pots sold, there were snazzy new shoes purchased, there was a bit of red wine consumed and there was a great meal shared with old friends, followed by a great evening of wine and giggles with my cousins. I leave you with some photos from the Halifax show

And now some shots from the show I am currently doing. The Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design Christmas Loft

Blog Slacking....

Things have been really hectic around here... and thus my poor blog has been neglected.. I am going to make a concerted effort to change that.
Classes are well underway at my studio, I am running two classes at the moment, but will be adding a few workshop Saturdays in the next month or so, and an afterschool class for kids. I must say I am thoroughly enjoying teaching at home. And my students are making some pretty fantastic stuff.
I have been playing around with soem new glazes, and new forms over the past couple of weeks, I am pretty happy with the new pendants I have come up with, as well as my new little plate shapes. Check em Out...

I think They are pretty snazzy, and I have pretty much sold most of the first run of these little ladies. Now the plates are a different story, I am loving the shapes, but stalling on the glazing. I want Vibrant pretty glazes in nice clear colours. I tried the Commercial glaze route with some success, some failure.. and a whole lotta, brushing of three coats of glaze.

This is the big problem, I discovered that I hate the three coats of brushing. I am a dipper, a pourer, and a quick painted design kinda gal. So now I have a gazillion plates to dip and pour and paint. But can't decide on a glaze. I may have to just start blindly dipping in all buckets til I find something that works.

It was a crazy week last week round here, one minor disaster after another, ending with a broken camera yesterday, just as I was wanting to post stuff to etsy. This week will be better, I decree it to be so. we are starting Monday off with some good ole, punk rock music and random glaze dipping. Wish me luck!

oh, and check out the new stuff posted on etsy, buy some! you know you wanna!

BAMF! fall Show and sale

wellits that Time of year.... Fall BAMF show.... currently the service to allow me to post the entire thing is playing tricks on me...... so for now, I post a link, later, you can view the whole thing, right here in all its fabulous, creepy, gory, wonder . its a fabulous selection of eeiier treats for your viewing, and buying pleasure.

New Stuff

My Pottery Classes officially start on Wednesday night. There was a little gathering of sorts last Wednesday, it involved some Red Wine, and some clay, but it was not so much a class as a Hey the studio's done! gathering. This week will be more class like, with ya know, learning and stuff, and all three of my evening students. I think I am going to like teaching at home. 

I fired my first glaze load in the new kiln yesterday, everything came out looking like it should. I did have one s cracked mug, first time that has happened in years, but all in all a very successfull firing.I took some quick snaps of the pots, but will have to do a more professional job later this evening. It was not really a full load, but I was impatient and needed to fire so I could see the results. Tomorrow, we load up another bisque, if all goes well.

Change is Good Partt Deux.....

Change is Good

Its been all about the change around here over the past few weeks. For the past couple of years I have been making pots in the corner of what doubles as a studio and storage room. I have organized, and reorganized and carved out a corner of usable space. But for a while now I have been feeling the need for a more efficient, less slapdash setup. I have work in three new galleries this year, I have added two new shows to my agenda, and purchased a new kiln. My work is evolving, and I am feeling the need to get more serious about it.

the entranceway, where I will have some retail display

So in that spirit I have made a pretty firm decision to take my career as an artist and crank it up a notch. I am renovating my studio, and opening it up. I am adding a retail space, and reconfiguring the work space so that I can teach small groups. My first class starts on the 8th of September, and I want the retail space ready to go for October 1st. I have commited to having an open house sometime between the 8th and 16 of October during Celtic Colours.This might be a bit of a challenge! Cause, the space is currently housing a fairly large collection of boxes and totes full of art supplies. Not to mention the mess from making molds this afternoon. I am going to share some 'Before' photos with you, so you can truly appreciate the change when I post photos of the swanky new studio to be coming soon. You can't really tell in these photos, but the walls are an AWFUL pink colour, and so is the floor. It is pretty gross. That is going, and fast.lol

Indias workspace to the left, she's a superstar.

my workspace in the corner,excuse the plaster mess all over the table.One cabinet houses glaze material, the other fabric dyes, and more yarn.

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my secret life as a painter, sh don't tell.Those plastic totes are full of yarn and fabric. All eight of them.There are six more that aren't shown. I might have a bit of a problem.lol

So there you have it. What a mess to contend with, I will be busting my chops to get this place ship shape and get pots made too. I will keep you all updated on the progress.....Wish me luck!

Come Make Some Pots!

Lizziespots will be hosting a variety of clay adventures this fall. We have something for everyone, beginner to advanced, young and old alike.

Looking for something to do while the kids are in school?

Thursday Afternoon Handbuilding Class
1pm-4pm 8 weeks, 24 hours, $150 plus clay.

This class will concentrate on the basics of hand forming clay. We will make pots using the pinch, coil, and slab method of construction. A variety of decorating methods will be explored including texturizing stamping and slip work. Class size will be limited to four students, ensuring optimum instructor student interaction. Class fees include firng of the work produced in class, and use of studio glazes. Clay will be available for purchase through the instructor.


Looking for something to entertain the kiddies?

Tuesday Afterschool Program Ages 9-11
3-4:30 pm, 8 weeks 12 hours $120 all supplies included

Children will learn to make a variety of clay items by using the various handbuilding methods. We  will explore sculpture, as well as functional ware. Class size is limited to four students.

Wednesday Evening Advanced Handbuilding
7-10 pm, 8 weeks 24 hours, $150 plus clay

 This class will explore the use of templates and patterns in forming pots of purpose. Making functional ware and exploring the three dimensional form using the slab and coil methods. Students will be encouraged to design and make  complex forms. Emphasis will be on designing pots that pour, and constructing lids that fit and function well. Gazes and Firing of pots made in class are included in the class fees.

To register, or for more information please email me at  elizabethburtt@gmail.com

India's Day......

Today is a national holiday in India. Independance day to be exact. On this day in 1947 India kicked the British to the curb. But more importantly, fifteen years ago today, this little princess was born. This is my baby, Miss India Faith Haines.

FRIDAY!!!!!!!

Its been a busy week round here. We have cleaned and reorganized the Studio, exposing yet MORE of the awful Pink floor. I really must paint that one of these days. I have designed four new pendants, and made some prototypes. And did the internet shopping trip from hell to get the girl her birthday present.
who new it would be so damned difficult to buy a Misfits shirt in Canada! I ended up buying two shirts from a site in the US, I am terribly concerned that the duty on these shirts will be more than I paid for the shirts themselves. Eek.
This week has been full of fun Deliveries for me! On Monday it was a mug and some goodies from Becky Jo, on Wednesday I got my new kiln.... and on Thursday, Mugs and a vase came from Gary!(workin on that bowl for ya Gary...) It's like Christmas in August!!!

Now the Kiln is curently languishing in the woodshed, Cause it won't fit through the door. we looked at taking it apart and putting it back together, and we looked at popping out the false wall in the Garage door opening. The false wall is going under deconstruction later today. meanwhile, here's a shot of some of the new pendants in progress.

 and one of the puuper, cause she's so darn cute.

BEST MONDAY EVER!!!!!!!!

Today was pretty much a normal Monday. I woke up did paperwork, ran to town to drop off paperwork, and meet Sarah's Husband to return her wheel. I went to town again to do some groceries. I went to town a third time, to have coffee with the textile types, and drop off yarn bowls. This is a bit of driving, back and forth and back and forth..... I was pooped when I got home. Not to mention the guilt over my carbon footprint expanding exponentially over the day... PLUM tuckered out, especially after driving behind the slowest drivers ever.... (65 in a 90 zone, followed by 35 in a 80 zone----two different drivers.....)
When I got home, I sent Mason down to check the mail. This is a Mason job these days, as it is building up to India's Birthday, and we hoard the stash away from her til the day. That girl will drive a person CRAZY trying to open stuff early.
He came back with a notice that there was a package.... so I trucked out to the car and drove to our local depanneur/gas station/liquor store/post office/hardware store, to pick up what I thought was a present for the girl child.
BUT IT WAS FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!
It was awesome!!!!!!

and it was from Becky Jo! I nearly peed my pants! look what was inside!!! there was also a wine cork thing( awesome, and being used right now...) but India coundn't fit it in the photo.... see,  its plugging that bottle of wine propping up the card.
Please ignore the bad lighthing in this photo, this cup is fabulous, it fits my hand perfectly, and is just the right weight and feel. Makes the cheap ass wine taste better even.  I love it!!!! (ok, the wine is an award winner, but still pretty cheap).
 This made my day!
See,  Becky Jo and I were both in the same mug exchange, and she got ME! I got a stranger, but I am sure she's a cool stranger. A cool and patient stranger, as she has not as of yet recieved her mug.... (yay Canada post....expensive, incredibly confusing, and slow..)
so I say to you Becky Jo, Thank you, merci. and I will totally treasure this mug.

Back Home

Mason and I travelled to Halifax last weekend, and then on to visit some folks in Fredericton. We had a lovely visit with my cousin and her family in Halifax, while attending the NSDCC Summer show. The show was moderately successful. Sales were not what I had hoped, but the upside was being picked up by two Halifax Gallery Shops. Lizzies pots are now available at Bogside Gallery in The Hydrostone market, and at Ikebana on Quinpool. Both shops are beautiful, and are very different from one another.

The Ikebana shop is carrying a line of shellac resist teacups, and some pendants as well as some thrown teabowls in an organic feeling blue brown glaze.

Bogside picked up a line of celtic inspired dishes

medium rectangles

Takin a little Breather

Well its been go, go, go here getting ready for the Halifax show. So many pots to make, so many papers to fill out, and SO much cash flowing in an outward direction. Here's hoping I can recoup some of that cash in sales! Last night I had nightmares that the kiln didn't actually start, and that none of my pots would be done for the show. I was so traumatised that I got in the car first thing this morning and drove all the way to town to check for myself that everything was ok.

I am sure the girls at the Craft Centre think I am crazy.

They are probably right.

So today I am taking a few hours to hang with the kids, and perhaps drag them off to the seashore. It will be good.

progress, I think....