Back after a long break......

So life has been hectic and ever changing. There are still pots being made, there are a few textiles being made, and there is progress on the house and garden, and life is continuing on here in Cape Breton. This season there have been some changes, I am still selling at a few galleries, doing some wholesaling, but did not do the usual summer show in Halifax. Instead I have been selling at the Cruise ship terminal here in Sydney. Its been an interesting experiment so far, I have met some interesting people, and made some new friends. We are on break until August 21, then back at it full force through September and October. These next few weeks will be spent making tons of pots to sell in the fall season. Lots of mermaids and sea critters are being painted, and lots of new Celtic designs being made.

My Life's Work

I am extremely happy with the way my work has been developing over the past little while. The feedback online and in person has been phenomenal. I have been working very hard to develop the Celtic Porcelain line into something I can be proud of, and I think that I just might be getting somewhere with it.
I have had many technical problems to work out with these latest peices. The heavy stamping, and layering of stamps was wreaking havoc with the rims during drying. Many adjustments were made in the depth of the stamps, the thickness of the clay, the speed of the drying and even the curve of the pots themselves . Finally I have most of the kinks worked out, and my successes are many, and my losses are few. 

Those who know me well, will attest that I am VERY particular about my work. I pay a great deal of attention to detail, in both the design and execution of my work. I research technique relentlessly,I seek out both advice and criticism. I want my work to stand on its own merit. I am a perfectionist, and I am okay with being that way. I have friends who keep that in check for me. Mostly I listen to the voice of sanity that they represent. Mostly. Sometimes I just hand them the pot in question, and tell them to take it home, out of my radar. Either way, we all end up happy.

The part I struggle with the most is maintaining "true" production work. I feel that I am almost there with the confetti line. I have a set range of products, they are basically alike, the colours are consistant, the stamps are the same, the variation comes in the patterning, I like that the stamps are randomized, no two peices are exactly the same pattern.  However I can now set a table with this line, which I guess makes it semi complete. Now I just have to make bunches of it without flying off on another design tangent.

I have decided to reward myself for this tight and consistant line by  giving myself complete artistic freedom on my large Celtic pieces. I am allowing myself this playground, this permission to make 'em all different. This is where I want to be.

A Whole Lot of Change.

So sorry that I haven't been keeping up with my promised posts. I have led a very hectic life since May. There have been so many major life changes since the spring, I hardly know where to start. First of all, I should just say that sudden change is difficult for me to process. The past five months have been CHOCK FULL of sudden change. I have been on automatic pilot, getting stuff done, and taking it one day at a time. We are slowly coming through the other side of what may have been the most overwhelming experience of my recent life. Its been a crazy ride, and I am glad that things are slowing down. I am now in the process of re evaluating my path and making this pottery thing survive this season, and continue to grow. This is not as easy as it might seem. But in the end, lizziespots, has a new home, and a new studio.

This move was both unexpected, and very poorly timed. It was extremely difficult to balance all of the important things in my life, keep my business going, and my family together and sane. All in all, we have come out the other side(almost) a little worse for the wear, a little bit dusty, but mostly intact. I have learned a lot about my own resilience through this move. I have strengthened some friendships, and I have made some new ones.  I am busily trying to restructure my business, and make up for the loss of income and of production time that were a result of the move. I very nearly tossed in the towel, and quit pottery altogether. At times it seemed nearly impossible to keep up with all the many things that needed to be done. I am exhausted, but I am nearly there. My last few back orders will ship this week. I will be able to breathe for a minute, and tackle the next hurdle.

NSDCC Summer Show July 22 -24 2011

NSDCC_Flyer_Summer_Artwork1, a photo by Elizabeth Burtt Fine Porcelain and Textiles on Flickr.

I am so pleased to be the cover artist for the NSDCC Summer show Flyer! Sharing the page with a good friend Joan Mackenzie. Two Capers on the cover.. next , we take over the world!!
So y'all gotta come check out my booth at the summer show in Halifax. I will have lots of this fine confetti ware, and some other whimsical pots to check out.

The Yarn Tardis.....or Yardis..Yarnis...?

Perfect for knitting while watching your favourite doctor.

So Much Happening...

Sorry I haven't posted of late. Life has been , to say the least hectic. I have been making a bit of effort to beef up my online store at etsy, and get more involved with moving toward broadening my sales area and get some pots out to my Galleries in time for the summer influx of tourists. Its a crazy time of year for me, and it is only getting crazier. Preparation has begun for the NSDCC Summer show in July, I have chosen a smaller booth size this year, 5x10 rather than 10x10. It feels like a better space to me. I had this size at the Christmas show, and it was great. So now the push is on to fill that booth with goodies, and sell out completely.
I have managed to get some new product designed, and am putting the great push on to sell a metric buttload of pots between now and the end of July, when I will be moving house and Studio. The push will then be on to get ready for the Big Christmas shows, and the Celtic Colours International festival.

Amongst all of this business, I have been filling orders for these Police Call Box mugs. If I sell enough of these, I can move to a place that isn't a cardboard box. Great time to pre order for Graduation/Christmas... Only $45 Canadian, plus shipping....Oh, and Fathers Day is just around the Corner...

So Yeah, Toronto.....

First off- to those still waiting for their Easter Cards, (you know who you are)....... they are coming, they are not lost in the mail, they are late because of human error, sickness and an international trip. I promise they will be special and worth the wait.



So this is the view from my sisters apartment. Its pretty spectacular really. Now, despite being in my sister's company for an entire week, I neglected to get even one picture of the two of us. I did however get lots of pictures of the dogs she works with. Hey, I got priorities...

This fellow was such a handsome and well behaved dog, and could pass for a horse in a pinch...nd of course like all good aunties, I took a ton of pictures of my beautiful canine neice Miss Cracker

Such a pretty little hound. Cracker and I had a great visit. Maggi and I did too. It was a fantastic visit all round.

The main  purpose of my visit to Toronto was to attend the Toronto One of a Kind Show, and do some market research, in preperation to attend as a vendor in the fall. I spent a few days wandering the halls of this show There were more than 400 vendors, all of whom were juried in . The quality of the work was fabulous. The show was so well organized, and the staff was amazingly helpful. It was a joy to attend, and yes I bought stuff- how could I not??? I was however very good at practising restraint. I bought two small pieces of pottery for myself, a funky monster fabric bracelet for the girl child, and a really cool robot /city scape print for the boy child. all in all it was a lot to take in, but I came away from the show with a pretty good idea of what to expect, and the knowledge that I should definitely leave my credit card at home when I go back as a vendor, or the proceeds of my sales will just be gone.

I am really glad that I took this time to go and observe the show before jumping in as a vendor. I was very nervous about preparing for the show. I had no clue how much stock I would need, or how to possibly make all my pots arrive there safely, or how to display it when I got it there. There sure is a lot to think about when attempting to do  a show that far away. I was very glad that I had the opportunity to meat with Valerie Roy, at the show, she was amazing, and took the time to answer my questions, and show me a bit of the ins and outs of the show. Suffice it to say, that after talking with Valerie and many of the fabulous vendors from across the continent, my worries have been allayed. The show does not feel like a scary place anymore... and the preparation has begun.