PAULA J. BARRY

  Its been  a grueling summer, heat wise.  Gardening or lack there of, has been effected by the drought.  I to, have been effected by the drought.  A studio drought.  My home has a.c., so why would I go into a 90 degree studio to work.  Out of necessity I have brought some small projects into the house to work on, but it is not the same as working in the studio…I can make a big mess in my studio, and no one even notices….  a little clay here or there in the house…well, it gets noticed.  Clay is just an interesting product.  I work, I get cleaned up (so I think), then while at the grocery store, I start to notice, the clay on my arm, that I thought I got!  or the clay on my legs and feet!  Yup, I love working in the summer, barefoot….its great!  I feel like an old hippy.  But as you clay junkies know, you never get the stuff off you unless you take a real shower.  Cleaning up with a paper towel just doesnt work…….if you know what I mean

  Anyway, heat wave or not, the kiln will be running tomorrow, with a bisque firing.  It is full of hope, the kiln.  I have made a lot of test tiles/cups for experimenting with, because I have got to get my act together NOW!  I was thrilled to be juried into the League of NH Craftsmen 5 years ago. BUT, the work that got me into the League, was primarily art pottery, which is lovely, but in this economy, I must make mugs and small priced items to keep things going.

  I have one line of pots, that is pretty much established and I am happy with the progress.  I have my eye on two other lines, of which I have got to work the bugs out.  I get so itchy, and it is very hard to commit to something…which is another issue!  So, the kiln is loaded and ready to go in the morning…  there will be numerous glaze tests to run in the next two weeks…boy, I hope I am happy with how that goes…stay tuned for the details.

  Tomorrow is expected to be another day in the 90′s, but if I get out in the studio early enough, I may be able to create a few goodies.  wooo whooooooo.

  6 Days left before set-up  for the League of NH Craftsmen Fair, Aug 7-15.  I have been preparing to packup the two vehicles with booth display items, pottery, bags, a chair, flooring, tools,  lighting and the list goes on.  My sleep has been distrubed as I mull over my to -do list in my head (even though I do have a list written down).  I also have to pack clothing and food for myself.  Even though this is just  for a week considerations for all sorts of weather must be made.  Will the brutal 90 degree and humid days of July, continue into August?  Will it be chilly?  Will it  rain the majority of the time, as it did several years ago?  Frequent fair goers know just what the rain can mean being on the side of the mountain….very wet feet.  Personally I would prefer 72-76 degrees and dry.

  There are other things to consider as well.  I worry about my family.  I will create numerous lists.  Pet care lists, husband care lists, how to keep the house cool and comfortable list.  I know they can think for themselves, but this is something I do and worry about.  Will my husband choose cheese and crackers every night or will he eat something prepared or that has been frozen for him.  Will the dog get what she needs?  Though she certainly will clue the guys in if she has been neglected.  Will the poor dog sit by the door waiting for me, or will she settle down on the couch watching for my return with one eye opened…. I feel really bad about this.  It’s a mom thing.

  Back to me…. I cant wait!  It has been my working vacation for several years.  The energy at the fair is contagious and there is so much to see and do.  Demonstrations are set up by numerous craftsmen.  I do love the demonstrations, seeing and learning to appreciate what goes into the craft.  A lot of years and love go into what each and everyone does.  You can see in the demonstrators faces and hands how much they care about their art.

 Please come by and say hello.  I will be in tent 5, booth 517.

  Attached is a photo of my booth, pottery, and assorted gear waiting to be placed in the truck and car.  It is hard to imagine all of this, and more (still in the garage) will fit in a 10 x 10 booth space.!  I envy jewelers.

   It has been a busy few months getting ready for the largest craft fair that I participate in.  The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair, Newbury NH.  It is a wonderful event, and I am quite proud to be a participant.

  I have been busy creating new lines of work as well as expanding on my current lines.  Glazing and firing, packing and other preperations seem to take over my summer.  But it is worth every minute.

I hope you will be able to attend this fair, as I dont think there is anything else like it….at least for me.

When you see my work, I hope you smile.  Inspired by Van Gogh, Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney.

 My kiln is in my studio, and I dont have a very good ventilation system. This situation forces me out of the studio to do other things around the house. One of my other passions are my gardens. They look fantastic right now.

Sometimes the best way to understand why and artist creates what they do, is to see what inspires them.  You then have a better understanding of their work.  So I thought I would share with you some of my sketches while working out design ideas.

Clearly I still have to work on my photography skills…..

  It has been so much fun teaching class this session.  I had a great group of students, who were all new to clay and were unaware of the challenges ahead.  Our motto was “don’t get attached”.   Soon the students realized what was meant by that.  We all get so excited by taking on a new challenge, and we hope the pieces come out really well.  We want to keep each and every piece we make, whether it is jewelry, woodworking, weaving or clay.  It takes time to look back at our work and be truly objective….

  Working with clay is so rewarding and the possibilities seem endless.  But we learn quite quickly that there are several stages to making a vessel, and at each step, a possibility for failure.  In our class most of the students chose to keep every piece, as they are their first pieces.  We learned to adapt and make changes to the piece when a mishap occured, trying to make it a tad more pleasing to look at.  This may seem like cheating, but there are skills learned while improvising.

  Take a look at these photos of the classes work.

  Sometimes the winter is a bit hard to get through in New England.  Many of us choose to hibernate, others find great fun playing in the snow.  I for one enjoy cross country skiing…its certainly good for a laugh or two.  What other sport can you be standing perfectly still ( you think), and fall for no apparent reason.  It makes me laugh….and we all need to laugh in the winter.

  I spent a good portion of January and February working on my horse hair and feather pots…. preparing them for their firings.  The pots are thrown, trimmed and burnished….at least 4 times.  Twice during the leather hard stage and twice during the bone dry stage.  This requires a lot of sitting! 

   The process up to this point is tedious to say the least, but it is a nice way to work during the winter, sitting by the wood stove working rather than in a chilly studio.

   The fun and most exciting part of the process is the firing.  All the pots are placed into the kiln and fired to a specific temperature.  My husband Mark assists me with the firing, as he is the poor guy who opens the kiln for me to remove the pot and apply the horse hair or feathers to create a really awsome looking pot.  I have to give Mark credit, as this is really a hot and smelly job, and he does this without complaining.

  I am quite happy with my first attempts at the new series of work.  Winter is far to long and cold for me, so I must of had sunshine, sand and water on my mind when I was working on this project. 

  The pendants have a nice texture both tactile and visual.  There are several more steps to be had, before they are complete.  Stay tuned….. 

Coral Pendants

  The Waves and Sand vessels are quite interesting.  The vessels are glazed on the inside and on the outside where the waves are.  The base is left without glaze to give the feel of sand.

Waves and Sand

  The Coral Reef pots have  a smooth feel to them.  There are several glazes used, each giving the piece its own look and feel.  There are what seem to simulate growth rings around the vessel, which add interest, as the glaze pools in the slight groove. 

Ocean coral growing

I had a pretty good glaze firing yesterday. My sgrafitto work and some new experiments came out great. I have done enough shows to be heard at least during each event..”I wish I was a jeweler” I am so envious of jewelers. Their work packs up into one or two boxes and is light weight, unlike pottery. So, I am trying my hand at making pendants. Some glazed, some are going into the rock tumbler for a different effect. So far, so good.

I am in no way implying that I am a jeweler, gosh no.  Some of my best friends are jewelry makers.  Silver smiths, beaders, and metal clay artists.  I have such respect for what they do, and I love their work…I could never imagine myself  creating such delicate work.

My pendants will most likely be just that…pendants, that I can put a jump ring and a cord through, and hope they look alright.

new work headed for LNHC Littleton gallery

Cat and Nine Tails

First attempt at pendants and beads

  2009 was a great year.  I spent time working on a so-called  business plan.  Part of this plan was the creation of a web site that I would be capable of maintaining.    Honestly, there are times that I feel as if I hadnt used my brain for much of anything since high school…. a very long time ago.  So, figuring out this website/blog was very good for me…..lol.

  In 2002 I jumped into the art/craft world with both feet.  I joined a local art group, the Dunstable Artisans.  This changed my life in so many ways.  I was now, for the first time in ages, connected with artists.  At this time my family had just gotten a computer, and my children patiently tried to explain email, windows, and the internet to me.  They were incredibly patient……  For those that know me well, know how diffficult it is to teach me something new.  My kids take after my husband when it comes to patience.  It took a great deal of patience to teach me anything about the computer. 

  Since joining the Dunstable Artisans, with their support, my pottery skills improved and continue to improve. I became president of the organization and am now on the jury and standards committee (good grief) .  My work continues to improve and I am so excited about my latest discovery.   I became courageous enough to apply to the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.  This organization is the oldest craft organization in the country and I am thrilled to be part of it.  It did take a few attempts to jury in all of my work, but it was such a thrill to be accepted.  It had been my top goal since discovery pottery as an art form…..  there is another story here, for  another day.

  With out my customers,  friends and family, I would not be as successful as I am today without the support….thank you all.

  Currently I am working on some new ideas.  With great anticipation, these pieces will make their debut at the League of New Hampshire Craftsment Fair, in August of this year.   I plan only on doing three shows in 2010.  The League show, the Dunstable Artisans Show, and the New Hampshire Potters Guild show.   I am currently teaching workshops at my studio in Townsend and in Nashua NH. My children are grown and do not require the attention they once did… So why not!  I can find balance between exercise classes, art and a part time job….why not!  I am an artist, and always will be, first and foremost.

  Thank you all, my support, my heart.   2010 will be great, my art will be great!!!  Why not!