Selling in the studio

During my time as the volunteer in Open Studio yesterday, I watched Mathilda set out a crate of her work for a customer of hers to see...as well as the other students who were working that afternoon.  Mathilda is an active member of a local store, Morningstar Gallery, and makes her pottery and has it all fired at BMCA studio.  She is very talented. 

We also observed yesterday a heating repair person advise us that the only problem was "the batteries in the remote control were almost dead." 

When I arrived at the studio it had been really brisk, but by the time I left at 4 pm, the thermometer on the wall showed an increase of 10 degrees in temperature.  So perhaps we shall be toasty warm now!  (I remember when we didn't have running water in the studio or heat and air conditioning.  We are so lucky for these features now, even hot water!)

Mathilda's incised designs

Mathilda teaches one of our classes at BMCA Clay Studio.  She is an accomplished potter, and has claimed for herself a great technique of designs on the surface by incising.

If you can't sign up for her 6 week class, she also teaches one-day shorter classes...by appointment. 

She'll demonstrate the technique she uses to incise designs at the Clay Club meeting on Nov. 12, 6:30 pm.

The Clay Club is open to anyone interested in clay...and is a great opportunity for potters who work in their own studios to come together and socialize and share news.  Their monthly meetings include a Pot Luck supper, so come over and bring a dish to share!  The November meeting includes a great video.  More news on that soon!

Bulletin board messages

Matilda's carvings

 

Matilda Tanner is one of our teachers, and she has a great technique of carving on pots.  Here dragonflies grace a bowl.  It is waiting to be glazed.

You can see more of her work in her YouTube movies HERE.  The latest showed how to make fairies!

Glazing day at the studio

Unfinished pieces with Mathilda's signature carving.

The latest from Mathilda

Mathilda's making movies of her clay techniques.
Here's her first YouTube effort.

In case you feel a bit dizzy, you can,
1. lie on your side to watch
2. turn your monitor 90 degrees
c. know that this is a work in progress and will get better each time!

Thanks Mathilda for sharing your talent.

Mathilda Tanner rose carving

Mathilda demonstrated throwing on the hump

Mathilda Tanner demonstrates how you can make many tiny little cups on a big hump of clay.

After centering the hump on the wheel, she opens a tiny amount of clay right at the top

 Cutting the cup off the hump with a wire tool

And Mathilda carefully lifts the wet cup from the bottom...it can be straightened and trimmed later

The freshly thrown cups lean every which way because their bottoms are still wet and just cut off the hump...they will be turned upside down soon and trimmed evenly.

Some cups waiting to be trimmed

Take a break, cover with plastic, come back the next day to trim the bottoms.

They aren't dry enough to trim, so she turned them over and let the bottoms get dry enough to trim.

Gallery Exhibit- Mathilda Tanner

Lilly Pond & Frog Vessel, Mathilda Tanner

Dragonfly vase, Mathilda Tanner

Swirling Bowl, Matilda Tanner

Fairy Vessel, Mathilda Tanner

Mathilda has recently joined the staff of instructors at the Clay Studio, teaching her unique style of forming vessels and decorating them.  She also sells her wares at Morning Sky Pottery on Cherry Street.