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Reflections and Celebrations

Building Excitement

12/3/2021

 
PictureThe Coyote Kiln Crew: Heather Hitt, Jeremy Noet, Ann Marie Cooper, Amy Popelka
Living the Dream

In January of this year, almost a year into the lonely pandemic, 3 masked friends and I gathered around a bonfire and made a plan to give us a little light of hope and excitement during a difficult time: to build ourselves a small wood kiln. Shortly thereafter, things started to happen. In the spring, we dug a hole and poured a concrete slab. Then a friend offered me bricks! Once we were all fully vaccinated, our cohort took an exciting ferry ride in a large rental truck to fetch them. In the summer, we built a roof. And now it’s fall, and we’re stacking bricks into the shape of a kiln which we hope to finish and fire this winter.
If you know me at all, you know I’ve been firmly hooked on wood-firing since my first experience almost 9 years ago. So this is a big, dream-fulfilling deal to me. I’m going to compile photos and document the process here. There are already some funny stories that deserve sharing. I’ll keep you updated on the progress of the Coyote Kiln Project.

Oh, NCECA, how I love you.

4/14/2019

 
PictureMy Mary Tyler Moore impression, and my cups on display at Urban Forage Cidery.
​In March, I went to the annual NCECA (National Council on  Education for the Ceramic Arts) convention in Minneapolis.  Land of the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Warren McKenzie.  I found inspiration traveling by bus through the Upper St Croix River Valley, visiting the studios of Matthew Krousey, Will Swanson, Janel Jacobson, and Linda Christianson(one of the invited artists in our upcoming Good Earth Pottery pitcher show). The numerous gallery exhibitions offered drool-worthy and jaw-dropping examples of what ceramics has to offer, I even had the great pleasure of seeing my own work in an NCECA sponsored exhibition, "You've Been Served" organized by Clay Arts Vegas and the University of North Dakota ceramics department. The vast array of studio tools in the expo hall is overwhelming and covet-worthy. All in all, it's a highly stimulating and overwhelming experience, brought to its apex by the community of people that readily embraces each other.  I feel fortunate to have found myself in this tribe of clay people, who understand the struggles and triumphs and why we keep repeating the madness that is ceramics.  This, my 5th NCECA, did not disappoint when it came to the people. It strengthened existing friendships and built new ones, and was just what this working potter/gallery owner needed to energize herself for the coming year, both in the studio and the gallery--and life in general!

See you next year in Richmond, Virginia!

Looking Back, Looking Forward

2/7/2019

 
So many things happened last year, and the final couple of months flew by so quickly I didn't have a chance to post about some until now.

​In October I had the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of traveling to Montana. (I know, I know, it's not that far away, but still, it never happened 'til now.) I traveled with some of the best traveling companions I could hope for. Friends who are fun--and patient and helpful when the car breaks down.

We drove to Helena for the Cultural Confluence Woodfire Symposium, a coming together of wood-firing enthusiasts from all over the world.  It began with artist demonstrations at the Archie Bray Foundation(mecca for potters), then on to informative and inspiring lectures, all making me wish I had my own wood-kiln, of course. Highlights of the weekend included having some wonderful conversations with Linda Christianson and George McCauley--you'll even catch me in an episode of George's House of Clay!

Then the holiday season blew right on by, and suddenly January 1st arrived, where I took the reins of Good Earth Pottery firmly in both hands, as my business partner, Deb Martin, retired. Now here I am, making plans for the future, and celebrating the past! Good Earth Pottery turns 50 this year (that's right--50 years old). So I feel the need to honor the legacy, while at the same time helping it continue to evolve. I decided to start by hosting our first international (US & Canada) call for entries "Pitcher Perfect", juried by the one and only, Deb Schwartzkopf (Ceramic Monthly's 2019 Artist of the Year). I'm excited to share that I also have invited three renowned artists to include their pitchers in the show, Linda Christianson, Adam Field & Simon Levin.

So it's going to be an exciting year, while I work on achieving balance in all aspects of life: studio, gallery, teaching, family.  Stay tuned for developments!

So, this happened--again!

10/23/2018

 
I'm pretty ecstatic to share that two photos of my work (with captions written by yours truly) are included in the new, revised edition of "The Encyclopedia of Pottery Techniques" by Peter Cosentino. I feel very honored to have been included--especially after seeing some of the other artists pictured within.

Have Pots, Will Travel

9/20/2018

 
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Illinois was beautiful in its difference from Washington. I really enjoyed the insects. (Really! Especially their sounds.)
I am constantly grateful for how ceramics has enriched my life. My mind continues to whirl from my latest pottery-related adventure, which sprouted quite out of the blue and quickly grew into a full-blown harvest of excitement. At the end of August, Simon Levin invited me to come fire his new wood-fired kiln (affectionately dubbed the Thunder Train) in Pawnee, Illinois. I had barely 3 weeks to accumulate, make and ship nearly 8 cubic feet of work.  Luckily, I had a small stash of work that hadn't made it into the June wood-firing in Ellensburg, and then I coiled my heart out day and night to make certain I could meet my volume goal.  I sent two big boxes with 30 pounds of work in each to meet me in Pawnee, and purchased some hard-sided luggage to take the rest with me on the plane.  Fortunately, there was only one small casualty in the post, and everything survived the airplane, even after a TSA inspection (they were kind enough to tape my bubble-wrapped packages back together--thank you TSA!).

We were a small crew at Mill Creek Pottery South, besides myself and Simon, I reunited with my friends Amy Song & Harry Levenstein for this firing, and became acquainted with Simon's newest apprentice, Meng-Che of Taiwan, and Molly Morning-Glory of North Carolina.
It was a change to fire with such a small crew--I actually spent a couple of hours on shift alone in the wee hours of the morning (with a friendly cricket by my side). My love of wood-firing has stemmed quite a bit from the social aspect, but I now see the value in being alone with the kiln, and giving people their space for the experience, too.  In fact, I had quite a bit of quiet time during this adventure, which felt very strange to me. I'm always on the go, so I got a bit twitchy during the down time--which lead me to master the machete for splitting side-stoke wood. But I also realized that my inability to be still was in itself a problem, so I made the effort to use  that peaceful time to ponder. By the trip's end, I felt like I'd hit the "reset" button and had a new energy to get back into my regular life with a better plan for balancing all aspects of what's important to me--including down time.

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It wasn't all deep thoughts and deeper conversation (although there was plenty of that), we ate well, we laughed, we danced, we fortified friendships, we learned.  Every wood-firing teaches me something new about the process, and about myself. (Who knew I'd love to wield a machete?)  
The flames appeared to drip through the bricks as we shut down the kiln and headed into the down-firing process.
The graceful down-firing process:
Unloading day was exciting, and thoughtful. After each stack came down, we paused to clean the posts and shelves in preparation for the next firing. 
I'm extremely thankful to Simon Levin and his family for their gracious hospitality, and the hard work and enthusiasm of our merry firing crew! I will treasure this experience always.
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Thank you so much for this exciting experience, Simon Levin!

Amy Song and I spent one of the kiln-cooling days in Chicago, and visited the amazing Shedd Aquarium.  I'm so appreciative of Amy's generous spirit, as both host and tour-guide extraordinaire, and greatly admire her enthusiasm and work-ethic. (She managed to juggle all this, along with her kids' baseball and softball practice, music lessons and taking all three cats to the vet at once!) Amy is in the process of establishing her own wood-firing facility, River Song Pottery, in Plano, Illinois. Some unexpected challenges have arisen, so she's fired up an Indiegogo crowd-sourcing campaign to help meet costs. She'll reward your contribution with a gorgeous piece of handmade pottery fired in the inaugural firing of her train kiln. Please consider donating: ​https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/river-song-pottery#/
I'll add more pictures of my work from Simon Levin's Thunder Train kiln to my wood-firing portfolio page soon.

Some Like it Hot

6/12/2018

 
PictureBack Row: Ann Marie Cooper, Heather Hitt, John Brooks, Any Guelmann, Jenn Gavlin, Tracy Rock, Nick Kestler Front Row: Mike Rogers, Zoe Peterson, Liz Duarte, Phi Le, Tara Wilson
If you follow me on Instagram (@annieoclay), you probably know I have a passion for wood-firing.  That passion is always there, smoldering in the back of my heart and mind throughout the year between firings. It fully ignites when I have a firing on the horizon, or in this case, just past. 
Recently I had the opportunity to fire with renowned Montana wood-firer, Tara Wilson, thanks to the Washington Clay Arts Association.  As part of the WCA's annual Summer Social, we teamed up with Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA, to host a workshop for WCA members, with Tara as our fire master.  What a time we had! The weather was wild: cold, windy, hot, windy, cold, windy, windy. Did I mention windy?  The participants varied in experience level, from newbies to experienced wood-firers. The anticipation, camaraderie and cooperation created a delightful firing atmosphere, despite the challenges we encountered along the way.  Midway through the firing we struggled to even the heat of the kiln. The front roared beyond where we wanted, while the back remained too cool.  Eventually we succeeded in balancing things out with a little Tara Wilson know-how, and we managed to get the back of the kiln up to a solid Cone 10 (which was our goal, although up front, Cone 11 was a puddle and we hit 2460 on the pyrometer).  The roaring temperatures made for a lot of group sculptures, and the broken shelf in the front section didn't help those pots any, but there were some mighty fine survivors, and I think the newbies are hooked!

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Sadly, I lost a lot of pots in this firing--for various reasons--but I know where my heart lies, and I'm already itching to get stoking again. I learned a lot, and had a marvelous time, which is part of the whole wood-firing experience.
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Kilnside with our workshop Fire Master, Tara Wilson
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Just a couple of hundred degrees in there as I unloaded the back stack....
Thank you, Any Guelmann, for the slow-motion stoking video!

Reflections on NCECA 2018

4/15/2018

 
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As an avid dino devotee, I found this year's logo particularly delightful. Showing off my new T-shirt here by The Artstream Gallery, one of my favorites to peruse every year.
​I'm not sure what's flown by faster: the month since I was in Pittsburgh or the week I spent there. Either way, life has been a whirlwind lately, and I'm realizing the importance of making note of the significant, formative moments of my clay life (largely to help myself remember!). I've traveled more in my last few years than most of the rest of my life, especially for my love and pursuit of greater clay knowledge. I'm regretting now that I did not write reflections on my journeys in 2016 to Kansas City, Missouri for NCECA and to Chicago/Aurora, Illinois for the Waubonsee Wood-Fired Conference, nor last year's trip to North Carolina for the Woodfire NC Conference. What was I thinking?! These experiences have done so much for me in my growth as an artist, and as an individual. The expansion of my ceramics family across the country(the world, really), humbles and delights me. The instant connection when we share our triumphs and struggles makes me thankful every day that I immersed myself in clay. Whew! Pardon me, am I getting too mushy? I admit it, the passion run deeps and I'm prone to expound on it. Moving on....  This year marks my 4th NCECA since my clay captivation, and I want to share some of my favorite sights and experiences.
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A T-Rex welcome at the Pittsburgh airport immediately assured me of a good time.
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The weather in Pittsburgh was unlike any I've ever experienced: rain, sun, snow, wind, sun, snow & wind, repeat....
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I walked several thousand steps around these tables with this hard-working crew to stuff the informational bags for conference attendees.
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The rest of my volunteer shift required me to help Laura Jean McLaughlin build the Unity Shards mosaic project. (Best volunteer job ever!)

I did not take enough pictures of pots or people with whom I spent my time in Pittsburgh.  I think I first brought out my camera at Standard Ceramics for Julia Galloway's spectacular and poignant Endangered Species Project.  I think you can see why.   These plates, meticulously decorated with platinum  and mother-of-pearl luster, represent species at great risk--and extinct--in the state of Pennsylvania.  It was a sobering and awe-inspiring display.
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In awe of Julia Galloway's installation with my friend, Meredith Chernick of Fern Street Pottery.
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PictureAsh & Flash Exhibit, pots by Carolanne Currier
The last shows I visited before heading to the airport centered around wood-fired pottery, both displayed at the Sweetwater Center for the Arts. In the main gallery, "Ash & Flash", rich with luscious works, sparked my wood-firing desires. Upstairs, my mind was blown by Elaine Henry's "50 Bowls/50 States/50 Woodfires" project: identical bowls fired in different wood kilns across the country! An informative, eye-opening display, I sincerely hope she's able to publish her project someday.  Such invaluable information for both wood-firing potters and the collectors of their work.

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The juicy teal pooling in this bowl fired in Louisiana made this one of my favorites.
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 I thoroughly enjoyed "Collaborative Companions", at the magnificent Union Project--not just because it included the work of my friend Damian Grava (pictured in red), but witnessing how the voices of two artists come together is fascinating, and at times, breathtaking.  I'd love to get in on some collaborations in the future myself. Damian collaborated with Ian Childers and Eric Botbyl--splendid work, fellas!
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Damian Grava and George Rodriguez, pictured with Damian's contributions to "Collaborative Companions".

Here are a few more pieces that spoke to me. Sadly, I did not get the names of the first two artists pictured, but the wood-fired platter in picture three is by none other than American wood-firing icon, Jack Troy. (I'm seeing a trend in my favorites....🔥)
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I'm a people person....and I didn't ever realize that until I became involved with ceramics. Since then I've discovered that I need my clay community, these conferences, these connections that help me be the best me--within my clay life and outside it (yes, I have that, too). I thrive on those familiar smiles and hellos in the hallways, the winks across the hotel lobby. 😉 Like many folks, I'm reserved at the start of an acquaintance, but once that connection is made, I'm all in. Apparently at this NCECA, I was so in that these are the only people pics I brought home (the first I borrowed from my friend, Karen Wise (so wise she always remembers to take photos in the moment). To all those of you whom I shared this experience, know that I treasure every moment--my roomies, fellow wanderers, drink sharers, dance partners: Liz, JJ, Meredith, Heather, Amy, Simon, Harry, Irene, Damian, George, Sudhi, Ellie, James, Liz, Erin, Mya, Zak, Karen, Sean, Jake, Rickie, Kimberly...and so many more, including the new folks I met and hope to get to know better at future conferences. And to those I didn't get to see or visit with longer, let's try for more next year!
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Hanging in a hotel bar with Karen Wise, Eliza Weber, George Rodriguez & Jake Corboy
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Spent a lot of time with these lovelies: Amy Song, Heather Hitt & Meredith Chernick
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At the Artstream with Simon Levin

  So much to see and do in so little time...NCECA 2018 left me feeling like this wood-fired whiskey roller by Denise Joyal, which I purchased in Pittsburgh.
​The countdown is on to more head-spinning fun--as of today, only 11 months and 10 days to wait! See you in Minneapolis, clay family!

And now for something slightly different....

2/23/2018

 
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I've been coiling clay for nearly 7 years. Historically, I've left the clay raw on the outside with just a hint of glaze between the coils to highlight the designs I painstakingly roll out with my hands. I love the natural look of the vitrified red clay, the texture and warmth beneath my fingers as I savor a cup of coffee. It's always felt so potterly to me. However, I know that the raw clay-ness isn't for everyone, and honestly, there's always been this little part of me that hungered for a bit more color in my work.  Individually, my brown pots are intriguing; as a group display they lack that pizzazz that draws people over.  Through the years I've experimented with different glazes and glaze thicknesses to encase my vessels, with disappointing results. More often than not the glaze has obliterated all or most of the coil lines, leaving a plain surface, which is obviously not the intent of my work. 

2018 has been a chaotic year so far--around the world and in my personal life. I've felt the need for change, for hope, for simple pleasures to distract from the chaos. Not all of those needs are rapidly achievable, but in the grand scheme of things, some pretty quick gratification can happen in the clay studio.  Over the last month I spent my studio time coiling a silky-smooth white stoneware--a soothing change in itself. I've been adding assorted shapes to break up the spirals. It's been a cold winter of late in Bellingham, bringing thoughts of warmer days to the forefront of my mind, thus flowers, butterflies and dragonflies have made an apperance, in addition to cheery stars and hearts.  I did some research and selected glazes guaranteed to highlight the coil lines, in colors that sing out spring. Today I held my breath and opened my kiln and then, with glee, brought forth a new era of Kulshan Clayworks: Color Magic.

Workshop Time!

2/5/2018

 
I love taking my Clay Coil Illustration workshop to  new studios. Over the weekend I spent four hours at the Kirkland Arts Center getting to know some incredible people from all walks of life, with various levels of clay expertise. I was constantly astounded and delighted by what my students created while we shared some thought-provoking and entertaining conversation.


Is there a clay studio in your area that might like to host a workshop with me? Feel free to contact me!

Annual Give-Back at Good Earth Pottery

12/28/2017

 
PictureMug on the right by my GEP business partner, Deb Martin.
Winter Warmers~ Every January at Good Earth Pottery we like to give back to our community in a show of appreciation and sharing the love, for keeping us going all these [49!] years. This year, we raise a mug to you and ask you to raise a mug for your neighbors: Good Earth Pottery will donate 10% of every mug purchase in January to Maple Alley Inn, the Opportunity Council's hot meals program. Warm drinks, warm bellies, warm hearts. Cheers, Bellingham (and beyond)!

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    Ann Marie Cooper

    Consumed by a love of clay.

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