What is it?

Over the summer I didn't spend as much time in the studio as I really wanted to.  However, I spent a lot of time creating my own studio at home.  I have to tell you, I thought this would be a very easy task.  Just buy a few things, put it all in a shed, done.  Not the case at all.  There is a lot to think about such as air filtration, plumbing for water, electric, etc.  I spent countless hours on the net and reading books until I came up with a studio layout that I thought would work best for me.  I did, however, spend a few midnight sessions after work throwing some clay because I missed it so much.  ;)  All this hard work and sacrifice will really pay off when my studio is completed and I have a great space to create in.

What I would like to accomplish this year is to become even better at throwing clay on the wheel and to try my hand at art silver clay.  I never plan what I am going to make too specifically.  I find that as long as I have a general shape in mind, the rest will work itself out on the wheel.  All of my work is functional, I do not really like to make abstract artwork that has no real function.  This is not to say that other's work is "bad', I just don't particularly like making that type of art.  I like knowing that someone admired my piece and is using it in their everyday life.  Below is one of my vases I created last semester.

*Some of my favorite ceramic artists are: 

Pieter Stockman - because of the clean lines, the thinness of the walls, and his use of color.

Bill van Gilder - because of his colorful pots, his teaching ability, and the fact that everything he makes serves a functional purpose.

Amedeo Salamoni - I think the faces on the cups are fantastic and who couldn't admire a great potter who lives right near you!
Teresa Chang - I love her simplicity of lines, the functionality of all her work, and the teapots are gorgeous.