Steps – To Inspiration
For over 17 years, I created pottery pieces on the wheel. During those years, I created many designs using Horsehair, Raku, Obvara, and carbon firing techniques. My first piece fell apart as the intention was a tall vase. At the beginning of the process, it was really exciting, then it turned to be a lump of nothing clay spinning on a hopeless pottery wheel. Take heart this advise,
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- center clay before working with a piece.
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- make sure you don’t get excited and set the wheel speed fast.
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- pull up a clay wall using proper fingers and technique, takes skill and practice.
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- feel for air bubles as this can affect the firing of the piece
Too funny for words as I reflect, I didn’t follow these instructions. The idea pottery piece was in my head and in practice it was harder to do. This is how it turned out and thrown over 15 years ago but the memory was a great learning experience and this “look” inspired me to do more Raku firing. It is one of my favorite pieces!
Discovery – Finding My Way to ArtC-Designs
While and still attending classes at Spruill Arts Center in Atlanta, GA, I found my way to digital art and photography. Now, I take pottery to my next level and use the designs on the pottery piece as separate works of art enhancing the designs in photography and digital graphics, making new discovery of designs. Amazing how pottery designs can tell its own story. Just recently, I have expanded my creativity to AI for some of my work with proper rights disclosures.
It took me years to figure out how to share my love of pottery but not really sell any of my pieces. Working with just the designs and not selling the actual pieces gives me the opportunity to partner with print on demand platforms. An amazing solution for me. Why? My time is spent with more pottery work and the creative design process. Although art is important to me, family and friends are more important and print on demand marketplace allows me to do this. A good thing is that these storefronts are well established eCommerce stores so they know how to make you happy with great results.
Imagine – Creativity Ignites The Heart
Please explore my curated collections on Fine Art America, Pixels, Redbubble, Society6 and Zazzle which caters to diverse styles for customization. Everyday, I have a new idea and sometimes my friends point out new stuff. I threw a new blue Raku pottery piece and they saw houses, faces, and birds. I took photographs and when I looked at it again from the photographic perspective, yes, you can see it. See, another design coming around the corner. Ignites creativity, right?
Now – My Design Place, ArtC-Designs
I developed a nonprofit website a couple of years ago and my following has grown organically on this site. It displayed selected pottery on site. This second site, ArtC-Designs, I took a challenged leap and worked towards putting up my designs for an eCommerce focus. So, I hope you find a design you love. “Creativity Ignites The Heart” is my slogan and that said, please enjoy and explore.
Clayfully Yours, Kathy
