Show at the Garden

Please join me next Saturday, June 21, 2014 for the annual Northern California Art by Fire "Show at the Garden." It promises to be a visual feast of handmade ceramics and art glass created by some of the finest regional artists in our area! Admission is FREE and the location is easy to get to:

Shepard Garden and Art Center
3330 McKinley Blvd.
Sacramento, CA

Save the Date: June 21, 2014, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

See you soon.

Spoons

I have been excited about making ceramic spoons. I love the way they seem to form themselves. Each one unique and rustic. I can't wait to put these in the kiln and decorate them! After they are glazed, I will show you the results.

EHAG for April!

Hello all of my Halloween enthusiast collector type of peeps!! Here is my offering for this month's EHAG-Eclectic Halloween Artists Guild! This sweet treat is now available in my Etsy (shop name: "sharonbloom")shop tonight along with some other dishes.

Etsy

It's been a little while since I have had new work in my Etsy shop, but here it is!! 
Take a peek and have a beautiful weekend. Happy Easter.

I Got Mail!

Did you ever have one of those days or weeks when everything feels off center and the world at large is spinning lopsided too? I have. The last couple of weeks seemed to be filled with challenging events and situations but then…………………I opened my little mailbox and found this gift from my friend, Christine Phelps all the way over in Connecticut:

Timing is everything. And somehow she knew I needed this message in the form of a beautiful, handmade painted card to lift my spirits. This is her “Pay It Forward” piece. A project that we both took on earlier this year. She did indeed pay it forward. Thank you Christine! 

AWOL

I want to share a place so magical and inviting that I even hesitate to post this. It’s the home to my creative muse and I covet it dearly. It sparkles with light and color like no other gallery I have ever been too.  And it’s driving distance from my house. All good. The gallery, AWOL, Art Without Labels is just that.

AWOL is a an art collective of artists with developmental disabilities. It is located in Petaluma, CA.  The artists work with an instructor that guides them and helps them expose their natural  gifts. Paintings, ceramics, prints, wearable art, and other mixed media artworks fill the walls and shelves of this working studio/gallery space.

The world is so fortunate to have these wonderfully, talented people that share their pure artistic vision with us. I adore these paintings, now in my own collection.

To quote Pablo Picasso, “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

I finally get it. If only I could paint this freely and purely express myself, then I would know the wonder that the artists of AWOL have already mastered. 

Cottage Jar

Here is a new piece freshly fired. What do you imagine putting in this container? 

I Like These

Sometimes being an artist can be exhausting. My mind spins at a warp speed with dozens of ideas at one time. It is not fun. But when I can calm the flow of thought a little bit, I am able to create at a good pace. 

Here are some new small dishes that I made using the new techniques used from the recent workshop I attended. I am happy to have some new colors and surfaces to explore!

First, I created these forms using pinch pot techniques. Basically, hand-forming. Once I got into a rhythm, it was very relaxing.

After bisque firing the pieces, I used glazes and underglazes to decorate. The sky was the limit here. The colors stay true, but soften a bit. I am still learning more about this method and enjoying every minute of it.

Maiolica Watercolor Workshop

On February 22, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop taught by the lovely and talented Laurie Curtis of Point Reyes, CA. Laurie has been a ceramic artist for over 15 years and creates beautiful hadmade pottery featuring subtle and delicately painted fruit and botanical themes painted on maiolica funtional wares. Her pieces are constructed from Italian terracotta clay with a white base glaze. Motifs are painted on the surface of the unfired glaze using pigment stains and underglazes. The effect of this watercolor style painting on her pieces offers depth and uniqueness to all of her work. I really like the painterly style of this technique and wish to explore it further in my own work.

Maiolica Bowl by Laurie Curtis

Laurie Curtis' Studio

Learning new techniques from other artists and connecting with creative people really gives me a boost and inspires me to push myself in new directions. Please check out Laurie's other workshops, which she offers ongoing throughout the year. The setting is peaceful and the views are fantastic in the coastal community of Point Reyes. And Laurie is very generous with her sharing of information. Below are some photos of pieces before and after kiln firing. Also check out Laurie's video of the technique! (Links do not show up in Internet Explorer).

Tile and small bowl decorated with white glaze, stains, and underglazes before firing.

Plate decorated with white glaze, underglazes, stains and wax resist over cat figure before firing. 

Cat plate and bowl after kiln firing.

Tile before kiln firing with scraffito.

A New Painting

It has been a while since I had the time to sit and paint. I wanted to share it with you and show you some of the progression in creating it. I used transparent watercolors, gouache, acrylic, colored pencil and ink. Stay tuned for more new work coming soon. Enjoy the view!

Paying It Forward

One day, late in January, this post appeared in my Facebook news feed. It was a large block of text and that caught my attention. I see dozens of news feed posts every day on the FB feed, and this one stuck out from the others. It didn’t have any glitzy photo or a cute puppy with big eyes. Here is the post from January 24, 2014:

To start this year off in a loving way, I'm participating in this Pay-It-Forward initiative:- the first 5 people who comment on this status with "I'm in" will receive a surprise from me at some point in this calendar year - anything from a book, a ticket, something home-grown or made, a postcard, absolutely any surprise! There will be no warning and it will happen when the mood comes over me and I... find something that I believe would suit you and make you happy. These 5 people must make the same offer in their FB status. Copy this text on your profile (don't share) so we can form a web of connection and kindness. Let's do more nice and loving things for each other in 2014, without any reason other than to make each other smile and to show that we think of each other. Here's to a more enjoyable, more friendly and love-filled year xoxo

I cannot even remember who initially posted it. It only took me a few moments to read the post and decide to participate. I quickly imagined what kind of piece I would send to the 5 people that decided to take this journey with me:  a handmade Valentine! As soon as I re-posted the Pay –It-Forward Initiative, I had my five fellow  travelers. Upon commenting, “I’m in!” these individuals also commit to carrying on the paying it forward movement by posting the info on their own page and gathering their own peeps.

Just think what a little thing like this could do for the world. Spreading a bit of cheer and loving thought around the globe! I challenge you to consider taking a small step in your own lives and beginning your own “Pay-It-Forward” project. I have had a great time creating special artworks to send out to my participants.