organising...

organising..., originally uploaded by lisatoni.

Ok, the countdown is really quite serious now... I'm not sure if my last batch to go in the kiln will be out in time... fingers crossed!
These wee things are all for etsy, I hope to continue small stuff in London, at least small stuff - then I can keep the shop going... Its been so great - people have paid me money for the things I have made! wicked.

slow days are over so quickly

yo-yos, theres a fantastic childhood bakery good I should never have forgotten about.

re-home

me and my stuff have to part ways. Its an unbearable concept so I'm 'not' thinking about it, and attempting to complicate things further by using up all of the clay at home... this could result in having a lot more stuff to part from, or a lot of incompletes floating around. Logan and I are moving to London, but I dont have my visa yet, I dont know when I will get it, fingers crossed everything is right and I will get it... I am stressing out about it, its true, I am a worrier.
Luckily the lovely Kirsty Rebbecca of the brand spanking new Lucien Midnight on Johnston st will sell my ceramic stuff for me. Its god awful ebay for my dresser and lamps and sewing machine and lounge suite and chairs and STUFF that freaks me. Which is why I haven't even started it.
haha . . . ?
Anyway, I have been stocking my etsy shop as things come out of the kiln, in the hope of flicking a few things off before depositing them in the real life shop.

process

process, originally uploaded by lisatoni.

I have been doing STUFF, I have just been a bit lazy keeping up to date with documenting everything.... I'm obsessed, I'm making, I'm using up all the clay and glaze and colour I have before its time to pack up and go.
If all goes well the timing will be perfect and all will emerge from the kiln in time to be finished and fingers crossed sold, or re-homed... it will be pretty tight!
xL

the return

ferry, originally uploaded by lisatoni.

oh New Zealand, so awesome,
miss you already!

flaky

some small things in the shop! quite a relief when it comes to my smash-in-the-post-anxiety. also,alarmingly enough, I have opened the bucket of porcelain slip I bought for all that christmas holiday productivity (bah haha) and have made some new plaster molds... exciting stuff - some photo evidence soon!

a-new

Its getting easier and easier to do less and less as the unemployed days clock up.
Grand plans for mass productivity over the holiday are all but lost, but in the interest of being one of those "I'll just do the dishes first, then tidy the desk, then get some washing on..."etc procrastinators I have listed the remains of last years (apart from the stuff still at school waiting to be fired) body of cup-mad work on etsy at mega sale cheap sell it all prices. fingers crossed it goes, I feel the need for a cleanse in order to start fresh! Also after a whole year (gasp how could you possibly wait?) I have employed my gocco and burned a couple of screens for some thank you notes and address cards, its a very cool little thing, more could come of it...

so, goodbye etsy packages, be safe!

tradgedy and triumph?

my two-for-one-scrawny-chicken pots sold quite well at the sale. hoorah for people liking them enough to buy them, but boo for me selling them at prices far lower than I would have liked. now Im not too sure where I stand in terms of sustainability of my craft (profitability is a dreamy vision).
Am I hooked on a hobby? why did my own mum think I had over priced everything!
Am going to have a far wiser crack at this commission of cups, keep myself safe from poverty and heartache- with money up front and an order of specific products at agreed prices and amounts. (could be a winner yet). Will also develop the black and white range, work on 2 more cast shapes and play with some fancier clay, that should keep me happy - even happier if I can get some stuff in shops ;)

out with the old

new work, originally uploaded by lisatoni.

a new direction for the holidays (still with the dreaded moulds- am not done with them yet!)... am pretty excited, I think these are finally 'me'.
am feeling a bit sad for the old work. like poor neglected chickens marked down for a quick sale in scrawny sets of two (!)

creeping

many things are creeping closer, ends, beginings, christmas, departures and arrivals, good news and bad...
will see what unfolds soon
its the time for shopping, so I have put a couple of things on etsy (gasp!) it seems a great way to test the water in terms of selling, costing and seeing if there is love for these slip cast babies!
also the Carlton Arts Centre exhibition and sale is very very soon, friday the 28th november 6-9pm and saturday and sunday 11-6pm. Check it out, loads of lovingly crafted ceramics and i dont doubt a few bargains to be had also (we are so terribly modest).

cup mad

cup mad, originally uploaded by lisatoni.

haha, some of the fun stuff to do within the limitations of repeated shapes. what am i saying.. i love repeated shapes.

distraction

Rightfully, I should be quite bald by now (with the pulling of my own hair through absolute frustration of my own design). But luckily Im not one to focus my full efforts on the project at hand, procrastination and dreaming do have a few plus sides...
Am still yet to get the full go ahead on my tea and coffee commission (picky picky!) so I have been using the rejected moulds for playing around with colours and transfers. hoping to generate some sets for sale - cute pairs may make good pressies...??

can I stop pulling my hair out yet?

a bit bland for my liking but... the idea is set now, these are the shapes, this is the colour... its work until its done then I can play with my new tissue transfers and pretty colours.
(I couldn't help myself on these trial cups though, with some very subtle resist patterns in the clear glaze)












apologies for continued crappy photography x

dribs

http://www.kirstencoelho.com/

mmm, pretty....
still fascinated with stacking, wanting to explore a set of 'geometric' and a set of 'organic' forms. All (hopefully) functional, some wobbly and some sound. Jugs and cups mostly - still have tea and coffee service on the brain.
There are some things out of the kiln, I need to take photos, but they are coming out in dribs and drabs - im such a whore for the grouping, i cant stand to post pictures of them all alone!

helping hand...

trying to get things done (making time)












and at the same time attempting to get through this stupidly large bag of coffee with my new friends plunger and grinder!
now to make the cups and saucers to drink the beloved coffee from... more on that soon.

ah ha!

I thought I was close to gone for good too.
I havent been making time for the internet lately, really a bit of a shocker, because I enjoy it and find it rewarding - so.. I must take some photos of my new work - the slip casting is all happening. Trials have been completed and new moulds have been made - will take a bit of time to get them through the kiln so I can offer an absolute final REAL example and then start manufacturing. Have also been having concerns that the quality is shit (I break every second one, is this normal?) may have to make twice as many if that is going to be the case....
heres a sneak peak - I was trying to get a slate green thing happening, but its really blue grey. but anyway soon your coffee and tea service may be transformed! I hope!

appreciation

some amazing things I had to buy over the past few weeks...
Lisa Boyter cups
Laura Walker button
Bridget Bodenham ring
porcelain pleasures!!!
























sadly funds have now dried up entirely, and thus I will re-focus on solving my own ceramic puzzles... the stacking cups mock ups were quite successful, and I can actually see the potential in the idea (a fusion of tall things and tea cups - what could be better than a functional/non functional combo?). The casting of the cups has had some success, the hunt for red continues, I have now branched into tinting my own glaze (exciting - should see the samples out of the kiln on tuesday) so hoping for a breakthrough there. Also have had interest (from workmates mostly) in selling cups since I dished out the pink ones, apparently they are nice to drink tea out of and would make good gifts! so thats pretty exciting. Will be off to northcote next week to expand my colour palette and make up a range of slips and knock out some cup pairs.. wish me luck!

clearly pink

clearly pink, originally uploaded by lisatoni.

I'm over the disappointment now. it was a bit traumatic to see so very much pink when one is trying to achieve red.
luckily I visited the good people at northcote pottery this afternoon and was reassured that I should indeed let the whole silly idea go as frankly its not going to happen. Red could happen but not functional food safe red. it all makes sense now.
(to be honest my application of the pink wasnt exactly quality either, lots to work on still!)

the goodness inside

inside out why do I not subscribe to you?
shapes colours and collections that speak to me on every second page. too good.

more bowls

freehand bowl set, originally uploaded by lisatoni.

another black on white obsession.
bowls again of course, so simple, so open.