finishing up

I woke up energised and ready to complete the process of glazing the pottery pieces that we had completed over the past few weeks. I choose to use glaze colours which I believe speak to me as a Caribbean potter. I love using black, blue, green, yellow and red. During my meditation to decide what colours to use and how to execute the designs, I decided to return to use a combination I used years ago, and also one which I returned to from time to time. What I call the 'liberation or Caribbean colours'...red, green, yellow and black. I also decided to do some faces and locks as a background design for some of the pieces. I have always loved playing with faces in my work. And the locks well you know...I am inspired by it too.

I promised photos to tell the story this time around.

I began working on the pieces seen below. After the clay is fired is reddish brown. I have just completed putting on the yellow glaze. At this stage it looks whitish. The real colour of the glaze will be evident after it is fired.

There is quite a number of pieces to complete. Some of the pieces were done last night. Some still need to be glazed on the inside.

As I worked a couple of ladies visited the shop. They purchased a couple pieces. I also received a phone call from one of my sisters in the US. Since I working alone and I had a meeting with a potential client, I had to stay focussed on completion. After applying the glazes and cleaning the bottom of all the pieces, I signed each piece before packing the kiln for the second firing.

You can see the little turtles which are going along for the ride between cups and bowls. I use these to make windchimes. It was an extremely hot day. I kept going back and forth from the house to the studio. I packed pieces into a box to make the process easier both on my legs and my flagging energy.There are shot glasses, boxes and bowls.

The top shelves got the plates and coasters.

I say a prayer and let it rip. The timer on the kiln was set for ten hours. I looked at the clock, it was 1.35pm and my meeting was scheduled for 1.30pm. I heard my phone going off. I couldn't find it. By the time I located it...a missed call from the prospective client. I called them back and told them I am on my way. I quickly washed my face, and some other parts of the body which was dripping with sweat, towelled of quickly, hunted for a dress, packed the three sample scounces and was out the door.

Two of the scounce samples.

The kiln fired for eight hours. I took a peep in it a few hours ago to see the results of the firing. The kiln was still quite hot eighteen hours later.

You'll see the results of the firing in my next blog.

The creative process continues....glazing pottery

The bisque firing yeilded some beautiful pieces. A brilliant dark red earth colored pottery. I didnt stop to take photos!! If I do, I will insert them before publishing this post.

After unpacking the kiln, Steve washed all the pieces so as to get the loose clay dust of the pieces. He placed them on a large flat surface and left them to dry in the mid-morning sun. In the meantime, I meditated, ah well, I needed to rest after having spent the better part of the morning straightening out the gallery and the rest of the house. This meditative period gave me the opportunity to decide the designs and the underglaze and glaze colors I would use to decorate the pottery today. This is the final stage of the process of creating a piece of pottery. Adding color to the natural pottery color using glazes can be a daunting task. Although, I use prepared glazes I know I may get a surprise after the glaze firing is complete. Currently, I am using Amaco glazes but I was recently introduced to Speedball glazes, so I am still in the process of testing how I can use it to get the effects that I want.

I started the process of decorating with glazes by using an underglaze color to create designs on the pieces.

I then applied the gloss glazed colors.

It's late and I'm tired. I've been doing this all day. At some point, in the later afternoon, I left Steve alone to do some of the glazing. I had already applied designs and glazes on the outside of the pieces and I now needed him to put clear glaze on the insides of the pieces. I left him to do that while I went to look after our baby. For some reason, I returned after putting the baby's diaper on to find that he was busy using a leaf green glaze on the insides. I just about 'lost it'. I shooed him away, while verbalizing my dismay, I also told hi to take over the baby duty!! I quickly took the brush and started fixing the mess he was making. In the split second that I recognised the error, I also realised that I most definitely wasn't going to change it. There was no way I was going to waste all my time and the glazes to change this. Old folks use to have a saying 'every mistake is a style'. So I took the brush and tried to smooth out the glaze and cover some areas that he missed. Luckily, he hadn't done to many.

He must have decided to leave at some point after I took over from him again to care for my hollering child. Once she was settled I returned to the complete the final set of pieces I had to design and glaze. I was successful in getting through the design process. I will tackle the rest of it tomorrow. Steve called to apologize for the mess up. I told him it's okay but I will have his head if after the firing it looks awful (lol). The leaf green is one of my best-selling colors so there really isn't anything to stress about. Tomorrow, we continue the process to completion.

I guess I'm publishing without photos. I promise my next post will be photos showing the some aspects of the process.

Until....

Honoring the morning!!!

I wake in the morning with a smile on my face. The Almighty Creator has blessed me with another day. Another to live, to love, to work, to play, to pray, to share to give thanks!!

Most mornings, at The Potter's House, in Camps Estate, St. Kitts, I wake up to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees just outside my bedroom windows. The mango trees, the flowering bouganvillia and yellow bells, the banana trees. I listen to the tweetering of the birds as they jump from branches to alight on mangoes, to peck at them before I can get to the still almost green fruit. The clucking and crowing of roosters and hens and their tiny chicks form part of the music along with the sound of the footsteps of someone walking on the road which runs through the village. These are the sounds I hear as I get out of bed to stretch and pray and welcome the day.

Soon, baby Stara will awake and so to Miss Kande. I plan on doing some exercise and I would prefer if they continue to enjoy their beautiful morning slumber, I'm not always lucky. I fill a glass with water, I then open the front door to absorb the morning sun. I see the sun, not so brilliant today as it struggles to pierce it's strong light through the cloudy sky. I notcie that the family of chickens seem to have expanded overnight. I wonder for a moment, but not the first time, why I continue to feed them scraps of food when I get no eggs. I enjoy the sight of these avaricious creatures as they forage for their breakfast. I watch them nibble on mangoes which fell overnight. I should have made that my first priority...to pick up the fallen fruit. I continue to seep on a glass of cool water as I await my personal trainer. We have an arrangement to meet twice a week at 6am but it is 6.30am and he hasn't arrived as yet. I lay the mats and enjoy the morning, breathing and praying and absorbing the beauty of the day. Stara appears, crying. I quieten her down and share with her some of my water. We enjoy this time together.

My trainer arrives with his girlfriend and starts what turns out to be a really good workout. I try to incorporate Stara as much as I can so that she won't throw a tantrum.

We end the workout with some yoga, honouring the new day, the morning! He then went up in the trees and picked mangoes and I finally sunk my teeth into the wonderfully succulent fruit. What a way to start the day! I give thanks!

packing the kiln

Today, I am completing the packing of my kiln. It is housed in my outdoor studio, here at The Potter's House. The goats have come by to see how many mangoes have fallen from the trees so that they can consume them for breakfast. This is my second kiln. I bought my first kiln back in 1995. It was an Aim kiln. I used it for about eleven (11) years before I bought my second kiln, an Olympic, in 2006. It is a larger kiln, measuring 23" wide x 30" high. Sometimes, I find it a challenge to pack it 'fill it' so as to maximize it's efficiency. So these past two weeks we have been very busy producing pottery. I concentrated mostly on throwing on the wheel, while Steve produced some pieces using the slab technique. Some of the larger pieces still has a couple more days before it is completely dried. Pieces have to be 'bone' dry before they are fired, so that they won't explode in the kiln.

Since this is a top-loading Kiln, I normally start packing the kiln by placing the largest and tallest pieces on the bottom, then I fill in the smaller pieces. I place three of the tallest kiln posts at approximately equal distances apart before adding another kiln shelf. In the photo, you see that this is a 'bisque' or 'biscuit' firing. The pieces are all 'greenware' i. e. air-dried, unfired clay pieces. In a firing like this, pieces can touch each other. While in a 'glaze' firing pieces must be at least 1/2" apart to prevent them from adhering to each other.

On the middle shelves I have packed smaller pieces:- bowls, animal shapes for wind chimes and for wall hangings, coasters, shot glasses and there is also a piggy bank which my daughter Kande made, that's going along for the ride. She made sure I didn't forget to put it in.

Here on the top shelf, I have placed some pieces which are still in the process of drying, along with some small vases, votive candle holders and incense oil burners. The slightly damp pieces are a bit darker than the drier pieces. Late last week, I met someone who is currently doing a development on the island and he asked me to show him some samples of wall sconces. So far we have completed three different designs. While Steve was responsible for the construction of the pieces, we discussed and looked at some designs prior to him executing them. The company uses an 'angel' fish as their motif, so I have incorporated that into the design. Notice the cutouts on the pieces. Since we would like these pieces to be part of this firing, we are hoping to fire the kiln they dry out completely. That may be tomorrow or the day after. In the meantime production continues....

teaching pottery at The Potter's House, St. Kitts

The children from the Ross University Preparatory School at the Potter's House in August 2007. They look on as I show give them an exercise in using clay to create just about anything they could dream up. Mostly they made butterflies, fish, airplanes and other little toy creatures. It was a packed one day workshop . They had lots of fun.

The UNESCO Youth Path Project brought a group of youths from the North of St. Kitts to spend a day with me in August of 2007. I took them on a journey from clay preparation to making of a piece of pottery during the course of the day. I showed them how to make a few items which I thought they could relate to. Most of them succeeded in making miniatures of the Yabba and coal pot.

Children cleaning clay at the Pottery and Art Camp held at The Potter's House, summer of 07

A bonfire firing of clay pieces.

Particants at work making Yabba pots during the UNESCO sponsored Pottery Workshop of January 2007, held at The Potter's House, St. Kitts

Participants are happily stirring a pail full of clay which has been softened with water and brought to a thick, creamy consistency.

A participant laughs as she sifts clay into a pail covered in canvas fabric.

The Rastaman is surrounded by pails and globs of clay.

The year 2007 was a busy year for me in terms of training others in the art of pottery making. The UNESCO workshop ran from January 22nd to February 2nd of 2007. We used clay which I had sent over from the Newcastle Pottery in Nevis. Almina Cornelius, the potter at that pottery came over a couple of days to assist in the facilitation of this workshop. Participants were taken on a journey from preparing the raw clay to making of the items to firing it in the tradional way on a bonfire, using exterior of the dried coconuts. The particpants, by the end of the two-week workshop was fully able to appreciate the beauty of their finished pieces.

How I started selling my pottery

When I first started making pottery about sixteen years ago, I didn't envisage that I would have been able to make a living out through the sales of pottery. My first sojourn into sales of pottery, came through a girlfriend, Dale Isaac, a hat designer. She invited me to come with her to the Four Seasons Hotel in Nevis. I was very nervous about taking that step. She had seen my pottery lining the shelves at my house and felt it was time to make a step into selling. I wasn't so sure about that. That uneasy feeling remained with me as we boarded the Four Seasons boat at the mariner. Other artisans and boutique owners, most of whom I knew, were also making the trip. The show we were heading to was called 'Charlestown Marketplace'. It was an event put on by the Four Seasons for companies who were bringing their top people to the island for a holiday. This was my first of what would be many events like this over the coming years. As I recall that day, I sold two pieces of pottery. By the next day however, I received a call from the owner of The Golden Lemon. At that time this was one of the premier hotels on the island. It had made the 100 best small hotels in the world list and many natble people had stayed there, The Royals of England and other places, Oprah Winfrey and many other very wealthy people. So you can imagine how I felt when I was asked to bring my pottery so that he could see it, possibly to carry it in two of his three shops, the Palm Crafts in downtown Basseterre and the shop at The Golden Lemon. My emotions ran the gamut, from nervousness, to excitement to loss. I had made these pieces from my heart and soul and selling them wasn't something I really wanted to do. The Golden Lemon is located in Dieppe Bay, St. Kitts, about 15 miles from the town of Basseterre, driving in either direction, east or west. I decided to go there, driving on the east coast and return via the west coast. I arrived in the small village, drove down the lane towards the beach, parked my car under the tall coconut palm trees. I walked through the gate into the beautiful landscaped gardens. I recalled, the wedding luncheon that me and my now ex-husband had there in 1987. I was greeted by Martin Kreiner, who was part of the group at Four Seasons. As it turned out, he had observed my work and decided to share his 'find' with his friend and partner Arthur Leaman, the owner of the hotel. The couple had started the hotel, as it turns our in the same year I was born, 1963. I was offered a drink, as we chatted about my sojourn into pottery. As I seeped on my drink, my eyes feasted on the beautiful antique furniture and exquisite ceramics and other works of art. My training as an Interior Designer, brought home to me the fact that this elegant place was indeed very worthy of its reputation, as one of the best small hotels. The question as to whether these people would like my work crip into my mind and I am not so sure. I unwrap each piece of pottery to the 'ohs' and 'ahs' and 'oh how interesting' or 'beautiful'. I feel better but I am still nervouse. Arthur, asked me the prices on the pieces and we made up a list. The pottery I made at that time was one-of-a-kind handbuilt pieces, some highly burnished with smooth stones, made using local clay which I had dug up in Nevis and I had fired it using dried coconut fronds, dried coconut and wood. Some of the pieces I had at the time were left with that natural look - dark red and black. Mr. Leaman bought ALL the pieces. I went home with a nice check, happy but sad!!! I wondered as to whether I would be able to remake these pieces. I had taken photos of the pieces but I just wasn't sure that I could do it again. I also now had an order for more faces and whatever other pieces I would dream up. Was I going to be able to dream up new pieces? I just didn't know. He had also mentioned wanting to see some colour on my pieces...Oh boy, I had work to do now and I had no idea whether I was going to be able to do it. The year was 1993.

Today, as I sit here typing this blog, two groups of people have already visited The Potter's House for the day and it's not yet noon. I was successful in selling to one group. The other group said they were just enjoying the flitting by areas of interest on the island. I have had a busy past week, selling my pottery. I normally sell at The Marriott Hotel, St. Kitts on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am - 3.30pm, X's Shiggidy Shack on Thursday nights 5pm - 10pm and the Amina Craftmarket on Saturdays 8am - 4pm. The sense of nervousness at selling what I make still assailes me from time to time. I am sometimes unsure as whether what I am making will appeal to my patrons. When I receive a large order, the feeling returns to haunt me...do I have the ability to complete it. In the end, I produce and I sell and I get lots of great reviews, the most popular one is 'what pretty pottery'. I smile and I continue, because somewhere, within me there is a great guiding spirit which takes over and does all of this great work for me. I give thanks to the Creator who works through me and for me.

Carla

my introduction to clay preparation

Many persons, upon introduction to pottery, will use clay which is already prepared for their use. The prepared clay normally comes in plastic bags and weighs about twenty-five (25) pounds. The clay may be red, white, black or yellow. (Now you know how we come to have different complexions, remember The Creator created us from clay) My introduction into pottery began some sixteen years ago. I attended a pottery workshop which was held here in St. Kitts, at the Venezuelan Institute for Culture and Cooperation. The Sculptor/potter was Venezuelan and he was used to finding and and preparing clay for his use. So, this was how I started. I remember us going on a hike down to the South Eastern peninsula of St. Kitts. A narrow strip of land about six miles long, which boasts some of the best beaches on the island. The Government of the day, had recently built a highway which started at the third round-about at Frigate Bay and ended at Majors Bay. The highway started with a steep climb up a hill which had once been part of a mountain. The exposed sides of the road showed that there was a strip of red clay which could be easily accessed by anyone walking up the hill. I knew the hill well, since I had spent many afternoons huffing and puffing my way up the hill as my preferred form of exercise. So Senor Aguinzones brought us to this spot on the hill. With shovels,pickaxes and our buckets we filled up on this dark red substance. After leaving the peninsula we went to Conaree, a small hillside village just north-east of Basseterre. Someone had mentioned that there was clay there too. We found a pit with some grayish very stony looking substance. He confirmed that this too, was clay. At the end of the morning he gave us instructions as to what we should bring to class the next day. We needed to bring with us a sheet of canvas fabric and a sifter or strainer with a fine mesh. When we arrived back at the Institiute where the workshop was being conducted, he instructed us to cover our clay with water and begin stirring it, until the mixture came to a very creamy consistency. We left class that day feeling very tired and our clothers were extremely dirty.

The next day, the Senor instructed us to sift our clay from one bucket into another. What a chore. There was quite alot of sharp stones and particles between the clay. It wasnt an easy exercise. I developed a rhythm. I would dip a small container in the mixture of water and clay and pour it into the sifter, then I'd run my finger through it until all the clay had passed through the sift leaving only the stone particles behind, which was then tossed aside. By the end of that day's class I had sifted a huge bucket of clay. The consistency was a thick, almost ice-cream like consistency. The canvas fabric lined the inside of the container we had sifted the clay into. By the next day, we returned to see that the clay had settled and the water was all around the canvas fabric The fabric ws tired like a bag at the top so all that was needed was to pick up the bag of clay out of the water. It would be another two days before the clay was fit for use, using this age-old method of clay production. When the clay was ready, we realised that it was now a thick, heavy mass of a substance. Finally, ready-to-work clay! We were now ready for the next step in clay preparation.

As I look back over the past sixteen years, I realise that these early lessons in clay preparation greatly assisted. The clay which we used was unsuccessful. It did not survive the journey which would result in the piece becoming a ceramic product. That is to say, the pieces did not survive the firing. I would continue making pottery using clay from Nevis. I made many trips by boat, across the waters to Nevis, the sister-island of St. Kitts. There are women on Nevis who have been working in this ancient craft all their lives. The methods they used was handed down from mother to daughter over the centuries. These are same methods used in parts of Africa and other places around the world. The art of using local clay to make beautiful hand-built pottery is as old as civilised man. The clay on Nevis is very resilient. On my first trip there, I found an old, partially crippled, very wonderful lady, named Veronica. I spent a day with her. She not only showed me some of her techniques, but she also had her grandson take me to a place where I could dig for clay. I returned by boat, to St. Kitts and my home, with a few bags of clay. Over the next few days, I would follow, step by step the method of preparing clay. I would use this many times over the next two years, until I discovered another clay, one which was prepared for me. But, a potter must always know how to prepare clay, since pottery is a very humbling artform, the need to recycle clay would be of utmost importance to profitable production.

It aren't easy to get 'work' done!!

I woke up tired from a rough night which included sponging my baby girl and administering medicine to her. She woke up in the middle of the night with a temperature. I had planned to produce pottery but I felt more like crawling back into bed. I had to take the baby to her daycare since she was in great spirits cause keeping her home would mean that I would get no work done. I had to take my older daughter and the french exchange student who is visiting us, to the Alliance Francais for their summer program. A friend called to say he needed me to transport him to The Marriott Hotel at Frigate Bay, where we sell our crafts. I told him I wasn't sure I could do that since I wanted to leave home early. I had planned to pick up Steve, my ex living partner and the father of my baby. He and I had discussed him coming back to work with me so that we could produce pieces. And today was the day to start. After all, I had taught him quite alot and he knew my routine plus he had also taken part in a thirteen week pottery course which was held locally at The Crafthouse here in St. Kitts. We had had quite a lot of personal drama over the past months but I was willing to put it aside now so that we could 'work together'.

As I set out from The Potter's House with my children and the young french boy, I heard a strange sound. Lo and behold, I had a flat tire. I looked at it. I looked around. There was no help insight and sorry to say, maybe I do know, somewhere in my head, how to change a tire, but there was no way I was going to attempt that. I decided instead, to drive slowly up to a mechanic's shop, a short drive up the street. As I endured the sound of the flapping tire I wondered if I was doing more harm than good to it. At the top of the road, I stopped and walked the rest of the way to the shop. The mechanic, a friendly rastaman with the same make of jeep as mine but very well taken care of and nicely sprayed a hot shade of red with Lions and Haile Selassie and other artwork tastefully done on it, was there. I scolded him for the fact that he didn't answer his cell. Yes, I did try calling him before I dragged my vehicle up the hill. Anyway, no problem, he had forgotten his cell in his jeep, he said as he picked up the necessary tools to assist me. We walked to my vehicle, which was parked on the main road and he quickly changed my tire for me. He took the flat one off to fix it. During the changing of the tires, a girlfriend on her way into Basseterre, took my daughter and the boy to their destination. I no longer had that stop to make. I quickly called my friend and asked him if he still needed my assistance and he said yes. In the meantime, Steve is texting to find out why am I taking so long and I let him know I am dealing with a flat but I will be there soon. I tried to calculate my time, because I was losing time. Doing pottery today, doesn't include driving around. I drop off the baby, then I pickup my friend...it's a long drive to the hotel, well at least ten minutes both ways but that seems too long. On my way back, I notice my radiator is overheating...What a day!!! I know I put in water before I left home but this old buggy just can't take long drives and fast driving I slow down a bit. I get to Conaree, the village where Steve lives. He is sitting peacefully under a huge Flamboyant tree with his bag of tools slung over his shoulder. I tell him that the radiator is overheating so we'll need to wait a while before we head to The Potter's House. After a few minutes, he decides to remove the radiator cap to release the pressure. Later he adds water, while the jeep is idling. I make a mental note to ask him later if this is the best way to add water to the radiator, since I normally do it early in the morning. Later, I do get to ask him and he explained that I must only add water with the jeep idling when the radiator is hot. Finally, we head to the house to work. I don't want to tell you what my head feels like, it is about to burst and sleep would be my best friend right now.

This is the reason why working with someone is so important to getting work done. When you work where you live, your bed is nearby and so the temptation to go into it is very real. Of course there are also many other distractions but today, I want to sleep and I want to work and one of the two has to win. This day has had enough distractions already and I am running way behind the time I had hoped to begin work. But it's all good... We are here and ready finally to work...I think.

I take my time over a bowl of cereal, while Steve cleans his work station. He normally works in an area in the gallery, behind one of the shelving units which he constructed a few years ago, for the gallery. He grumbles under his breath about the mess I have created at his table. I ignore him, after all it's been a while since he was last there, and I had been using there to work. I take a walk out to my studio and decide to prepare some clay for us to use. I place some soft clay on the wedging board. It is too soft to work with so I leave it to air out, and instead I focus on wedging (kneading the clay into an airless ball) clay which was just the right consistency and was ready to be used. As I wedge a five pound ball of clay I decided to start by producing some items which would not be to taxing on me given my sleep deprived state. I return to the house and I search for one of my plaster of paris press mould. I succeeded in pressing about four dozen small pieces. These will be used later, after they are fired and glazed to make wind chimes. Of course, I didn't sit there and press them in one sitting. I chatted with Steve now and again, I ate a couple times. Steve produced some clay coasters and made some picture frames. He uses a slower and more time-consuming process for the production of his pieces - The slab method. I think the day was successful, but I did hope to make some pieces on the potter's wheel before I picked up the children but it wasn't to be. The clay was still too soft. Tomorrow we will continue. Now, to get some sleep please!!!