Internalized Combustion

October 15, 2011 in Artist, artists, Ceramics, In The Studio, jewelry, Uncategorized

I was first introduced to Saggar Firing by Steve Smith of the Four Corners Gallery and Smithworks Studio in response to a desire to create porcelain or stoneware pieces for a necklace that didn’t require glaze.  I wanted a beautiful rich color that was incredibly strong, lightweight, and unique.  Initially I had thought Raku would be the direction for these pieces but after determining the lower heat would not produce a strong enough piece and listening to the description of Saggar Firing, I was determined this was the way to go.

Over the last year or so I’ve tested this concept and design several times.  Finally, after hours of playing I’ve developed a technique and a finished design that conveys everything I wanted:

  • Femininity of character
  • Strength both literally and figuratively
  • Bold Style
  • Tribal sensibility

Steve’s initial description of the process intrigued me on a level even beyond the technical firing aspects.  When Steve is passionate about something, you read that passion in every nuance of his presentation.  He leaned in close.  Using his hands and in a low voice he described gently burying the spears of porcelain in fine sawdust inside a worn looking pot with a lid.  Once all the pieces are buried, the lid is placed on the container and it is placed into the kiln to be fired.

It is what happens inside that lidded jar that intrigued me so and still, two years after my first Saggar Firing continues to capture my imagination.  The environment is lacking oxygen because of the lid.  The combustible materials smolder and fume, turn to carbon.  The black carbon is attracted to the pure white porcelain and infuses itself, forming a bond that is as permanent as it is beautiful.

His low voiced description of this process started my wheels turning.  This process sounds like the same process that has happened inside my head for years.  There are so many thoughts, issues, concepts that I clamp a lid down on tightly, place them away from the light in order to ignore them so I can go about my day.  In this dark place the ideas smolder. The dark residue attaches itself to my innocence.  The pure whiteness is gone but what remains is stronger and equally beautiful.

The necklace itself if comprised of these porcelain or stoneware spears interspersed with and suspended from freshwater pearls or, which I like to think of as pearls of wisdom gained through years of experience, and gemstones representing all the people in my life that have sparkled and danced with me.

Sushi Class with Chef Bill Shearer

January 14, 2011 in Uncategorized

Every time I travel to a large city I seek out sushi.  Rarely, however, is it as tasty as the culinary stylings of my friend and chef Bill Shearer.

A couple months ago, in the midst of a random late-night Facebook Chat I asked if he would consider teaching a Sushi Class.  Miraculously, to me at least, he said YES!  As a result, we offer you a Sushi Class taught by the fabulous Chef Bill!

That said, much good food will be made, consumed and each participant will walk away with a new knowledge and appreciation for the culinary art that is Sushi.

Class Fee:  $75
Saturday, February 5th
12 Noon, 2:00, 4:00 and 6:00 classes available
You will receive instruction to make the following (and also get to eat):

  • Sushi Rice
  • Two appetizers:  Cucumber Salad & Gomae
  • California Roll Inside Out
  • Spicy Tuna Roll (or spicy crab)
  • Veggie Roll
  • Nigiri
  • Miso Soup
  • Gunpowder Green Tea
  • Not in this order. ;)

All the items will be prepared in handmade ceramic vessles.  Chef Bill, aside from entertaining and educating you, will teach you how to properly plate the sushi before you enjoy your beautifully prepared meal.

You will leave the class with the tools to make sushi at home as well as all the recipes for the items you’ll make in class.

The only thing you need to bring is yourself, a desire to learn, your appetite and a sharp thin-bladed knife to cut the materials.

A variety of hot tea and sake will be provided.

Class space is limited and the class fees must be paid in advance so the chef is able to properly plan for the amount of foods required as he will be procuring the fresh ingredients the morning of the class.  Unfortunately, refunds will not be available if you are unable to attend the class after reserving the space unless you cancel more than 7 days in advance.

Stop in to the gallery, email S Type Creative or give us a call at 567-694-4750 to reserve your seat in the class now!

!NEW! Orange Cream

December 15, 2010 in In The Studio, Uncategorized

“The tinkling sound of the ice cream truck’s music is growing louder.  The anticipation is building.  Begging Mom for JUST ENOUGH money to buy ONE push up pop.  PLEASE?!?!?!?  Running full-out from the the back door to the street terrified you might miss him.  You get there JUST in the nick of time and order a push up pop.  The orange goodness leaks out the bottom and runs to your elbow as you try to eat it before it melts yet you want nothing more than to savor every bite at the same time.
That’s what the new Orange Cream candle smells like.  Go ask your mom for some money to buy one!”

Once we finally lock the doors on the shop, we start the process of magic in the back room.  Cody, Caleb, Joel, Jeff and I all put on our mad scientists’ lab coats last night and heated up 30 pounds of wax.  If it would stand still long enough for me to pour wax into it, I did…hence the cool Apollo 12 and Apollo 13 candles which are also our new Orange Cream fragrance…inspired by the Tang that the astronauts allegedly drank in space.  Oh sure, there were a few shenanigans happening during the process, one member of the crew might have had a little musical A.D.D. that created some chaos but then again, it also spurred on more than one dancing session and even a few moments of what I think was an attempt at Irish step dancing.  Never a dull moment here.

New fragrances abound in the studio.  The list of available fragrances for candles has doubled this holiday season thanks to the new noses helping me choose scents.  We’ll delight your olfactories with our pthalate-free fragrances.

Why soy wax?  It burns 2-3 times longer than paraffin candles and puts off virtually no soot.  The fragrance throw is better…meaning you can smell it more and for a longer period of time when you light it in your room.  Even after you blow out your pure soy candle you’ll smell it for a couple of hours!

And now for the best part…drum roll please…Soy wax is made from Soy Beans.  Soy Beans are grown in the United States.  Then the soy beans are processed into soy wax here in the good ol’ U.S.A. too.  The fragrance oils are also produced here in the U.S.  The products are delivered to Distributors in the U.S.A. then shipped via UPS or Fed Ex to our studio…again employing Americans!  That means that our candles are completely made in the United States by people in our communities!  It’s almost mind-boggling how many jobs are involved in the creation of one simple candle…almost.

So if you live in the United States and want to support your peeps, drop us a line to order some of our fabulous candles.  You won’t be disappointed.

Happy Black Friday

November 24, 2010 in Uncategorized

While everyone else is out dealing with the hustle and bustle, the crowds and the crabbies on Black Friday, the tunes will be cranked, the coffee will be hot and the chill vibe will abound at S Type Creative.

While I won’t be standing in line with you beating down the doors at 3:00 am, I will be opening the studio/gallery at 8:00 am on Friday…for those of you that need a break from the frenzy.

We have a lot of new artwork.  We’ve poured 100 pounds of pure soy candles.  Over 80 pounds of soap was crafted last week.  New jewelry assembled.  And Glass Orbs will be freshly unpacked (and selling for the amazing price of $15 ea or 2 for $20 while supplies last). We have some amazing mugs by potter Brandon Knott on sale Friday for only $7 (normally $15).

So stop on in, wander around.  There’s no pressure.  Share a cup of Joe with me.  Maybe a mug of cocoa.  Gnosh on some snacks.  Check out the work for sale from 45 local artists – the perfect gift is here for everyone and I’m even willing to gift wrap it for you!

Staying safely ensconced in your jammies at your computer all day instead of out in the hustle & bustle?  Then download my FREE Black Friday desktop wallpaper...original illustration and watercolour by me…Rebecca Sweinhagen.

But most of all, have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

New Fragrances for Fall

September 12, 2010 in Uncategorized

new-fragrance-ad

The first blast of crisp autumn air wafted through the shop and we all went into a frenzy of brainstorming for fall.  Our newest fragrances are a delicious combination of all our memories of fall and new fragrances will be added weekly.

This week the new Roll On Perfume Oils are launching in the store for only $4.95 each.  They are 1/4 ounce of highly fragrant essential and perfume oils in the most popular fragrances with all our fragrances available as special requests.

Stop in to see and smell the newness…

The Clock Strikes Four

June 14, 2010 in Artist, Design, Etc., Uncategorized

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The clock strikes four.  Four in the morning.  Every now and again I attempt sleep during the same hours as others.

I am not sure what, after thirty-seven plus years of living, causes the delusion that I am capable of sleeping when it is night.  Tonight has yet again proven the theory that I am a night owl, as if there was ever a question.

The world seems to still around midnight in a way that allows a clarity of creative thought for me.  The phone is not ringing and if I can stay away from Facebook and my other insomniac friends, I create.  I plan. I conceptualize.  I read. I think. I breathe.

When I have these rare moments of uninterrupted thought I plan projects in my brain.  Right now I am working through a series of portraits in my head, wishing for the time to get them onto canvas.

The colors are planned.  The brush strokes laid down to the rythm of music thumping through the studio dance across the canvas as color appears seemingly without my help onto the substrate.  This soothes my frenzy that even though I am unable to work brush in hand, much of the trial and error works itself out in the virtual reality of my sleep deprived mind at what is now 4:40 am.

This is what keeps me awake.  This pseudo painting that happens only in the studio in my mind as I lie awake takes the frustration level down a notch when I know I should be sleeping, preparing for a busy day tomorrow.  Annoyance that I have neither internet service nor a computer at home is tempered by the knowledge that I would be surfing the interwebs aimlessly instead of lying here working through my mental list of ideas.

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My next order of business is to photograph Cody for this idea of a portrait.  I have this desire to capture one of his many mercurial expressions on canvas.  Perhaps a portrait of one of my favorite ceramics pieces as a companion.

The canvas is prepared and awaiting me in the studio.  The concept is sketched and saved here in my iTouch.  Perhaps an all-nighter in the studio is in order.  For right now, though, I feel better for having gotten this swirling morass out of my thoughts and if lucky enough just might get a couple hours of sound sleep in before heading to the studio in the morning.

My newly purchased iTouch is just the perfect amount of bedside technology for me.  Withouth turning on the light to disturb Joel I have listed projects, sketched ideas, played a game of Bejeweled and now I write my thoughts.  If I had that elusive internet connection I would be posting this via my WordPress application upon completion.

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The fan gently blowing a cool breeze across my legs relaxes me now that my mind is cleared.  The sound is soothing.  Artistic neurosis finally starting to calm.

The oscillation of the fan continues to soothe me.

I look forward to that first cup of coffee and bowl of Corn Pops. (I never was much for “grown up” cereal.)

With tomorrow, nay, today in mind I start to drift…

Playing with texture

June 9, 2010 in Artist, Design, Etc., New Paintings, Uncategorized

This week seems to find me recovering from a creative slump I didn’t realize I was having until I started to shed it the last couple days.  I’ve been productive, don’t get me wrong.  Just not excited.

Today was a variety of projects from finalizing detailed Excel spreadsheets to tours of the studio, some cleaning and a healthy dose of foot traffic in the store which I managed with much fabulous assistance from Christi & Brandon.

Finally, well after closing,  I had a chance to play in the studio.

I have a few design projects I’ve been working on for weddings that are turning out okay.  That kills me.  Okay is a death nell to me.  It’s almost as insulting to me as “You look nice dear”.  Ugh.

Okay is a sentiment that only works for me when it is not used to describe my person or my work.  You can use it to describe the food I cook (though that’s rare these days).  I know I’m an okay cook.  A description of Okay in regards to my food is much appreciated in comparison to the once received “I’d rather eat from the value menu at Taco Bell.”

I can’t stand it when I hit a slump and am an okay designer.

When I’m dissatisfied with a design I can still hear Jon in my subconscious (my design partner for a couple years) shaking his head in disappointment saying either “Rebecca, you can do better than that” or the brutally honest “Really, anyone could have done that.”  Moments like that spur me to start fresh with a new perspective.  When I hear those voices in my brain it is time for an Atari 2600 style do-over. (If you’re a product of the ’70s you know what I’m talking about.  DO OVER!  THAT DIDN’T COUNT!!!)

After much frustration I decided not to even open the file I’ve been working on.  Instead I turned away from the computer and pulled out the brushes.  I filled one of my favorite tea cups with water and unearthed the set of watercolours I’ve only used twice before. Fitting beautifully into my hand was my favorite Red Sable #8 detail brush.  I poured a glass of iced jasmine tea to whet my whistle.

Pandora radio provided the perfect background…soothing and upbeat all at once.

It went a little like this:

Red Sable #8 lightly submerged in water.

Red Sable #8 eeny meeny-miny-moe

Choose the color to play with first.

Red Sable #8 dance lightly across the 140lb cold press watercolour paper.

The planets must have been aligned just right. I was able to stay out of my own way.  I let the brush do its dance while I went along for the ride.  Whether it was because of the ceramic work-out last night (eh, yesterday morning), the mellow music or something else…I don’t know.

I painted.

Just painted.

The eight sheets of watercolour paper were then scanned into the computer and the digital layers compiled into a series of wedding invitation images that are still surprising me just a little.

I printed samples.

Layered papers.

Wrapped them with raw organza silk crinkled into an organic and elegant texture.

Tied them with hand dyed silk ribbons.

The colors aren’t quite right yet but the idea is finally something I feel inspired by.

Now I fear it will be weeks before I sleep soundly again.

These few hours of playing have led me down a path that will yield several new designs as I try new options, shapes, sizes, colors, and textures.

Would someone please stop the world for just a couple days so I can play in the studio just a little longer?

Away too long

June 9, 2010 in Artist, artists, Ceramics, Etc., Uncategorized

I am the first to admit it, I have been away too long.

In the midst of expanding our assortment of artists, preparing our home for sale, packing the remainder of my studio at home, and traveling for a large project I’ve had hundreds of ideas to post about.  Tomorrow always seems to be the day to share my ideas since right now is so busy.  By tomorrow the fleeting ideas have disappeared and new ones have taken residence in their place.

Today turned my tide of silence.

Something monumental happened in the studio.

My studio assistant, Cody Gardner, carved out a couple hundred square feet of space and set up his ceramics studio.

New adjustable shelving, his almost new Clay Boss wheel, rigged up lighting, and considerably more organization than I expected have all come to fruition.  Tonight Cody threw his first pots in his new studio.  Sure, he’s made some in the back room amidst the piles of flotsam and jetsam.  Now, however, Cody has made his first pieces in his own studio, the space in which everything is where he wants it rather than where he’s told it should go.

A couple of high fives and excited exclamations not fit for polite ears later, we celebrated with a gigantic pitcher of jasmine green tea (granted, Joel was celebrating with a mug full of Victory Hop Devil Ale as he’s not so much the jasmine tea type of guy).

Joel and I watched as Cody quickly made a couple pots and mugs.  He makes the process look effortless all the while explaining why he is doing each step.

Never have I suffered under the delusion that ceramics are an effortless art.  Let me get that out right now.  It requires strength, determination, and an immense amount of control.  This is why I’m always so impressed with the artists able to make it look like it’s as easy as breathing.

Tonight was the night I learned exactly how strenuous an activity it is.  After demonstrations, coaching, and I fear a few disappointed shakes of his head Cody began teaching me to center a ball of clay on the wheel.

All the art instruction and experimentation I’ve gone through over the decades this is one process I’d never touched.  Since high school I have wanted to make something on the wheel but it never aligned properly with my schedule.  Tonight Cody opened the door, I stepped through, and now I need a dozen aspirin.

Petite and delicate are two adjectives that haven’t been used to describe me since early childhood, if ever.  Lame and pathetic are more to the point than I had hoped though. My task for the evening was to “get the feel for centering the clay on the wheel”.  It takes every muscle in my body.  I fear my body will reveal muscles I had forgotten about.  After approximately 15 balls of clay that centered with varying degrees of success I think I have the feel for centering the clay.  (Tomorrow will tell if it was a fleeting glimpse or not.)

Once I felt comfortable centering a tiny ball of clay I began the process of forming the clay into something functional.  All but one of the next 15 attempts turned into “flowers”, amorphous sea creatures, and flat out disasters.  I managed to shape one simple ball of clay into a bowl-like shape.

Starting at 10:30pm it took until 3:00 am to have a form worth taking off the wheel gingerly rather than dumping it unceremoniously into the 32 gallon trash can of recycled clay.

If you’re a potter, pay no attention to this madness.  You know what it was like your first time.  Ignore the details and the finishing.  It’s my first night. The lessons haven’t progressed to that point yet.

If Cody allows me to fire it because it has somehow escaped what I consider to be an inevitable flaw that will risk damage to other items in the kiln I may potentially have a functional bowl. Sure I’ll need my newfound strength to lift the heavy thing as it isn’t the refined thin walled bowl of the pros, but a bowl it is.

My bowl isn’t quite big enough for cereal or ice cream really.  It may hold some berries.  Better yet, maybe I could use it as an ashtray.  I could call it Frank.  No one’s ever used their first bowl as an ashtray named Frank before have they?

Speaking of ashtrays…I wouldn’t mind one of Joel’s ales and a good cigar right now but instead I’m going to tuck in for what is remaining of the night.  After I find that bottle of aspirin and my freezer pack for my aching shoulders that is.

Extra kudos to all the amazing potters I know who show their works here and elsewhere.  My love and admiration of your work has now expanded into an even deeper respect for your strength and control.  My morning coffee will be infused with the knowledge of the strength that went into its making.

May 28, 2010 in Uncategorized

They’re here…

And, what isn’t?

We’ve got it all.

Spring Fever

March 15, 2010 in artists, Ceramics, Favorites, Fiber, jewelry, knitting, Uncategorized

Button Rings-12

With warming weather making an appearance, I’ve started leaving the front door to the shop open as much as possible.  The fresh breezes and happy faces coming through the open door have inspired me to do some much needed spring cleaning and rearranging.

New Button Rings are ready to wear in bright spring colors.  New pottery by Brandon Knott and Cody Gardner is coming in every week.  Terrific Easter Basket goodies are flooding the counter and Clearance items are filling the back shelves awaiting a new home to make room for more new work here in the shop.

My current fiber projects have me thinking spring too, from the chicken egg cozies to reversible market tote bags in brilliant colors.  You can knit your own chickens too!  A whole slew of new lip balm flavors and lip balms in mini tubes grace the shelves awaiting a new home in your purse, pocket, or easter basket.  Mini lip balms are only 3 for $5.

chicken-5

New tea blends have arrived and we’ve restocked the Peach tea and Peach decaf.  New flavors include Strawberry White Loose Leaf Tea with bits of freeze-dried strawberries, Chamomile (tea bags), Spearming (tea bags) and Yerba Mate (loose leaf).  A basket full of new tea cups from Brandon Knott for $5 each and several new tea pots from Cody Gardner make a lovely treat for yourself or a loved one.

Chino Glaze-1

minicups spoon rest-20

raspberry tea

If, like me, you’re cleaning and rearranging at home, several new paintings and photography are available and a new variety of accessories to adorn your home.  Even if you’re looking for just a little “pick me up” we have something for every room.

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Even Joel has been bitten by the Spring Fever bug and has begun cleaning out the 2nd floor studio/classroom and hopefully by the end of spring we’ll be able to start offering classes!