Happy Turkey (Cornish hen) Day

Being as I am a happy singleton and I agreed to dog sit for my friends Dawn and Andy, I thought I would do a bit of update to my poor neglected blog.

Have I ever been busy! Last month I was at the fabulous Twist3.0, tomorrow my studio, The Celadon Studio is having their holiday open house (info on my website http://www.maleaspottery.com/). I was just at the studio getting things set up and 5 of our resident potters had already dropped off work, including some great upcycled crochet bags by Cara Taylor. I have some more work coming out of the kiln in the morning, and my studio assistant Juliet will be there all day to help people with their holiday shopping.

So, what have I been up to? My style has completely changed, I have a passion for each piece that I have not had for a while and I spend much more time working on the surface treatments and I think it shows.

Dahlia Cupcake Stand $48Dahlia Serving Bowl $38

Vine Latte Mug $32

Tall Vine Mug $32 Happy Thanksgiving to all. I wish everyone the best in this holiday season.

Cheers! Malea

I know...i know...

Yes, I have been really slacking on my blogging duties. But I wanted to get this in real quick. This Sunday instead of Saturday...(rain date) will be the Stone Soup Farm Chilifest!

http://stonesoupfarm.googlepages.com/chilifest

I will have a booth there with KILLER PRICES on older stock. Come out and say hi. Or at least try some tasty chili!!!

Here I am at the Mill River Marketplace.

The place goes way back,but I am just doing a quick video of the main room I am in. In the other room there are about 6 more vendors, a coffee and sandwich bar and then there are antique dealers out in what used to be the garage bay.
So this is it...

It is really beyond me why there is a giant canoe in the middle of the room. It is a sample for sale for $2200. You can buy a brand spanking new one for $4500. I think it would crush the stop of my suv in! That thing has got to weigh a ton. The strange hologram man is here again, as well as about 6 new artisans and 2 more farm stands. Lots more veggies this week.

Tonight I am teaching a wheel throwing intensive for the studio on throwing off the hump. And my friend Jim is coming down with his special lady friend and her sister and the sister is going to get a one on one lesson this afternoon after the market.

Big day ahead, but the sun is shining and I have a giant brownie.

Cheers!

Updating the Etsy

So, I posted to my Twitter this week that I was going to put up one pot a day on my Etsy site. So far so good. And My new cloud dome photo kit arrived yesterday in the mail! It made snapping shots of this mornings pot so easy! I had been taking them to work and using their cloud dome kit. But they have them pretty affordable on the web includes lights and the infinity board and it fit ever so nicely into my pantry! I now have a permanent photo studio right in my home and out of sight! So, this weeks Etsy listings have been for:











And I need to give a shout out to my friend Deb who's birthday is today and who just opened her own Etsy Site!!! Deb crochets wire jewelry. Check it out!

All right, time to get in some quick exercise before work today.
Have a wonderful weekend and hope wherever you are it is not as humid and rainy as it is here in New England. Ick!
Cheers!

Malea

A few quick pics

Buttons and such.
Have a great day.

I am so impressed

I do a lot of donating to local schools and charities. Before I owned my studio I primarily gave away pottery to these events. Now I have the luxury of being able to teach from my space and share my love of clay with others. So I give free lessons.

This past weekend I had a lovely young studio guest, meet Lily.

I was blown away that this tiny girl not only could center by herself, but she made 5 pots all over an inch tall to boot! And this was her first time on the potters wheel!! Kudos to Lily! I can't wait to get her pots bisqued and back to her.

If you have ever tried to make pots on the potters wheel, you know how hard this is! I have permission to post these pictures of Lily from her mom. She will be checking in on the blog and it you would like to leave some comments here for her on how fabulous her daughter did...please do!

Cheers!

Mill River Marketplace

So, here I AM. Waiting on Jen from the studio to get here with more pots and if i can pursuade her to bring me a burrito I will be al set. It is quiet today as the farmers don't have enough crops to bring this week, so next week it should be full. We are at the old Cahillane dodge sight in Northampton, right on Rte 10. Stop by...bring me iced coffee...
Cheers to all!

Malea Rhodes

Getting back to my roots

Some years ago when I was in college I began experimenting with surface design. Not of my own doing, but my pots were so clean and strong and I was tending to stick with such simple glazes that, although they were finely made, were quite boring. So my professors told me if I didn't start doing some sort of surface treatment I would have to come up with some sort of new forms. I went for surface design.

In the beginning I took to slip trailing, squirting mud on to your pot similar to how a baker would pipe icing onto a cake. The form I always returned to was the leaf. And here I am again.

Over the past few years I have tried to boycott the leaf. Force myself to not be such a perfectionist with my forms and glazing techniques. But, what I have found was I was never happy with the results. So, I set about around a month ago to return to my roots, do what came naturally, return to the form and design I had shut out.

And low and behold I am happy with my pots again!

Sometimes it just takes walking away to make you appreciate it.

These photos are all from my phone so the colors aren't as lovely as in person, but I will probably be doing a photo shoot soon and getting them on etsy shortly. This is my line. My permanent collection of pottery that I will continue to make for years. Love it or ...well, I don't really want another critique. College is over, Professor Chamberlain has retired, and I am making my bread and butter design that my hand feels so comfortable doing.

Green and amber, always.

Below are some new glaze tests that came out of the kiln today. The deep blue was supposed to be a violet shade, but I think I might add some more manganese dioxide and make it a little darker to use with our glossy amber. So the green and honey amber will be my pale line and the deep blue and dark amber will be the more color saturated line. Something new eh?

One Day Til Open House!

Crazy week for me. Crazy in a good way. I was just telling a co-worker about the book The Secret , it is one of those things you either believe in it or you don't. No big deal, (really, I am sooooo not trying to preach here! ) but for me, it just happened to work! I have used the principals over the past several months and seen results, but then over the past few weeks WOW! I got a free extra night in my vacation cottage, I exceeded my goal at the Twist Fair, I got a big wholesale order and I paid off my loan on the pottery studio, a FREE day off work...then tonight I won tickets to the Warped Tour and a gift certificate to the Spoleto restaurants! It has just been my week! Fate or not. But it has been great!!!

Anyway....

Now we have the upcoming Spring Studio Open House and all sorts of good stuff is going on this weekend! This weekend is the fabulous Paradise City Arts Festival , if you haven't been, it is wonderful! It is at the local fair grounds and is a serious jurried arts show featuring everything from hand made clothing to sculpture. All the best local restaraunts have a booth so you can eat, Herrel's Ice Cream usually has a booth. Lots to do. In my opinion the only down fall is they charge $12 to get in. But in all reality, that is pretty cheap for a days outing.

So, after you go to Paradise City, stop by our Open House and round out your day at the Northampton Brewery Deck for a great locally crafted beer.

So, here are a few pictures of my latest jewelry designs. Soon to be available on Etsy!

AND.....you can now follow me on Twitter under: malearhodes

As always, Cheers!

Memorial Day Weekend, Buttons & Other Stuff

Hi Everyone!

Yes, I have been slack on my blogging duties. I have been back to back with sales and such it seems since November. Snow Farm, The Greenfield Art Space Seconds Sale in March, Twist and the WEBS tent sale in May. And in the middle of it all I had a wonderful vacation.


For all of you that visited my booth at the WEBS tent sale, I am going to apply to the Cumming Sheep and Wool Festival next year. Fear not! Until then you can purchase my buttons from WEBS.

Many of you have emailed requesting information on my fabulous Vermont vacation cabin. I found it on craigslist, and the owners, Ron and Dottie, are simply lovely. It is just outside Ludlow, VT, about 15 minutes past Okemo Ski Resort.


Please contact : ron@unterman.com and mention you are interested in the studio. They also have a 2 bedroom cabin available that I am going to try and convince some girlfriends to go with me to this fall!

Here are a few more pictures:

This is a close up view of the cabin when I was standing on the deck.


This was the gas "wood" stove that kept me warm in the chilly mountain mornings.


This was the amazing sunset that I got to see each night. And yes, that is a lake in the background. The cabin comes with beach chairs and towels. You can walk to the beach from there!


FYI, off season this cottage rents for $290 for the weekend and additional nights are only $50. It has everything you could ever want from Calphalon pots & coffee pot, to a toaster & oven. Bring your own food and relax. Ron and Dottie, the owners, are great!

And on another topic. We are coming up on Memorial Day weekend. My studio, the Celadon Studio, is having their Spring Open House and Sale on Saturday, May 23rd, from Noon until 4. Morgan, one of the studio members is going to be doing wheel throwing demonstrations all afternoon just off the South Street Parking Lot. Bring yourself or your kids by to try your hand at the potters wheel, sign up for a one on one lesson, buy some great pottery or just hang out and chat with the potters.

You don't have to buy anything, we just want you to come out and support local artists!

The Celadon Studio Spring Open House & Sale
Saturday, May 23, Noon - 4pm

#38 Maplewood Shops, across from the Northampton Brewery in Northampton, MA.

My dear friend Sara made this baby Kimono this morning, finished this afternoon and used one of my hand made porcelian buttons. Just had to share:












And last but not least, I LOVE TO BARTER!!! If you have a skill, craft or something you would like to trade for pottery, buttons or lessons, shoot me an email: littlepottergirl@yahoo.com

I will always respond!

Cheers!

Malea

OPEN STUDIO!!!

Howdy everyone!
Back from vacation, survived the WEBS Tent Sale and ready to go another round!
This Saturday from Noon until 4pm is the Celadon Studio's Spring Open House and Sale.
Browse the work of all of our talented resident potters, try your hand at the potters wheel, sign up for a class, or just come by to watch the demonstrations.

The Celadon Studio
#38 Maplewood Shops (in parking lot across from Northampton Brewery)
Northampton, MA 01060
We have 10 wonderful potters with very different styles of work. There is sure to be something for everyone!

My Vacation Cottage

This is the view from the wrap around deck at my vacation cottage. The owners house is right next door and they are fantastic! It is just a few miles past the Okemo Resort and totally stocked with anything you would ever need for vacation. Calphalon pans, cutting boards down to the hair dryer. I am happy to pass along info to anyone. It sleeps 2 in a queen bed. Okay...back to knitting.
Cheers!

Twist and Vacation

Twist was a huge success, I certainly hope I get in to the next one as it is a juried show. And now I am heading on vacation!
I am going to Belmont, VT to this fabulous little cabinto relax, regroup, do some knitting and maybe a little writing.

I am hoping the rain will let me enjoy this deck a little bit.

And I relisted some things on Etsy, these are double sided! Front and back of the dragonfly branch pendant.

I will be out of touch for a little while as the cabin has no television or internet access. I am just going to relax!
A big thank you to Heidi and Juliet for helping me at Twist this past weekend and an upcoming shout out to Chicken Betty for offering to run my hand made button booth at the WEBS Fiber Fair!
See you all on the flip side! Oh...and I got a Flip video camera so I am going to start video podcasting a few pottery lessons...check back for updates!
Cheers!

First Twist Firing

Morning all!

I am just quickly going to share some photos my friend Jim took of my pottery last night as I was unloading the kiln. I am overall very happy with the firing. I felt like I was putting all my eggs in one basket, and was secretly crossing my fingers. But success!

Cheers!

This Weeks Lineup

Some new stuff from the kiln. I have updated some of the pictures on my website, and am in the
final stretch before Twist 2.0. This past weekend was my last weekend to throw. All I have to do now is bisque and glaze and do bunches and bunches of firings. But the bulk is done, and I am totally determined not to step foot in the studio the week of Twist unless it is to pack up something. I just want to be home assembling necklaces and pricing and packing things.
So there!
Oh, I need to recommend to everyone the Easthampton Massage School. It is in the rotary on 10 in Easthampton. They have a massage clinic where you get an hour massage for $25 and it is so incredibly worth it. The students have to log so many clinic hours before graduation and they completely know what they are doing. Caveat: you are in a room with 10 other people but everything is done very discretely. All you are thinking about is why you didn't do this sooner.
They are great, I had had headaches all last week thinking it was from being tired from long nights working on Twist...it was tension. I had the massage and magically I feel terrific! They recommend you tip $5. Go, go now. Call and make an appointment!
Cheers!

Damaged Goods Line, Amber Key Mug $24

Damaged Goods Knife Mug, $24

Damaged Goods Tonal Mug...I only have one of these and it may be mine...I love this color way.
Going to do a few more.

Carved Leaf Soy Bowl...this is a tiny soy bowl. The picture makes it look so big!
$10