Saturday Sale at the Farm

Join me at Powisset Farm this Saturday, June 18th from 10am to 4pm for a Pottery Sale! I will be selling my handmade functional-ware in the big white barn with the red door located at 37 Powissett Road in Dover, Massachusetts. There will be a farm stand open with fresh eggs, Bushel & Crumb pies, Karen Cagan photos of the farm, Lucy two shoes tea towels and all the wonderful veggies grown on the farm.

Powisset Farm is a Trustees of the Reservation property that has a CSA with shareowners. Have a look at the classes offered through Powisset Cooks and ask me about the upcoming Makers Day in late August (all artists are welcome to apply).

Teaching at Potters Place

I’m excited to offer instruction to adult students this spring at Potters Place, my cooperative studio located in Walpole, Massachusetts.  Details here.

Starting on Monday, May 2nd  from 9am – 12pm, I will offer a pottery class for adult students of all levels.  This class is 6 weeks with a maximum class size of 6 students. Students will explore clay in both handbuilding and wheel throwing projects – beginning with clay and ending with a fully functional piece of ceramics.  The possibilities are limitless! Click here for details and how to sign up.

Further into the month of May, I will offer a 4 week class with a focus on “The Mug”. This class will take place on Tuesday mornings from 9:30am – 12:30pm beginning May 17th. This class is for intermediate students (can center and pull a cylinder most of the time). Class size will not exceed 6 students.  More details here.

If you are looking for instruction and these opportunities do not fit with your schedule, click over to my website where I list additional options for students of all ages, including an option for a private lesson.

 

small works

small works, a dedham square artist guild “artist challenge” exhibition features member work and five talented local high school students’ work. The show opens Thursday, January 7th with a reception from 6-8pm at the Dedham Community Theatre located at 580 High Street in Dedham, MA.

The show will be up until the end of February. All work may be purchased through the Dedham Square Artist Guild Gallery located across the street from the theatre at 553 High Street.

My Purple Prelude series is limited to these two pieces: a square dish and small oblong tray.  A tiny crossover bowl completes the set.  Pieces are sold separately.

Participating Artists:
(Dedham Guild Members) —
Cindy Mootz, Sue Hoy, Dennis Stein,
Kerry Hawkins, Sandrine Colson-Inam, Mark Dooley,
Marietta Apollonio, Jill Barry, Matt Miller, Fred Smith,
Wendy Birchmire, Alice Donaldson, Lisa WB Walker

(Dedham High School Students) —
Jade Sao, Khanyja Tolbert, Chloe Adams, Lydia Baker, Michael Diaz

Artist challenges are open to new england artists in all media. The next Challenge is Oliver!

Pottery Sale at Powisset Farm ~ Saturday, June 14th

Together with Hog Wild Pottery, I will be hosting a pottery sale at Powisset Farm on Saturday, June 14th starting at 10am. We love to sell our wares at Powissett Farm. It’s “Farm to Table” at it’s finest.

Stop by 37 Powisset Farm in Dover, Ma to purchase a gift for Father’s Day (a mug!), a wedding gift (many pieces to mix and match to fit your budget), a teacher gift (dish for desk) or your self (so many choices!). The farm hosts it’s own farm stand in addition to being a CSA.

“FUN” ~ A Dedham Square Artist Guild Exhibit

“FUN” ~ A Dedham Square Artist Guild Exhibit opens tonight, Thursday, May 29th with a reception at the Dedham Community Theater from 6:00 – 8:00 PM.

The Dedham Square Artist Guild provides the artist challenge for the exhibition.  This one went like this:

“Fun”… Welcome to the funhouse… this challenge is about all things that make us happy, laugh, feel exhilarated, fill us with joy! So… what do you do for fun? Tell us! Better yet, SHOW us! Use any medium to tell us about what fun means to you or those you observe… come on, have some fun with this challenge!!

This challenge inspired me to create a set of mugs. The surface decoration is where I explored the theme and gave these two some FUN.

 

 

 

To create a vessel for my theme, I threw two mugs that were similar in size, but had subtle differences to make each one unique. Special attention was given to the “foot” to elevate and well define it.  Taking time to think through each part of a piece is what sets it apart….  these mugs were entering in an exhibit and needed to look their best!

The handle is the first place the mug meets it’s user and should be inviting, functional and smooth.  The second place the mug meets the user is at the rim.

The surface decoration above is an image of unfired glaze before it is put into it’s final firing in the electric kiln.  Dots for me symbolize FUN and I have used them in my work before when emphasizing “play”.  I experimented with stripes and dots for this set to create a different space on the surface.  I used wax resist, pouring, dipping and layering when I decorated these mugs.

You can’t have FUN alone, you need a friend! That is why I chose a set of two mugs for this challenge.

This challenge was open to all artists working in any medium. Come see the show tonight! It opens with a reception from 6-8pm in the lower gallery at the Dedham Community Theater.  The exhibit runs through July 28th, 2014.  All Artwork is For Sale.

 

Pottery Sale at Powisset Farm Spring Festival

Join Lisa WB Walker and Hog Wild Pottery at Powisset Farm, 37 Powisset Street, Dover, MA for Spring Fest on Sunday, May 18th from 10am-3pm. Functional Pottery bringing beauty to your home, farm to table, perfect gift giving and always a story to go along with that one of a kind piece of pottery.

The life of a handmade pot

I like to throw my small bowls off the hump.  The routine of centering, throwing, cutting, and repeating tends to makes my bowls more similar in shape when I do this.  There is no reason to measure because I enjoy making each one as an individual form, but I do know that by repeating the action, I’m training my muscles to make a similar shape.

Finishing a piece means taking the time to trim a nice foot ring.  You know you see a potter shopping for a bowl when they keep flipping the pottery upside down to see the craftsmanship of the artist.

Before starting to glaze, I wax the bottom of my pieces so that there is a clean line where the glaze meets the foot.  Glaze left on the bottom of the piece will stick to the shelf during the firing process and ruin the work.  Waxing is a nice way to make sure your piece’s foot is well marked and clean.

Once the work is complete, the bottoms are sanded so they are smooth and will not to scratch any surfaces.  I hand wash each piece, photograph it, log it into inventory, price it and post it out on all my social media platforms.

Each piece I create is a one of a kind piece – handmade for one who appreciates details and fine craftsmanship. One it is purchased, it begins it’s life as a functioning piece of pottery – hopefully well loved and cared for 🙂

 

To purchase my pottery, please visit my website at www.lisawbwalker.com

 

 

 

April Events

During the month of April, my cooperative studio, Potters Place readies the studio for our bi annual show and sale. This event is a three day show that takes place May 2,3 and 4. There is a lot to do in April.  Members must adhere to strict deadlines to finish up their pottery so there will be no unglazed work in the studio. We shut down the kilns mid month and clean the studio top to bottom.

I’ve been finishing up some pieces in my home studio to dry for the last bisque run on Sunday.  But today the rain has stopped and that means perfect weather for glazing, so I’ll take advantage of this and head to Potters Place to glaze some bisque ware. I do all my glazing and firing at my cooperative studio, Potters Place, but throwing and creating are done in my home studio.  I find this a nice combination.

April also brings another Kids Clay class… My students created baskets in “Think Spring!” March class and will have an opportunity to “celebrate mothers and fathers” in April’s class. I fire my Kids Clay pieces at Potters Place, but classes take place in Westwood when families sign their students up through the Westwood Recreation Department.

I will host my first trunk show of 2014 on Saturday, April 12th from 12-3PM at the Dedham Square Artist Guild.  I’m excited to offer the opportunity to purchase my baskets for Easter (Sunday, April 20th) as well as other pottery for hostess gifts and serving options. The Dedham Square Artist Guild is located in Dedham Square at 553 High Street.

Mugshot Monday

Sneak-a-peak Mugs in soft spring colors.

Gallery Sitting @ Dedham Guild

As a member of the Dedham Square Artist Guild, I gallery sit 6 hours each month. Wednesday, March 26th is my day at the Gallery and I can’t wait!

It is a wonderful experience to be in the gallery – my guild! I love to see what members have recently added to their inventory and I look forward to seeing customers.

I will be bringing in pieces from my Spring 2014 collection. This collection was influenced by a family trip to Turks & Caicos. Soft ocean blues and tropical greens work well with peachy tones from the sand. Shell imprints, basket weaves, patterns from the trip embellish the surfaces of plates, dishes, tumblers and bowls.

Mix and match within this collection to create a wedding or birthday gift. Don’t forget Mom this Mother’s Day (May 11th). Pick up a piece for your Easter gathering and leave it for the hostess.

Stop in to say hello today and support our local guild and member artists. Mark your calendars for Thursday’s opening of Wonderland across the street at the Dedham Community Theater from 6-8PM.