snow day. sort of. my back is crying. a few years back i tweaked it while digging my car out my street. every winter since i manage to irritate it again. i'm at home trying to use my day off wisely but so far i'm just being a slug. i've been highly unmotivated lately. i think its the weather. in honor of my laziness rather than posting art today here is a picture of the puppy and the dog. currently they are getting along happily however puppy is learning boundaries as it likes to chew on bella's tail. bella is over that. i can't wait to go home and play with the puppy is again. she is too cute and bouncy. miss bella is a doll too.

i need to go through my inventory which i hate doing. the paperwork is the boring part of the business thing. i am learning photoshop and html too. its going to be great to apply it to my site and my promotions for the ceramics business.

off to make coffee and rest up some more so i can get back to work tomorrow.

Winter blues...

I am not much of a winter fan. However I do spend most of it in my studio which makes me happy. This means I have a lot of new work. The old work needs a home!

Visit my artfire site or my etsy site and receive a discount. Use the coupon above.

I have just joined a new site to sell my work. Artfire is another great venue to sell work directly to my customers for a very small fee. Check out my page here.

there is this notion that being an artist is somewhat romantic, bohemian, and oh so hip. in reality you spend your days working 2 (or more) jobs. you do so to have money for a studio space. you have a lack of funds to vacation or go out with friends because you spent it all on supplies. then you enter shows and the economy crashes so you barely brake even for the year. then you get gallery representation out of the city and come home to emails that the owner is not paying artists amongst other bits of drama. as a result all of this work to make work is a loss because you might never get this artwork returned to you safe and sound.
welcome to my fabulous life.

behold the cuteness...

dakota has made it back home, safe and sound. she survived parvo and is back on the road to being a healthy little pup. bella is very happy to have her playmate back. i think she likes having a little friend around. its funny to see how little she looks next to the big dog.

winter boredom? me too. you should take my pottery class. it will keep you and me out of trouble. the first 5 week session is full but there are a couple of spots left in the second 5 week session beginning in february. here is the info from the art house website:

Ceramics on the Wheel with Gina DeSantis
Jan. 19- Feb 16 FULL
Feb.23 - Mar. 23 A few spots still open!
10 weeks or two 5 week sessions
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Instructor: Gina DeSantis
Class fee: $125 (5 weeks), $225 (10 weeks)
Class fee includes: 25lbs of clay, glazes, and firings.
All levels welcome.
Throw bowls and cups on the wheel. Or if you are more advanced, work on plates, teapots, and large bowls. Classes are small so this course is tailored for each individual. Enhance those thrown shapes with hand-built handles, spouts, and decoration. All clays and glazes are food, microwave, and dishwasher safe.

Please call 216.398.8556 to sign up. Ask for Stephanie or Elizabeth.

my wheel throwing class begins at art house next monday! it fills up quick. to sign up visit http://www.arthouseinc.org. you can take the class for 5 weeks or 10 weeks. its all levels. i hope you can join us!

my monday off.
i forgot to bring my camera to the studio. i always do. i trimmed lots of stuff. hopefully the mugs turn out ok. the heat was on and things were drying quick.
i also spent the day responding to emails because somehow my linkedin acct sent out invitations to join to everyone in my address book. i can't email people to tell them it was me because it was my address book from over 2 years ago. since then addresses have been deleted and added. ugh. i just deleted the whole thing. i had not gained any real job connections through it. oh, internet. last month i got the anti virus virus from adding a song to myspace page. why am i on these things?
dakota update...she is still hanging on and still not out of the woods. continue sending happy vibes.

***update 1/18/09...dakota is a strong little pup and gets to return home on monday. i will finally get to see her next week. i will take more pictures of her being cute. because that's what puppies do. i'll take some of bella too because she is the big dog in charge. and she likes the camera. all about the attention.

this is dakota. please say a little prayer for her. my parents just got her on friday and she is sick in the animal clinic with parvo. i have yet to meet her but i hear she is a sweet little girl with a kind demeanor. i love animals as do my parents. they think they caught it quick enough. again, please send happy thoughts her way.

my bowls make ramen taste better, don't you know?

i have just completed my business paperwork in preperation for tax season. my dad is the poor soul who gets to deal with it. this year was a loss by all means. it was also a year with record internet sales and a show with an all time career high during the total economy crash. i broke down everything this year to see where my money went and what was worth it and what to scrap. its clear i need to fix up my site to get more traffic from more buyers. etsy was more profitable this year. if there is not a major turn around i will not be returning to a wholesale website. shows are hard to tell with the way the year was going. i will do less in 2009 and work on the online thing and enter more shows for juried gallery exhibitions.

selling stuff on etsy in january! during a recession! yeah me!

and thank you buyers for continuing to shop handmade. i just had the discussion tonight of why art is selling during these scary times. here are my 2 reasons behind it... first art will increase in value. of course it can decrease as well. but not like your stock or 401k. investing in tangible goods like art, real estate, etc make sense while the retail prices have been lowered. second, people are being more "thoughtful" about their decisions. i define thoughtful on this basis: we are realizing how badly large companies, stores, corporations have been living large, over charging us and shipping jobs overseas. supporting local and national artists keeps the money in the u.s. to the individual not the corporation. if i have little money to spend i want to make it count.

i have been very organized so far regarding art stuff for the new year. i have plenty of photos ready for listing on etsy. i need to get some new artwork sorted out for baycrafters. i finished writing my workshop proposal-i think-i'm being a bit obsessive about it.

tomorrow i get to go to the bubble to hide and clean and be back at making things for the first time in over a month. but first, i sleep!

Art House Events you should attend besides my awesome ceramics class:

WEAVE:
cocktails + connection + collaboration
Art House has been revitalizing our SEAN program.
Art House staff want to meet
current, past, and future SEAN members.
Mingle and network with other local artists.
Don't forget to bring your business cards!
where: Art House 3119 Denison Avenue
when: 7 - 9 p.m. Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Free and open to all artists!
R.S.V.P. to Elizabeth Emery
eemery@arthouseinc.org
or 216.398.8556

visit http://www.arthouseinc.org for more information.

WEAVE:
cocktails + connection + collaboration
Art House has been revitalizing our SEAN program.
Art House staff want to meet
current, past, and future SEAN members.
Mingle and network with other local artists.
Don't forget to bring your business cards!
where: Art House 3119 Denison Avenue
when: 7 - 9 p.m. Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Free and open to all artists!
R.S.V.P. to Elizabeth Emery
eemery@arthouseinc.org
or 216.398.8556

Two posts in one night. I am Cleveland Handmade's featured artist this week. Stop by and check it out.
http://www.clevelandhandmade.com/?p=210

New work posted at Flickr: Your Photostream

I am very excited I can get back to my studio this week and next to throw some new pieces. I haven't made anything since early December. I had been consumed with both preparing for and participating in shows. I have lots of clay waiting and new glazes in transit.

home ill. a swell side effect of a medication i am on is migraines. today was my second one. luckily i was prepared with some over the counter medication. i had to leave work and sleep it off. i feel slightly better now but still not like myself. i will happily note that after january i don't have to take this stuff anymore which includes other amazing side effects like weight gain and joint pain. good times.

in my boredom i marked things down on etsy. i plan to list new things too. then make some soup and go back to bed.

Below is the link to my 2009 horoscope. Sounds promising. Click away any fellow pisces.

Pisces Horoscope: Yearly Overview horoscope - Astrology on Shine

goodbye 2008.

the christmas decorations are out of sight until next year. the party clean up is done. i have lots of left overs. i don't think i will so eagerly have a new year's party again. i think it kind sums of a year of overextending myself and spreading myself way to thin. it was a good opportunity to clean out my second bedroom which is where i store etsy work, shoot photos and box up wares to send to you. it is organized and functional once again.

the studio is next. i need a clean up night and then i can make new things.

more to-dos for the new year:

1. shoot more artwork for etsy. its made, its done and i'm not doing a ton of shows this year.

2. get out apps to the few shows i will participate in.

3. right grant.

4. finish workshop proposal. its half way done.

5. enter some juried gallery shows.

6. re-market myself online. including reorganizing my etsy.

7. website updates for my gallery.

happy 2009 to all of you!