more newness.
i have not made vases in a very long time. quite like the teapots i felt it was time. this round of serving bowls is a little more asian in influence. i ovaled half of them and so far i like the results. i think i may do the same for the noodle dishes for a new twist. noodle dishes for me are something that i make when i'm stuck. its not the only time i create them. they are like a reflex at this point which is why i turn to them when i feel creative but stuck. i think the variation on them will be exciting.

liking the mugs. on the fence with the bowls. i hope to have a bisque ready by sat. and i need to sort out new work for a gallery in little italy. so much to do.

New work in the studio...
I decided to make teapots. It has been a very long time since I have made any. I think I need to make more. I enjoy the complications of creating each one. Its satisfying the tick I have had to make things more complicated with my work. This urge did not translate well with the new decorative techniques I was trying. Back to basics. I looked at some Lucie Rie pots for clarity. I like to overcomplicate things. I'm quite good at it. I'll post more studio picks soon and of course images once the teapots are glazed.

Handmade pottery just makes food taste better...mmm....



Italian pasta salad:
Angel hair, olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh basil, green onions, cherry tomatoes, chick peas, black olives, oregano, pepper. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

For Immediate Release: Lake Erie Building Spring Open Studio

The Lake Erie Screw Factory artists are opening their studios to the public on Saturday, May 9^th from 4-9 pm. A variety of fine art and craft will be on display and for sale.

Featuring the work of Ann Brown, Gina DeSantis, Katie Hanrahan, Hunter Harrison, Peter Jennings, Marc Konys, Allyson Meier, M.C. Nagel, Martin O’Connor, Steven Ollay, Ann Onusko, Kari Sanford, Ruth Sholtis-Furyes, Kate Tobin and Liz Trenholme.

The Lake Erie Buildling is located in the Bird Town area of Lakewood at 13000 Athens Ave. The building houses artist studios and local businesses. Both the second and third floors house artist studios.

Visit http://www.ginadesantisceramics.com for more info or contact Gina DeSantis at artzy_grl@yahoo.com

i would love to post a picture for you but i still don't have MY laptop! i have stolen dad's while mine is under repair. i hope to be reunited sometime tomorrow. then i can finish my logo job, get the open studio cards completed and start doing some web design.

today i checked out a new-ish hardware store in lakewood. i went to home depot to find a higher mesh sieve. my glazes have something gritty that my old screen can't filter out. after the hd employee looked blankly at me i decided to head over to lakewood hardware. keep in mind that a higher mesh sieve through a ceramics site would run me $30 or more dollars plus shipping. thankfully they had a handy bag do-dad for painters. so i get double the filter and just place it in my other sieve. and it cost $1. gotta love that. kinda like the time i ordered a silicone rolling pin (because the clay doesn't stick). it arrives and its a fiesta ware brand roller i could have bought at target for cheaper. making your own pottery gadgets are the way to go.

i have some new work to post online too. some of it needs a redo. the glazes just came out wrong or things look less than stellar. i'm trying to complete some work to enter in juried gallery shows. with my free time i feel i should use it wisely. i feel unfocused with the burden of trying to find employment. i also think i've reached the end of the internet.

7 AMAZING FACTS ABOUT GINA DESANTIS

I was "tagged" by the lovely Bridget Ginley to reveal seven aspects about me you may not know.

ONE
I wasn't always allergic to apples and pineapples thus making my eating habits far less ridiculous. Everyone claims to know this then they try to make me something with one or both as an ingredient. Please stop trying to poison me.

TWO
I can't get a job in Cleveland because someone's best friend's sister's cousin is related to the person in charge. Despite any qualifications I may have the past 2.5 years have been spent being constantly reminded that I don't know the right people. I work my tail off to get noticed for my efforts and I feel nothing but let down. Nepotism is king. Sure that's true in most cities but alas here I am in Cleveland.

THREE
I am a great teacher. I am never happier then when I am in the classroom. I feel at home and as if this is truly what I am meant to be doing.

FOUR
I prefer animals to humans. If I was not working in the arts I would be working with critters. I have always loved animals and I appreciate their ability to not judge and screw you over.

FIVE
I'm a Veronica, not a Heather.

SIX
I often want to just go away for a few months on a residency and make pottery all day with no real goal then just to make things. Oh, look at that. I have the time now. Did I mention this dream residency is somewhere warm?

SEVEN
I have no idea what I'm doing. I mean I do in a sense. Or at least I'm good at pretending but most of the time I just go with my gut whether people agree or not.

and i tag...

Ruth
Sara
Kathy
Becky
Emma
Valerie
Shannon

Ceramics Workshop at Tri-C
East Presented by the the Tri-C Pottery Club

I am teaching a one day workshop entitled "On and Off the Wheel". We will explore multiple forms and using wheel thrown objects to enhance hand built vessels.
Saturday, April 4th from 9-4:30
Building EEC Room 138
Cuyahoga Community College East
4250 Richmond Rd, Highland Hills, OH 44122

The fee is $20. Please bring 1/2-1 bag of clay with you and tools. The deadline for sign up is March 21. Make checks payable to Susan Borstein (treasurer)
Mail payments to: Susan Borstein
26150 Fairmount Blvd
Beachwood, OH 44122

bring a brown bag lunch. beverages will be provided. contact Sheila Tiddle with any questions at 440.781.1221

I hope to see you there!

the cleveland handmade team spring challenge is up....http://www.clevelandhandmade.com/?page_id=70
i think i want smashing's new necklace.
off to the studio. i will post new coaster pics and some other stuff soon. wed is operation make the studio function. nothing is in the right place so it seems. the more organized it is the more i can accomplish. then i'm cleaning the house. wed is gonna suck. except for lost of course.

how to keep my unemployed self busy this week...

1. go to the studio and make everything i have not had the time to make. this includes more bowls, cups of course and some jewelry ideas. also some tiles to wrap in pmc. my tray shards are too thick.

2. post evidence of this hard work to my flickr...http://www.flickr.com/photos/clevelandgrl

3. spring clean the house. and throw out a bunch of crap. tomorrow is trash day. i have a mission.

4. finish apryl's logos. half way done and she is happy so i am happy.

5. make ellen a pretty website.

6. go to the gym more than twice a week. the recession diet is in. you only eat ramen and hotdogs and workout because you are paying for the membership. if its nice a walk may be in order.

7. parttake in the cheapness that is lakewood happy hour. i must socialize to some extent.

8. list more things on artfire. take things off of etsy and put new things on.

9. fix the bad feng shui in my studio and the wonky wedging table.

10. drink $3 wine with ruth.

as you can see i will be quite busy living the glamourous life of a starving artist.

oh yeah and come see my at the clifton arts and musicfest in june. cheers.

A few of my favorite things on etsy...

i have this tick that causes me to make mugs. i love to make them. and i'm in a cup show in may so i keep making more and more. so in an attempt to clean out my etsy shop i'm having a little sale.

buy one mug get one free!!!

here are the rules: shipping charges still apply (its expensive to ship kids, and you're getting a total deal).

the free mug will be the one that costs less.

full price and sale mugs are included. and anything in the mugs and cups section of my shop...this includes tea bowls and tumblers.

http://GinaDeSantis.etsy.com

check out the lovely st patty's day mix from virtuallori on the cleveland handmade site...http://www.clevelandhandmade.com/?p=432

soggy bowls

i went to the studio today in hopes to trim a bunch of bowls. too wet. i am out of soup bowls. i was cleaned out at my christmas shows. i was in the mug zone so i thought it was time to take a break. i have some new serving bowls on etsy. hopefully i can do a big bisque firing this weekend. i have some new lighter glazes for the spring to mix with my current palette.

visit my flickr for more works in progress. off for tacos and beers with the girls!

everything that my dogs do is cute.

Two classes with me in April!

I am teaching a Precious Metal Clay workshop at Art House next month. PMC is this lovely material that is clay-like in texture with silver particles suspended in the body. You mold it, shape it, sand it and then fire it in a kiln. After about 20 minutes you have a piece of jewelry that is 99% silver. Its great for me because I loved jewelry design but I hated sawing and soldering. Plus its instant gratification.

And the lovely ladies of Art House have added another wheel throwing class in April. Its an all levels class. I promise you will have fun and make cool things.

Check out the info below from the Art House site:

Precious Pendant
Precious Metal Clay Studio Class
April 7 – April 21, 3 weeks, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Class fee: $185, all supplies included
Clay turns to silver! Sculpt this extraordinary clay-like material as you would any clay (by hand molds, stamps) to make silver jewelry. By the end of the class you will have made at least 2 pendants and will have learned the skills to work at home.

Wheel Throwing All Levels

April 6 - May 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
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.

Hope to see you there!!!

my artwork has returned from beehive cincinatti. l

Art House things you need to know about!

They are having a garage sale. Check out the above flier for all of the info including drop off dates.

They have also started hosting some amazing workshops. Most art organizations in the area are not offering workshops of this caliber. Eva Kwong, one of my amazing professors at Kent State will be hosting a workshop on March 14th from 10-4.

From the Art House site:

This winter/spring Art House is excited to offer 3 one-day professional artists workshops taught by prominent and influential North East Ohio artists. Learn valuable techniques and skills you can use to enhance and apply to your own work.

Ruth BercawAssemblage (Collage): February 28, 200910 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Eva KwongCeramics: March 14, 200910 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Charles Basham Pastels: April 25, 200910 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Each workshop:
$125 SEAN members
$135 non-members
Coffee and pastries provided.

Contact Elizabeth Emery at 216.398.8556 to sign up!

studio time has been non-existent as of late. i am consumed with real life and scrambling to find a job. this past week i have learned that i am very good at my job and luckily have made many relationships that will (fingerscrossed) lead me to a new and better position. i have so many good friends at my job. as frustrated as i have been with it, they have kept me sane. for that i am grateful.

for my birthday weekend i plan to dress like a pirate, party like its 1985 and make some new artwork...finally! it will be a welcome relief. i have a cup show to prepare for! job chaos doesn't bother me - it just makes me tired. time to regroup and let the energy go towards creativity and not negativity. off to eat a fortune cookie. cheers.

while i was ignoring you...

i was making these things.

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!