Shipping out...

by Eleanor Hendriks

My Etsy shop has been hopping lately -here is today's selections of items that are being shipped out to places as far flung as California, Colorado, Ohio, and Guelph, Ontario (where I used to live)...


All boxed up and ready to take to the post office...
I've had to get creative to carry so many parcels at once -I've taken to flinging a large sack over my shoulder -I look a lot like the big red guy -only not so big, or so hairy, or so red -really it's just the sack over the shoulder... and no, I'm not posting a picture of that...

Just a reminder to my American friends -Christmas comes early in Canada -or at least the last minute to ship to the US does. If you've had your eye on something in my Etsy shop , now is the time to snap it up. After the first week of December it is very likely that it just won't reach you in time for Christmas. Canadians have a little more time, but the selection is thinning quickly...

Come to my Christmas Sale!

by Eleanor Hendriks

My 2nd Annual Christmas Art Sale is coming up fast!

This year's participants are:

Suzi Silhanek, Artistic Lamps, Bobcaygeon
John Poole, Photography, Sturgeon Point
Janice Addison, Watercolour Painting, Seagrave
Anne Kulmala, Recycled Fur Creations, Bobcaygeon
Meg Silhanek, Beaded Jewellery, Bobcaygeon
Morris Young, Woodturning, Peace Point

and me, Eleanor Hendriks, Pottery, Fenelon Falls (North of Lindsay in the Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada)

These 6 artists will join me in my studio two weekends from now, November 7-9. We'll have a Christmas tree decorated with all handmade ornaments. Refreshments will be served -after all it is not a proper art event without food!

Hours are: Friday 6-9pm, Saturday and Sunday 11-6. I'd love to meet a blog reader in real life, so if you are near enough to drop in, send me an email with your snail mail address. I'll send you an invitation with 5 Elan Dollars to spend at my studio....

Have no fear -all that snow that I showed off in my last post is long gone! But I suggest you come on out soon before the snow starts to fly again!

I'm dreaming...

by Eleanor Hendriks

...of a white Christmas! Just in case you thought it was a long way off -here's my backyard at this moment...

Of course, because I am a potter and because it takes me a while to finish things, I've been thinking about Christmas since August, but there is nothing like the feel of the first snow on your face to really drive the fact of winter home...

Time to dig out the mukluks !

So -It's been a While!

by Eleanor Hendriks

Well, I haven't been blogging -not even the (almost) once weekly I keep promising myself -but I'm back -temporarily at least. My apologies to those of you who have been checking in and getting nothing new! That doesn't mean that nothing has been going on at StudioElan though!

First of all, that glaze marathon I mentioned earlier had some lovely results...

In fact, I've done two other serious glazing sessions since then -but in the flurry of pre-Christmas excitement around here I neglected to document them. Many of the things in the above picture can be found in my Etsy shop along with pieces from the latest two firings. You'll have to check the Sold Items for some of them -I've been trotting off to the post office laden with packages quite frequently lately...

These two boxes... ...full of Fruit Salt Shakers and Apple Bowls went off to NorthWest Fine Woodworking Gallery in Seattle a while ago. This long-time cooperative gallery is a great showcase for beautiful fine woodworking and I'm thrilled to have my pieces there. I particularly enjoy these Dancing Tables made by Tom Deady. If any westcoasters are willing to pop in there and give me an in-person report I'd love to hear from you! I doubt that I'll be there to check it out in person any time soon -but you never know...

I'm about to embark on another glazing session and I'm setting myself a challenge. I am going to glaze this series of intricately detailed bowls that I have had sitting around since forever (they were one of the first things I made after moving here and opening the new StudioElan). I've put off glazing them out of fear, but the time has finally come.

I did a test of my new Champagne glaze on a small piece that I embellished in the same way and I'm reasonably happy with it...

I'm going to try a little something on them to bring in a little more colour... wish me luck!

There, now I've commited to glazing them in front of the whole (wired) world. I can't get away with putting it off any longer. Check with me later to see if I manage to follow through!

To those of you who stopped by the studio for my first year as a participant in the Victoria County Studio Tour, thank you for making me feel so welcome (and giving a fair number of my pieces new homes)! If you are in the Kawartha Lakes, GTA, Haliburton or Peterborough areas (or are willing to drive for a great art experience), drop me a note and I'll make sure you get advance warning of next fall's tour and a copy of the self-guided tour map.

And last but not least...

**Watch this space for information about the 2nd Annual StudioElan Christmas Art Sale**

A Friday Treat for me...

by Eleanor Hendriks

...an appearance on a busy handmade goodies blog...

Time to Glaze...

by Eleanor Hendriks

I am about to embark on a mini glaze marathon... It's a mega glaze marathon when I have two tables full of pots to glaze -I try to avoid those -they make me sweat!!

...and a few results from the last round of glazing -I tackled the experimental jars that I made during my week of freedom...

Lots of food for thought here -but I was happy enough with them that you can find them for sale in my Etsy shop...

Studio Update

by Eleanor Hendriks

A quick update on a few of the things happening in the studio right now...

A few special projects just finished...

A trophy for a charity golf tournament...

A fire hydant stopperless salt shaker...and yes, that is a target for a dog...

A mini version of my Orange salt shaker...

And a whole batch of pots in progress...

It's been a busy week!!

Free prints with Purchase...

by Eleanor Hendriks

My Etsy friend, Debra Linker, is running a great promotion in conjuction with a lovely treasury she has curated. The deal is -buy something from her treasury and spend more than $30 in that shop and you will get to choose a FREE reproduction print from her shop! She has included my Rustic T-light Holder Set in selection -so if you had you eye on these hurry over to check it out. This offer ends when the treasury expires -Wednesday 3:30 pm EST.

What a great idea -thank you Debra!

Here is the beautifully chosen treasury... (the links won't work -click on the ones above if you wish to check out the shops -be sure to look at Debra's too!)

Barbara Van Sickle Raku Workshop at StudioElan

by Eleanor Hendriks

It was a pleasure to host a Kawartha Potter's Guild workshop this past weekend. Barbara Van Sickle of Acton came to spend the day with a crew of 11 eager potters. She shared two of her techniques with us -Naked Raku and Copper Matte Reduction Raku. Clouds threatened all day but only halted the heavy kiln action for short periods. In all, Barbara fired more than 10 kiln loads of our work, all the while sharing her knowledge, inspirations, and great stories.

Barbara -full of carefully researched expertise, tips galore and boundless good cheer...
The Naked Raku firings started with kilns full of pots covered in soaking WET slip...

The pieces were pulled hot from the kiln and placed in containers of shredded paper...

...we encouraged smoke (yes, I warned my neighbours) hoping for lots of carbonization on our pieces where the slip layer had cracked...

The slip falls (or is laboriously chipped) off revealing the pattern of the crack lines painted on the surface in smoke...

This piece gets a bath to encourage slip removal...

Some results... PINK?? -probably from some iron in the clay...

Yes -that is a bum...with cracks!

Subtle lines and dots...

Serendipitous variation on an elegant form...

If the Naked Raku wasn't fabulous enough, Barbara also demonstrated her finely honed Copper Matte Raku techniques.

Glazed pieces are removed from the kiln while hot and set on a bed of sawdust -which then ignites...

The flames affect the metals in the glaze, essentially painting the pieces with flames...

Detail of the flame painting...

As the pieces cool in the reduction chambers (fancy moniker for metal cans sealed off with sawdust) the marks that the fire has made are preserved on the surface of the piece.

To experience some of the drama of Raku for yourself, stare at these cans imagining the surprises inside until they are cool enought to touch -25 long minutes!

Finally the moment of truth... just look at those colours!

More results...

And more...

I had a completely wonderful day -all clay talk all the time and the generous spirit of Barbara setting the tone for the day.

My sculptures however came through with mixed results...

The clay I used for the piece on the left produced rather faint smoke markings and a surface that I found totally unpleasant. The piece on the right was made with a different clay. It has an interesting surface that I plan to repeat but the poor fellow lost his head!

My Copper Matte adventures were more successful...

And my favourite piece of the day! This is the little sister to the piece that had the blow out in the bisque kiln, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out!

If you have a chance to see Barbara in action, grab it -you won't be disappointed! In fact, she has said that she has a kiln and will travel -get a group together and she will come to you!! Better yet, get a group together and meet up with her here at StudioElan!

Blow Out at StudioElan...

by Eleanor Hendriks

No, it's not a furniture sale... I had a little disappointment in the studio, this is what happens when I rush a bisque firing with pieces that are too wet.. shards everwhere..

I blew the bottom right out of a piece that I was sure would become a favourite. I should never count clay chickens before they hatch -or assume that a new clay body will take the same abuse as the one I usually use.

Why was I in such a hurry to fire these pieces? I'm planning to use them in a Naked Raku workshop that I will be hosting at StudioElan tomorrow. Barbara Van Sickle is coming to share her raku techniques with some of the members of the Kawartha Potter's Guild. This is the first workshop I have ever hosted and I'm quite excited. I'm hoping to do more events like this. Of course, now I have to go and clean the studio... Why is it that I can be excited about cleaning the studio but hate the very thought of housework???

Meanwhile, shelves are filling with pottery for the fall and Christmas season. I love looking at boards full of freshly finished ware...
I'll be back soon with a report from the raku workshop -if I don't get so involved that I forget to take pictures!!!