I now have an Etsy shop where you could purchase my work!
Yes, it’s taken a while. But I’ve finally gotten organized, dug through the boxes of pottery, taken pictures…I really do hope that people will want to purchase my pieces. They’ll do more good in someone’s house than sitting in my closet!
Check it out: The Functional Potter!
[Edit: Thank you to all those who were interested in my work! I hope you love it. For the foreseeable future, I will not be operating my Etsy shop.}
On May 17th, friends and I arrived at the Marion Square Park to set up my booth, and brought all of my work to be locked up overnight. Bright and early on May 18th, which turned out to be a gorgeous Saturday, the Marion Arts Festival was held! I saw many of my friends walking the aisles of booths, and I met lots of people who came to see my work. I came to the festival with over 20 boxes of pottery, and left with only 11, so I would say it was a very good day! I built shelves out of boards and cinderblocks, which were very solid throughout the slightly breezy day.
After the festival, it was time to move! I packed up all my pottery in the truck with a tarp (just in case), tied it down and headed out. Most of my recent work has been on a dinnerware set for my new apartment, and it looks right at home in the cabinet.
I may not be posting for a while, depending on whether or not I find somewhere to work on ceramics soon. Either way, it’s been a very fun journey from my sophomore year and junior review, and I hope I can continue!
These are the pieces from the fourth glaze kiln of the semester, fired on May 8th and unloaded on May 10th.
We fired the penultimate glaze kiln just before graduation. Mostly, this kiln consisted of pieces that I had been wanting to make for quite some time now, including a dinner set for my new apartment. This is the first kiln that I have fired (almost) on my own. It requires checking every half hour to hour, depending on the stage in the firing, so as to get the reduction cycle just right. The most exciting part is the last few hours of the firing, during the long steady climb to cone 7 (~2200°F) where cones 4, 5 and 6 bend in steady succession.
If you are in Cedar Rapids, come see me, The Ceramics Center and many other artists at the Marion Arts Festival on May 18th from 9 am – 5 pm in Marion! Last year there were vendors, artists, glassblowers and projects for kids, so it’s fun for everyone.
I was selected as one of five emerging artists for 2013. The Marion Arts Festival has graciously provided me with everything I will need, from a tent to an credit card reader, and all I have to do is bring the work. This is a fantastic opportunity to not only gain exposure in the art world, but also to meet people and participate in an event that draws over 16,000 people each year to Marion, Iowa. The last time I went I got to see glassblowing up close, and lots of wonderful work not only in the arts, but crafts and jewelery as well. I would say it’s a fun experience for the whole family. In addition, the Ceramics Center is this year’s Art in the Depot presenter, and they’ll be teaching kids to throw all day long, and let them participate in a community art project. It will be fun for everyone!
For more information on the Marion Arts Festival, please visit http://www.marionartsfestival.com/.
Hope to see you there!
I fired a glaze kiln today, nearly on my own. I now officially have one more glaze kiln before I’m done at Coe, filled with my work and that of a friend. It takes a lot of time and patience to fire our gas kilns, and sometimes it takes checking the cones every fifteen minutes to know when to put the kiln into reduction. I think it will be worth it, though. These kilns mostly have work for my new apartment, including a full dinnerware set and some fun mugs.
I was able to load a quarter of the soda kiln at the Ceramics Center with my work, sharing with three other potters. I had never tested my glazes in a cone 10 kiln (~2280°F), and the Ceramics Center had an iron red glaze to test, so those line my pieces. I left the surfaces of the pieces raw, without glaze, so that the soda would be allowed to create the surface. Soda firing creates a shiny, orange surface on the white stoneware that I use, and an orange peel texture where it builds up on the pieces.
My senior show opened last Friday night, and I thought it was a huge success! My family came out to visit, and lots of people I know came to see my work all set up.
This is a sneak peak, though, about the set up and the work that went into getting that show ready, as well as about the show itself. So first, the work we had to do. All of the pedestals used in my show had to be carted out and re-painted after I had decided on placements. We then had to clean up the walls and floor, choose and place work, and adjust the gallery lighting. I would say it was hardest to choose the work, because I had quite a few pieces to choose from, and this would be the representation of my “best” work to the people around me. I eventually made decisions, though, and got pricing done.
Once the gallery was set up, we only had to wait for opening night.
I was very happy with how the work looked together, and everyone seemed to think that the show was just fantastic. All in all I had 95 pieces in the show, but it didn’t seem crowded or awkward, most likely because of how I set up my pedestal groupings. Viewers were channeled through the gallery by the pedestals, which worked really well to use the space.
It was very fun, and I’m really glad everyone came!
Here are the pieces from the last wood kiln of my senior year! Overall it was a great firing, despite our struggles with temperature. There was lots of ash buildup, but we made sure to protect some of the porcelain pieces in order to get nice flashing. I decided to try something new, and heavily glazed the rims of the pieces, which caused the glaze to run. It really contrasts well with the surfaces of the pieces, and brings some color to the work as a whole.
These are the pieces from the final glaze kiln before my show. It was a great firing, with beautiful flashing on the Malcolm Davis shino and very rich surfaces in the Haystack Variation and Tenmoku Gold. Overall, a great firing.
Justina Schiroo 
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