Hot summer work

Another month gone and more new work comin out. Lots of stuff happenin right now. I will be gettin started with my second makework grant sesssion this wed. Lookin forward to seeing how everyone has progressed and sharin ideas about future projects. I get so wrapped up in makin work and shows and everything that goes into being a self sustaining/professional artist that finding time to get out and interact with local piers can be tough. I'm probably out of town most of the time settin up for a show, givin a workshop or who knows these days. One day runs into the next. I like the spontaneous schedule vs a regimented 40-50 hr work week. I've been battiling with my yard equipment on top of other things that keep me busy throughout the yard and house. i've been trying to integrate a 3-4 hr work interval with my studio work rather than a full 8-10 hr work day. My theory is that it will help me focus on specific tasks throughout the day rather than having one big project or task starin me in the face. I can be more efficient and creative giving ample time to each project or piece with little breaks here and there to break up the monotiny. As the work gets bigger and more dramatic I'm finding that focusing on 3-4 pieces rather than 10-12 pieces gives a better result in the level of artistry and craftmanship that I'm lookin for and want to present. The work really has to move me inorder for it to survive. I cant settle for the "That'll work" kinda work. I think you end up slowly finding yourself lookin like the next guy with the same kinda work. My summer process has been just to continue to make work and let it dry for firing. This takes awhile to see completion but seems to be the best way for me to work. The heat has been crazy hot and has been testin my commitment levels....just kiddin. It has been hot though. I try to roll out of bed around 5am which is like gettin a kick in the balls sometimes. I have this philosphy that if its super hard to do or really challenges your motivation than it will probably be the best thing for your work or life. I literally sit up on the bed, early morn, still dark and say to myself" if you really want this shadow, than this is what its gonna take. now get your ass up and go create." Same goes for late in the evening when its time to chill and drink a couple beers. You figure out what works for you. If you really want it most of the time burnin the midnite oil is what it takes. Theres 24hrs in the day and you figure out how to get it done. If it was easy than everyone would be doin it. I dont have ac out in the studio so early morns beat the heat and get the day goin early with more time to do more stuff. Go, go ,go. My good friends and neighbors just had there second beutiful lil baby girl. Her name is Poppy. New and young folks with kids are startin to move into the redbank neighborhood. pretty exciting to see community grow. Shows kick off in about a month with Atlanta Arts Festival in piedmont park Sept. 17th-18th. I had three altercations in choosin shows this year. One was deciding not to do artclectic this year in Nashville. I will be doin the oct. Southern Highland Guild Show instead. Second, I will not attend "the Festival Of the Masters" show in orlando this year. Third with alot of persistance I will be attending the Greater Gulf Coast arts Festival in Pensacola FL in Nov. instead of doin the Western NC potters festival. The evolution of the work is dictating alot of the show decisions. Gettin ready to start up at UTC helpin Maggie out. Lookin forward to that. Just keep showin up, whatever it is is my work and life attitude. Keep pluggin away at what you love and wait for things to come full circle.

Busy Summer

july has been full with anticipation for my first Southern Highlands Guild Show in Asheville, NC. Believe it or not I've been rejected from the jury process 4 times in the last five years before I was accepted. My work has changed so drasticallyy that I'm not real sure what to expect from this show. I am lookin forwward to seeing ol friends that i havent seen in close to ten years. My studio has been a war zone. Constantly makin more new work and never lettin stay the way it was has pushed my mental and physical capacity. I really think I pulled a pec muscle lifting and glazin one of my pieces. An assistant is needed not to far in the future. I think I've decide that my attitude towards the shows has been that of a sculptor rather than a potter. I went from being able to fit and fire 30-40 pieces in my kiln to 3-4. I cant turn back now. the addiction of making dramatic, large pieces has taken over.I had a really good reception for my Sculpture show at the Front Gallery in Chattanooga. Spent all last week at my friends wood shop building new pedestals for my booth. I have been doin alot of gallery shows and giving away all my old pedestals to that. I really like the new look now. As my work changes the whole process changes, Booth, trailer, bins that I put the work in for traveling. The summer is a good time to make changes or use to be because I never had anything going on till fall. Definetely more fast paced this summer. I've had my first makework grant session and I will recieve 2 of my six grant checks today. I ve spent a little of the first one on clay and glazes to get the work process movin. Each piece takes at least a month to completely dry before it can go through the kiln. I will be purchasing another kiln soon but the timting of work production has been first. My fall show schedule is packed and I'm workin on gettin my new workshop/instructor proposal out. I start my adjunct position at UTC in august and I'm really excited about that. My family is doin great. We celebrated Rockets 2nd birthday. Two years has gone by too damn fast and it aint stoppin. My work/family balance has improved. More walks with my son and wife have been good and we always cook and eat together. Lovin life.

Shadow Makin Moves

Thought I'd make a quick entry with whats happenin lately. Had my first Makework Grant meeting this past week. Awsome group of artists/ entrepenuers. Actors, producers, glass artist to chattanooga artistic growth promoters. Alot of really cool ideas and ventures. I did notice that almost every grantee had been or had just moved to Chattanooga within the last 6 years. That seems really cool to think that Chattanooga is drawing or extracting unique individuals to this area. I never thought of Chattanooga until my wife introduced the idea of the possibilities. So five years later, workin as an artist/potter/sculptor, one studio fire under my belt, a two year rentee of my good friend Terry "The Loose" Cannon, new homeowner, a beautiful baby boy named Rocket, and a Makework Grantee I have hopefully smudged the surface of being a clay artist on Chattanoogas map. I've recently taken on the position at UTC of Adjunct professor. Actually since I do not hold a degree I fall under the title of Lab Tech. I am super stoked to be workin under Maggie Mcmahon(UTC professor of ceramics) I have a super packed fall show season and will be teachin ceramics I tues and thurs. It is more of a really good opportunity for my next step in clay rather than pay. I am really thankful for the opportunity and cant wait to start classes. I will probably chip away at my undergrad through the years for later, I mean later backup. I really want to be emerged in the art/clay world, in the trenches sorta speak. Where the real art is made. I am gearing up for my first Southern Highlands Guild Show in july. I will have a two piece show up in the guild prior and after the show. The show is July21-24th. I will be corner booth#200 on the bottom floor. Lots of new work comin out for this show. Trying to price kilns and time everything accordingly as far as the grant money goes. I've been alloted six checks equally for the next six months, so I will save a few checks for the new big kiln and make work and get it drying for the next step. My family has been super awsome and supportive through my long work hours. I always make time to play and goof off with them anytime of the day. We're headin to the beach for a few and get some sand in our toes. More later.

Really cool stuff goin on

Back at the social media. Been away for a little bit busy with shows and all kinds of cool stuff. Spring show season was awsome for us this year. It seems like I've progressively changed the work in a matter of months and wasnt sure how the public art buying crowd would respond. I think anytime you let your work evolve no matter how fast the progression, you leave yourself out there for alot of rejection,contemplation and criticism. The few who get what your doin arwe the ones that keep you going. I'm really happy and motivated more to make work that is dramatic and deliberate. I really think I just got tired of hearing "is this microwave, dishwasher, and oven safe." Its molded alot of how I look at my approach to the clay, even more than a few years ago. I think the spring shows validated the new work and gave me alot of steam to push the limits even more. I got back from giving one of my "Bold Pots" workshop at TN Tech Appalachian center for craft in Smithville,TN. What a great place. I was only there for the weekend but the experience was memorable. My students ranged from beginner to advanced and we all learned alot from eachother. I' really enjoying pluggin in workshops in between shows. Making a living as an artist is lucrative enough. If you can balance out your work and time between shows, galleries and woerkshops you can have a really fun, adventurous and prosperous artist lifestyle. I do wish I had a partime/40hr week job where I can clock in/out then I laugh and get back into the clay. We recently recieved great news that we recieved a makework grant through an organization called Createhere in chattanooga TN. I cant even describe how huge this is for our lil project and family. We are very grateful and plan to expand smartly and progressively with the studio and work. I plan to order clay and glaze material asap and seriously pricing larger kilns. I am super stoked to see how the woek evolves in the coming months.Organizations like createhere that offer grants really do allow people like me to move forward with my art. Money made from being a full time artist usually always goes to paying bills and stuff and leaves little to no room for putting back into the work. This grant allows me to not have to dip into our personal funds to progress as an artist. Dont get me wrong we've gotten this far and wouldve continued even had we not got the grant. This grant allows us to be progressive with our curiosity for clay and explore more possibilties with a little less stress to keep up. These pics are pre grant but the work is getting alot bigger and heavier. I still enjoy keeping a reference or gesture of function but it not be intended for use. They're about 50-75 or more pnds to each piece. I am gearing up for my first SHCG show in Ashville this july. Also I just set up my first sculpture show here in Chattanooga. I have 6 pieces and share the show with two well known sculptors, Issac Duncan III and Andy Light. Their work is awsome. The show is at Front Gallery in the south side of Chattanooga off of main street. It opened june 3rd and will go to the end of July with an artist reception July 15th. Come check it out. Its going to be a great show. I will be delivering 6 more pieces to Swan Coach House Gallery in Atlanta Ga for show as well which opensJune 9th with a 6-8 pm reception. I will be on my blog alot more with new pics of work and updates of how I am managing and spending my grant so stay tuned.Rocket and Ana are doin great and I couldnt imagine life w/o them. Ana is starting her MBA so thats gonna take alot of her time. She has really built the whole media side to Shadow May. I'm just the mule out in the mancave making really heavy stuff, hopefully really inspiring,heavy stuff. Rocket is a handful and a sweet lil boy. Teaching him please and thankyou is setting in and I'm proud of him.The website is nowchanged to www.shadowmay.com but you can still get to it with www.shadowpottery.com More later.

2011 new work

Warm morning out in the studio today. The smell of the clay musk was reall nice. Made me think of my first apprenticeship out of highschool and how far I've come with this clay thing. I've definetley simplified alot in my life and complicated a few things but thats how it goes. My lil family is kickin butt. We will be celebrating ten years of doin juried fine art shows on the road this year. Where has it gone? A fine little boy has entered our lives as well as a new house for us all to grow into and together. I am very thankful for being able to walk outside to the shop and work. It's allowed me to be a good dad to my boy, good husband and friend to my wife and keep our house from getting to carried away with the crazy schedule a family has to have in todays economic faster than hell rat race. I set up My show at SAS Gallery "Eat, Sleep, Clay" in Sewannee,TN I will have the reception march 24 and teaching two 90 min highschool classes as well as a sat adult workshop. I am very thankful for the opportunity. Also I will have a show at Mudfire in Decatur, georgia march 12 -april 16th. Look for a show called Firedworks in Macon Georgia. I have a few pieces in that as well. I kick off my show season with 4 bridges here at home in Chattanooga TN. I will give my " Bold Pots" workshop at Tn Tech may 21-22. theres alot more and will be on my events page @ www.shadowpottery.com Alot is happening with this clay thing. i will do the SHCG shows in july and oct. I am really excited to represent and show all those NC potters what Tn has to offer. Here are some new work pics of whats brewing and whats to come.

Christmas 2010

Finally gettin the chance to blog again after crazy holidays. Alot has happened in a month or since my last blog. Preperation for Christmas was alot of fun except for the procrastinator drive to the mall two days before christmas. The funny things you do for loved ones. Our boy Rocket made out. His second Christmas in this world and the one to remember. He lucked out having a white Christmas. What a cool thing for a kid...hell anyone to see, especially waking up to it on Christmas morning. We had all our food and drink for the weekend. All the toys were about to be wrapped. Good stuff. Christmas enters the picture in a whole new way when you have a child. Rocket is religous about getting up at 5 am so I knew it to be true for Christmas morning. Coffee was prepped with the baileys(Santa left it) right next to the coffee pot. Mugs out and ready for the early morn. We woke up to daddda.....maammmma. Turned on the coffee, Christmas lights, and watched innocence in its true form. I sware the boy is a truck fanatic. All kinds of trucks. He strutted around in his new camoflauge robe and kermit slippers laughin and playin. It was awsome!! Usually this time Ana and I are really stressin about Jan and Feb. Comin off Chritmas with two more months before our show season starts up again is stressful. We had an awsome fall season. My work is rapidly evolving. So much it gets a little scary. One idea just turns to another and another. Watching Rocket play with his new toys and experience his Christmas made me take a seat and be thankful for what is in front of me. I think rockets curiosity to start exploring and growing is rubbing off on my attitude towards my work. Learning how to tap into the courage to explore my own curiosity has stretched me as an artist. I' wont lie, its taken me out of the comfort zone a little. But more than ever because of watching my son grow, my courage to be curious about my work in clay and explore even more has transformed my whole outlook. What it means to be a potter and an artist. Theres alot more to this last month than im puttin in to this blog, but it was all good. Everyones healthy except for the occasional runny nose. Have been lining workshops for the new year and lots of cool shows. Get to go to New York City for one and really excited about that. I still have pots for sale on my website http://www.shadowpottery.com/ and will have most to all events and workshops up to date on the website as well. Thanks to everyone who helped us through this past year. You've catapulted my little family, my work and need to create. we can't do it without you. Another blog coming soon.

Off the road for awhile! The fall show season definetly went better than I expected. We started off with Atlanta arts festival winning " Best in Clay" award and hangin with my good friends Erik and Luba from Mudfire. TACA in Nashville, to all those who do their fall show..... this was our best year ever there....CRAZY!!! Third show was Pink Palace in Memphis. This has been my best show. Its a 4 day show and 6 and1/2 hours away. Long time to be away from my family. My Best friend Toney came up to see me for a bit and Must have brought the good luck. Thurs, Amy Bethea, an avid Shadow May collector and friend came and grabbed a good amount of the cream of the crop pots and it dominoed from there. 3 of the 4 days still ahead for sellin. Thats exactly what happened. I Left the show on Sun with 3/4 of all my high end show pieces not going back with me. It's nerve racking enough just attempting to be an artist than trying to sell your work to an audience. We got rained out of two spring shows and the last 4 were not responding yet to my evolved work. Bills got paid and alot of stress but we got through still making new work. I really had to reason and go with my gut that this is important, my work is important, but my family is more important. With going into a showless summer to make work for the fall season, the restaurant came into the picture and helps us supplement the small stuff that adds up. This fall after our epic Pink Palace show I had three weeks to give a workshop @Applachian center for arts in Norris TN. and fire the kiln a couple times for the WNC potters Festival in Dillsboro NC and my last two shows of the year "Festival of the Masters" in downtown Disney World and Mudfire's annual holiday christmas show in Decatur, GA. Stayed with very good friends, Kelly and Joe Frank from Treehouse pottery in Dillsboro,NC for the potters fest. The Clay olympics were fri and I Participated but came in last this year floppin every pot that I put on the wheel. Not surprising because I'm much better at takin clay away then actually doin it right on the wheel. It was a good time. Sat was the show and we all woke up to snow and cold weather. For me, I hadn't seen snow in awhile and was pretty happy to be back in the mountains of north carolina selling more pots and seeing ol friends. Alot of thinking when your on the road. We had knocked out 4 shows so far, and I was headin back home for a few days before goin down to Florida. I had just got both our vehicles brakes, oil changes, new winshield and an axle on the car. Was able to fix some things on the house and get more supplies for the buisness(clay,glazes,tools.) Most importantly good shows allow me to spend more time at home with my son and wife for longer periods of time. I was still nervous gettin ready to head down to Orlando, Fl for the show. 9 hours away, four nites in a hotel and enough 7 eleven chicken tenders to gag you. I was conserving on money? This show was unique, being that all the artists have had to won a best of show or first place in another high ranking juried fine art show to even apply. The caliber of work was pretty incredible. It was the first show I had been to where no clay artist or potter had or put out mugs, cups or utilitarian items. Anyway I got selected two pieces on Fri for the judging on sun at the awards ceremony. I t really mattered to me for a min about the awards. Everyone likes gettin awards. Until I brought the work to where the judging was to be held. The other clay artists blew me away. I felt that I didnt even have a chance because the work was so good. Fri and Sat were a little slow. Sold a few pieces and had to pull out some mugs on sat just to make a few more sales. I had to remind myself that people actually lived here. With all the entertainment who comes and buys art at disney world? Sun morn..7:30, in the house of blues the award ceremony starts.They had a killer breakfast buffet for the artists an a professional presentation. There are twelve catergories for awards. I was in the "clay" catergory. There were about 40 clay artists in the show functional, semi-functional and non functional all lumped into one clay catergory. Clay was first for announcing and I'm not gonna lie...I was maybe hoping for a merit award. No merit award. By the time they had gotten to third place I knew there was no way, This is my first time at the show and There where clay sculptors that had more dramatic work so i started to head out so i could open up the tent and get ready for the last day of sales. Last sip of my coffee and one foot out the door i kid you not they announced "Shadow May" First place for his Lg Flanged Bowl of all pieces. I about pooped my pants. I really couldnt believe it. There was a man standing at a pedestal on stage describing my piece and the description I had wrote, Two of the directors and Mickey Mouse and a big ribbon with a big check. Back stage they gave me directions," Your gonna go out greet Mickey,get your ribbon, smile and take two pictures and then come back" The funny thing was that the speaker must have not seen me coming down the aisle cause he kept calling me a she until I came from back stage to recieve my award. He quickly said," excuse me...He" It was pretty surreal. A deer in headlights. There is a 2,3,and 1st place in every catergory and only 1 Best in Show award. I automatically get to come back next year without the jurying process. I have 10 diney passes from the show so It's gonna be a nice family trip next year. Rocket will have a blast. On my way home believe it or not I had some nice work to drop off for the holiday christmas show @mudfire in Decatur ,georgia. The show starts Nov.26 and goes till Dec.23 with an artist reception and holiday party Dec.4, 5-9 pm. So there it is I had made a 6 month plan to put it all out there, make stick your kneck out there work and supplement funds by working at the restaurant. I think I exceeded my expectations and got enough mental fuel and encouragment to keep pushin my work despite a bad spring. My recent acceptance into the southern highlands craft guild was huge also. I hope to be in the July show in Asheville and possibly doin a little wholesale with arrowmont gallery in Gatlinburg soon. If you want to make exceptional work, the kinda stuff that not everyone is gonna like theres gonna be a lot of rejection but what you do get back is extrordinary. By the way, This year I sold about 25-30 mugs and cups between 5 big shows....the rest were all show pieces, thats crazy to me and exciting. Maybe in a year i will have weeded out anything functional...maybe not but i am starting to see something big happening. Thanks everyone who came to the shows and supported me and everyone who took my workshops this year, hope to see you again. You really helped me and my little family more than you can imagine.With what we saved and a couple days at the restaurant a week I'll be making new work and applying to more shows for the spring. I now have a " for sale" page on my website www.shadowpottery.com I'll be putting pics up on it this week so check it out.