Featured Mud Colony Blogger -Lydia Kwong

MC;  What do you love the most about being a potter/ceramist/clayworker? 

LK;Having my hands on clay is what I absolutely love the most. Clay becoming an extension of my fingers, hands, arms.....body and blending together with my soul. My works are truly parts of me. 

 MC: What inspires you ? 

LK;This is a tough one. I need to say I don't know what doesn't inspire me.  A piece of paper, any artist's work, a feeling, a pattern, an idea, a book, a technique, a material, my friends............the list is endless.

 

MC: Tell us about the processes involved in producing your work ?  

LK; Idea comes first. It usually comes in the form of a random thought out of no where. It probably is the distilled result of many unconscious thoughts in the back of my head. Sometimes, I have so many ideas and they are bursting to come out.

 I don't like writing or drawing them down. I feel I may alter the essence of the idea and limit it from evolving further if I put it down on paper. 

 Since I only get to work on clay on weekends, the idea would then be further developed consciously through out the weekdays.  The work will also evolve on its own when I start making it.  

 MC:Describe your studio

LK; Oh, sadly I don't own a studio yet. I go to my friends' studios. One on Saturday and the other on Sunday. 

MC: How do you market  and sell your work? 

LK;I don't do that yet. I think I will start doing that in the near future. Selling is hard for me. I am very attached to my works. But I do like giving them to friends. To know that my works are in good homes.

MC: How did you find Mud Colony?And  what impact ,( if any), has it had on your

blogging?  

LK; Honestly I don't remember exactly how. I guess I must have stumbled upon it while browsing online. Lucky me!  It is awesome to find kindred spirit online and I love seeing other potters' works.  I started blogging because I have so much to say about potting,and pouring my thoughts out online is working for me

 MC: Are there any  clay blogs that you ALWAYS look at ,and why?  

LK;The ones listed on my blog are my daily inspiration. They keep me sane when my hands are not on clay.

MC: What would be YOUR advice to someone just beginning their practice?

LK;Do what makes YOU smile.  The rest comes naturally. 

Lydia Kwong is a regular contributor to Mud Colony with her BLOG 'Clay Affair'
and is on Instagram as 'lydiainlalaland'

Featured Mud Colony Blogger - Sadhana Peterson !!

MC; What do you love the most about being apotter/ceramist/clayworker?

SP;  It soothes my soul …total therapy even when –

·       The pressure is on to get things done for adeadline.

·        Thearthritic hands are throbbing

·       The hard long hours end in disaster

I love it,there is just something about clay that makes me relax

MC   ; What inspires you ?

SP:  Nature, LIFE!….Many things

My work is often lop sided to reflect the imperfections of life . 
Although there is an off centre or lop sided aspect to each piece I make, there is an overall balance 

i.e. it will not fall over, I try to find a satisfyingly balanced imbalance . My general life philosophy is about accepting the lumps and bumps of life and dealing with them whole heartedly. The bumps are the hall marks of the individual. So my pots are about my lumpy and bumpy life

MC: Tell us about the processes involved inproducing your work ?

SP: I hand build and throw and sometimes combine the two.

Sustainability in life is important to me so I like to dig clay,

collect grasses and weave on my pots.

MC: Describe your studio

SP: My studio has two sides a textile room and a pottery room.

I also use a veranda with work tables and shelves that I have assigned  a section to paper making equipment like moulds and deckles and a Hollander beater, a section for dyeing equipment like hot plates, saucepans ,pressure cooker and ties -and a section for glazing.

Sadhana's studio....

Glaze area..

Outside area....

Paper making equipment...

Throwing corner...

Textile Sewing room...

MC:How do you market and sell your work?

SP: I mostly have exhibitions rather than shops and markets as my work is time consuming and I don’t seem to get enough time to make the stock for weekly or monthly selling.

My siblings are all artists.

We have a major exhibition every few years and have done so for the past 16 years.

I also exhibit in the occasional group show.

MC: How did you find Mud Colony?And  what impact ,( if any), has it had on your

blogging?

SP:I discovered the  website through the Australian Ceramic Associationemail list after a post  on it and I followed the links to the Mud Colony….I think that is what happened….I may have been web surfing …not sure !

It has changed my blogging in a huge way!

Having never had any response to my blog posts prior to joining The Mud Colony I feel like I am now a part of a ceramic community.It gives me incentive to document what I have done each week and spurs my workon .YAY 

MC: Are there any  clay blogs that you ALWAYS look at ,and why?

SP: Only just started this blogging thing! Not very good at it yet as you can see.

But enjoy all at the Mud Colony. That is quite a few for starters.

  MC: What would be YOUR advice to someone justbeginning their practice?

SP:Just do it , just enjoy, don’t think too much or worry about the outcomes to start with.

Look at books, go to exhibitions and work out what turns you on.

If you love what you do- then you will do it well.

Once you know what kind of work you want to make,

find out how those works were made, try it ,and make lots.

The best way to discover is to DO !

Then find a class that is in tune with what you want to make.

Make, make, make, make and throw back and recycle and make again

Only keep the ones you are REALLY happy with.

  My first teacher was Margaret Tuckson  and it is all the little things that she taught me as a 15 year old that are firmly implanted in how I work now.

How to knead and recycle clay and just to keep making and absorbing how different cultures have worked in clay. Keep learning and moving on!

Sadhana Peterson is a regular contributor to Mud Colony..read her blog 'Sadhana's Mixed Bag' 

check out her Facebook page 'Sadhana Peterson Mixed Media Artist'  and  have a look at her website !!

Featured Mud Colony Blogger-Linda Fahey !

MC; What do you love the most about being apotter/ceramist/clayworker?  
LF: I think what I love best is the feeling thatthere is always more to learn, always more to create and it keeps the synapsesfiring !

 MC: What inspires you ? 
LF: So many things. Have a look at my Pinterest Boards - I've trained formally inIllustration/Design/even some small technical drawing and I have a thing for all things history .  I have a wide range of interests.

 MC: Tell us about the processes involved inproducing your work ?  
LF:Of course, I seemed to have created the mostlabor intensive time consuming process(leave it to me).  I'm a hand builder/sculptor andillustrator.  So, my work is step heavy.  As you may be able to tell, my work could bedescribed as Wabi Sabi.  I work towardsthe asymmetrical landscape where things being slightly off, highlighting thehandmade aspect is something I strive for. I like it in others work, I like it in my own

 MC:Describe your studio..
LF: It's everywhere - like a big purse.  It's taken over my house.  I have a kiln room in thegarage/shelves/dipping glazes.  I have astudio/shed in the backyard overlooking the ocean where I do all my wet work -and sometimes I use my dining room table to sit and draw.  

MC: How do you market  and sell your work? 

LF: I have an Etsy shop, I have a few stores inNorthern California, I use Facebook as a marketing tool, I cherry pick 6 or soshows to do each year.  There are someexciting things in motion and spring will launch my work into a broader retailspectrum. 

MC: How did you find Mud Colony?And  what impact ,( if any), has it had on yourblogging?  

LF: I believe my blog buddy Linda Starr was what ledme to the Mud Colony blog and it was some time ago.  Took me a while to figure it out - I am now on board.

 MC: Are there any clay blogs that you ALWAYS look at ,and why?  

 LF: I have a robust list of clay sites - I don't check them all everyday.  My main squeeze's are FetishGhostSecret Studio and Jesse Lu's Mudbucket, & Carol's Musing about Mud.

 MC: Best piece ofadvice you have been given about your practice.

 LF:;I'm very fortunate to have access to some amazing artists in the Bay Area, many have become friends . I seek out their critique andget feedback.  Mostly what I hear is"you're on the right track, keep working it" 

 

MC:What would be YOURadvice to someone just beginning their practice?

 LF:Do whatever it takes to keep searching for yourown voice.  Be influenced, but don't staytoo long in someone else's idea - work the influence, change it, alter it tofit who you are and your own signature style. Find that and you are well on your way.  

Linda Fahey is a regular contributor to the Mud Colony Blog......

with her blog -'We swim with the fishes' , here's her her beautiful website,