Karen Fiorino of ClayLickCreekPottery

Finally got an interview with an artist! I first discovered Karen's shop sometime back in probably September '10. I spent a good while going through every picture in her shop and loved the whismical style and colors. They were so fun and ...well, whimsical! I got to talking to Karen this past weekend after getting a surprise gift for a friend. (The beautiful bowl with a flower in it above.)
So here we go!

What got you into ceramics? I started doing ceramics/pottery way back in the mid 90’s after meeting and becoming friends with a grad student in the ceramics department at Southern Illinois University. At the time, I was working on campus and after stating “I’ll just go to the craft shop in the student center.” She replied, “You work civil service, why don’t you take real classes!” So, that’s what I did. After about 2 years of classes, we paid off the new truck, I bought a wheel, and quit my university job.

Whats your studio like? My studio is about 30’ x 20’ in area, painted bright yellow (with lots of mud splattered) and in the second story of the “barn” that my husband and I built from rejected wood bought from the local lumber yard. I have about a quarter of the area of the entire barn for my studio, which includes my kiln, wheel , tables and storage area. I also have a little area downstairs, which is my chemical room, for mixing glazes.
Whats your favorite method or technique to use? I mainly throw on the wheel, although recently, I am doing more slab work creating organically shaped pieces which are suitable as trays or wall hangings. It gives me a large flat surface to decorate like a canvas.

Whats your favorite firing method? My favorite is the only way I have available­electric kiln. I fire low fire cone 04/05, but occasionally I throw and work with a mid-range stoneware clay and fire at cone 6.
Glazing? I bisque at cone04 (red earthenware) then glaze with my white opaque Maiolica glaze, let set over night, then decorate using a Mason stain/frit combination. This "glaze" can be applied as thin as watercolor or as thick as gouache--I overlay the colors or keep them separate depending the effect I want. Then, sometimes I go back and scraffito through the color back to the white glaze, which I feel gives a "pow" effect to the piece. Then back into the kiln for a cone 05 firing. Let cool, and ta da--you see what comes out of the kiln!

Tips on making the stains? From experience, I have learned that certain colors need a higher ratio of frit:stain (frit 3124), because the lower ratio causes the stain to buckle and be very matte like when fired. Unless, that's the look you're going for. First some colors (the encapsulated lobster red and orange) I can go 1:1 and have a very rich color. After attending a workshop on majolica, I learned how to mix different colors from existing mason stains and come up with other colors--the olive greens and mustard yellow I use on the abstract whirled peas design are colors I created.



What inspires/motivates your work? Stories! Critters! Flowers! All three combined! One of my best ways to be inspired is experiencing things­going different places, seeing different things. Another great way is through stories. I love hearing others stories and sometimes this funny image comes in my head and I just have to make it!



Your favorite piece? Right now, my favorite piece is a large platter that I created in conjunction for a fund raiser for Carbondale Community Arts, our local artist organization. It is formed from a slab using a found satellite dish from the red earthenware, textured with various nuts and bolts, and glazed in colors of green and blue. In the center, I fired red glass and used nails. The nails acquire a patina after firing. The theme of the fundraiser is “Platters, Poetry and Prose”. When I was approached to do this, an image of the finished piece came into my head and I knew just what lyrics to use. “Keep your eyes peeled for the good times, the world is dark and ugly, sometime’s beauty’s hard to find, the happy people in it aren’t walking through it blind, keep your eyes peeled for the good times.” I received permission from the song writer and when I recite these words, it seems like they focus me for something good.
Any future goals or projects? I am putting more and more effort into my online presence which I hope will continue to grow and I plan to try to create different lines of work in my studio---sort of playing a bit more to grow as a person/artist.

Where can we see your works? Any upcoming shows or galleries you will be in? You can see my works online at : http://www.ClayLickCreekPottery.etsy.com , http://www.claylickcreekpottery.com ,or http://www.facebook.com/ClayLickCreekPottery In person, I am a member of the Illinois Artisans Program and have work at the Southern Illinois Artisans shop at Rend Lake, Whittington, IL and The Museum Shop in Springfield, IL and locally at Visions Art Gallery in Makanda, IL.

I’m in the process of applying for art shows for 2011---and so far I have been accepted to An Art Affair, and fine art show in Springfield, Il in March, Art on the Square, Taylorville, IL in June, and Best of Missouri Market, St. Louis in October. I post the schedule on my website when shows are comfirmed.



Tips? Suggestions? Thoughts? Ideas? Etc? Best tip---keep doing what you love, people will sense it and be attracted to the life in your work!






Thanks Karen for sharing your beauties and secrets with us!

Etsy Teams

It's not particularly clay related, but I thought some would still be interesting. For anyone who doesn't know what Etsy.com is, it is an online market for strictly handmade goods, supplies, or vintage. If you're looking for a place to market or sale your ceramic creations, Etsy is a great place to be.
One of the social tools on Etsy are Etsy Teams. Teams are more or less guilds, or groups, brought together by a relation of sorts. For example, Etsy Texas Crafters team. We're all brought together by one thing, being in Texas. There's all kinds of crafters part of the team, but we all have Texas roots.
In any case, I just wanted to share some Teams I'm a part of.
Obviously, Etsy Texas Crafters: http://www.etsy.com/teams/5511/etsy-texas-crafters
In the Market 2Day: http://www.etsy.com/teams/7255/in-the-market-2day
And the lovely blog to go with ITM2D: www.inthemarket2day.com
And this lovely Team set for mostly fantasy art: http://www.etsy.com/teams/7097/trooping-faeries

Ceramic Pains

Some two weeks ago, this happy piece was pulled from the depths of the glaze kiln.And I was rather happy with the form. Not so much the glaze, but to me, it was just such a happy little piece. Until I realized that I did not actually clean the lip of the lid as well as I should've. And in failing to do this, the lid kissed the body, and stuck together they were!

To fix this, we have a wooden mallet in the studio. It's a handy dandy mallet. However, it is a bit abused, and thus, one side of it is a toothy, snarling mess. But whatever, right? I take this mallet and my piece and hold the lid and go to tap the lid, gently, just to loosen it. ...and miss. Or something. I'm really not entirely sure WHAT I did hit and didn't. However, one of those snarling, splintery teeth glanced off my thumb nail and went into my finger instead! Just to the side of the nail. Let's keep in mind this was two weeks ago, roughly. Now, let me also note that I am terrified of needles and stubbornly refuse to dig out a splinter. My finger hurt for days, and eventually eased up, made a strange brown spot, but generally felt okay.

A friend claims I am in denial, however, my mother thought it was a blood blister. I hadn't a clue what it was, I was just happy it didn't hurt! Over time, it was steadily becoming a raised bump on my thumb, and to cut the details, I eventually got it up. Lo-and-behold, it was a splinter! A rather large splinter. And it seemed as if it was either lodged between layers of skin, or skin started to grow under the wound, pushing it up, and thus making a bump? ..Maybe? Sorta like when you peel from a sunburn?

Anyway, happy story. The lid of my piece is seperate from the body and I no longer have a splinter in my thumb! However, I find it amusing that of all the things to injured by in a ceramic studio, I get injured by a stupid wooden mallet!

In any case, a little bit of info on the piece. It is a wheel thrown jar, thrown in two pieces, a leaf 'knob' on top, and made with a mid-fire clay (buffalo wallow for anyone in Texas). Coated in engobe during leather hard, charteuse swirls painted on with Velvet glazes, and dipped in two studio glazes. Combination? Don't remember. My professor would fuss at me for not taking notes in my sketch book.

In other news, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

Greetings

Greetings to all of my fellow ceramic addicted artists! While I sit here in my student worker job thing, I decided it would make the perfect time to start this blog. I figured I tell you the usual, a little bit about me and my ceramic history, what I kind of intend on doing with this blog, and so on. Perhaps a schedule to follow, or possibly not as I fail at sticking to something. Like wet glaze trying to stick to a piece that's already been glaze fired, and vitrified. And moving on. I also warn you this blog could possibly filled with witless puns of the dirty kind.

History

I'm not entirely sure where I get my artsy love. My dad is one of those types that can't stop working, but is more involved with mechanical and instrumentation at a plant. My mom has just started to do massage and into alternative healings. My grandfather on my mom's side did some carpentry and I know my great aunt was a fabulous baker. Sadly, I never knew her or got to eat those delicious creations. However, I think its a little obvious that working with your hands kind of runs in the family. With the exception of my sister, who is a graceful dancer. ...So, she works with her feet, but that's beside the point!

I remember as a child, going through coloring books like crazy, and maybe doing a little picture book of my own for some family member that was coming down that was an artist. I don't remember which member it was, let alone her name. In elementry, I recall doodling unicorn horns all over my assignments, and getting fussed at for that. In junior high, I was more into writing. ...but also doodling all over things. That continued into highschool, and doodling on my band folder. Eventually, in my junior year, while I sat in the bottom group of the band, the director told me that if I "wanted to draw that crap, get out of band and go to art class." So, in my senior year, I left band and went to art class! I got my first taste of clay in that class and loved it so.

When I went to the local community college, there was a ceramic class. I joined with Debra Chronister as my professor, who still is today. It took a semester or three to find my niche, and when I first started to throw, I HATED it with the burning passion of the flame that runs the raku kiln. So I got more into handbuilding and sculpting. I've always had a fascination with dragons, and thus:

And many others. I spent a few semesters sculpting, while watching everyone produce more and more stuff, and eventually decided to go into throwing again.
For whatever reason, this second approach was much more enjoyable and successful.

Ceramic Likes

Some of my favorite ceramic methods are raku, stipling the top of my pots, and doing raised stipling with engobes. I particularly love ceramics as a community. The studio is like a second home with a second family. I love all the different, endless methods of altering clay, and I so so love the smell of damp clay.

Likes Outside Clay

In highschool, I volunteered at the local zoo, and did so for years. I've also worked at a couple of pet stores, so I obviously rather like pets. So much, that I have 3 dogs, 4 leopard geckos, a crested gecko, 2 bettas, a few guppies, an African dwarf frog, and a gerbil that keep me company and provide entertainment.

(Yes, this gecko has wonky limbs. Yes, she had MBD. No, she's not suffering still. Its all better. :D ) I still rather enjoy painting, digital art, chatting, baking, working in polymer clay, roleplaying of the writing type, and gaming ..sorta.

So...

Moving on. Schedule? As mentioned, I rather fail at them. However, I will try to post at least every other week, if not, more frequently. If you would like to see some of my stuff, look on Etsy at http://stormphyre.etsy.com/
You can also watch me on Facebook . And see what crazyness goes on at the VC Studio.