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The Great White . . . ummm . . . Glaze?

If I were Captain Ahab, my Moby-Dick would definitely be this glaze.  You would think that making the perfect white glaze would be easy.  I mean, there’s no color right?  Well, there are about one billion shades of white out there in the world.  Check it out for yourself the next time you pass the paint aisle at your favorite home improvement store.  Yes, it’s about a billion - or just as overwhelming!  In ceramics, color is only half the consideration (or in my case, the battle) when it comes to developing or finding a new glaze recipe.

The tough questions that had to be answered were:
1. How would it break over the texture?
2.  Would my very detailed work look best encased in a gloss or matte finish?
3. Will I be able to read stamped text?
4. How would it look using a wax resist technique?
5. What would my white stoneware clay body look like under a super white glaze – yellow, ecru or white?
6. How would it look layered over color?  Should it be layered over color? Would it like that or would it give me a tough time?
7. Does it like being thick or would it crawl (unevenly break and produce bare spots in areas)?
8. Will it show my finger or dipping tong marks?
9. Is it too runny?  Will it ruin my kiln shelves?
10.  How many f-bombs will this particular glaze produce?  (THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION!)

After about a year of testing and refining, I finally think I have it. I think I have achieved the perfect balance of gloss and matte without it being too garish.  I’m very excited about this new glaze!!!  BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE NEW L-ROD (thanks to A-Rod, this is what people now call me) WHITE ON WHITE COLLECTION THIS SPRING!  I’ll probably tweak this crazy recipe for another year or so because, of course, I need to achieve sparkly too!   “There she blows!” – Melville

P.S. – These photos are bad mobile uploads, but better pics soon to come. 

Liz Rodriguez Ceramics in February

Come find your new favorite mug, bowl or any number of pieces graced by a curious little bird at these two great events this month!

1. Gift from the Heart – Saturday, February 4 from Noon to 5 at 122 Western Avenue, Studio A208, Lowell, MA

2. SOWA Winter Market – Sunday, February 5 from 10 am – 3 pm at 485 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA (also get some fresh goodies for your Superbowl Party!)

Boston Art Life

Happy New Year!  As I gently close out 2011, I find myself reflecting on this incredible year of making.  I’ve felt so blessed to be doing this thing that I absolutely love full time.  In cleaning out the old and bringing in the new, I came across Robert Castagna’s  wonderful blog, “Boston Art Life” interview from November.  This interview gave me such clarity around my work as his questions were so poignant and thought-provoking.  I hope you enjoy the interview and Robert’s beautiful photography that captured my work so brilliantly. See it here – http://www.bostonartlife.com/2011/11/12/liz-rodriguez/

Sweet Home Brooklyn

I grew up in Brooklyn so I’m excited to be participating in Brooklyn Craft Central’s 4thannual Holiday Market this Saturday 12/17.  This will be my last show of 2011 and then afterward I get to relax with my family in NY through Christmas – as much as you can relax with wild and crazy one and three year old nieces – OY!  Um, I mean JOY!  The truth is that I can’t wait to see those two little girls – totally worth the sleep deprivation! Come check out this fabulous show!!

Liz Rodriguez Ceramics will be there on 12/17 from 12 - 6!

Hingham Shipyard Holiday Market

I’m so excited to be a vendor at the 2nd Annual Hingham Shipyard Holiday Market! Please join me this upcoming weekend, November 26th and 27th for what promises to be a fantastic show loaded with 75 of the most talented indie crafters and artisans  in the area!

Paradise City Here I Come!

For the past 15 or so years, friends and I would go to Paradise City Arts shows and gawk at all the amazing arts and crafts.  To the great dismay of these poor but angelically patient people that accompanied me, I would ask excruciatingly detailed questions of each exhibitor like, “what is the secret to your success, how do you make your product, where do you work – at home or in a studio, do you do this full time, are you able to support yourself through your art or do you have a sugar mama/daddy?”   Each and every year I would say, “one day I’ll be an exhibitor at Paradise” and then would laugh a maniacal laugh as if it would never happen.

This year a seasoned artist friend said, “You can apply but it may take up to 5 years before you get in because competition is steep.”  “Holy crap! Five @%# years?!?!?,” I bleated. “Yep,” she said.  “They have to get to know you before they accept you.” Not even a few months later and CRIKEY IT HAPPENED!  I’m in – AND my on first shot too! When I received my acceptance letter, it was like the 5 stages of grief.  At first, I couldn’t believe it – I mean, I actually couldn’t  wrap my mind around the fact that I was going to be an exhibitor – at Paradise!; then I was angry that I didn’t apply years sooner and wasted years of my life wondering “what if” in my office cubical;  I bargained with God to get me through the yeoman’s work load it would take to prepare; shortly following I was depressed because I didn’t believe that I could meet the demands and expectations of such a show; and finally I was just  giddy with laughter and told anyone who would stand still long enough that I was to be an exhibitor at Paradise City, the third top ranked art show in the country!  Actually, I think I mentioned it multiple times to the same people – my apologies to those people, but I just couldn’t help myself! J

With only 15 days to Paradise my studio suffers a power outage in the Halloween weekend snow storm – aaaaahhh – but I’m as ready as I’ll ever be, excited, and so so soooooooo honored to be going to Paradise!  Maniacal laugh- ha ha ha ha ha!

Come and visit me at Paradise at The Royal Trade Plaza at 181 Boston Post Road Route 20 West in Marlborough, MA on November 18, 19 and 20th in booth #206!

If You Miss SoWa, You Miss A Lot!

I don’t like the SoWa Open Market; I LOVE it!!!!  Not to be too effusive (who am I kidding, effusive is my middle name), but I’ll say it again, I LOVE LOVE LOVE SoWa! This weekly bazaar of indie crafters/artists, farmers’ market, and those crazy quirky food trucks in Boston’s South End has captured my heart like no other show.  Why, you ask?  Because . . .

1. I completely revel in the weekly face-to-face customer interaction.  I get to find out who my customers are and hear about how they are going to live with a piece (this is so special to me – but that’s another entry for another time). 

2.  The energy of the market is always upbeat and positive – even on the rainiest days.  The organizers work hard to make it that way; from the sweet girl who greets each vendor with a smile (God love her) even at 6 am in the way too early morning - no matter rain, shine, wind, sweltering heat, or bitter cold, to the guys who take on about a hundred or so befuddled, bleary-eyed vendors and herd us all neatly into perfect place.

3.  I mean, come on, the talent is fantastic!  The show is juried so only high quality products are brought to the good people of Boston week after week.   As you walk around, you’ll find that each tent is an adventure in itself with the unique flare and style of the vendor who occupies it.

4. The community.  The camaraderie is unbelievable!  I felt like a featherless fledgling last year and this group quickly took me in and taught me so much.  We discuss everything from price points, to booth display, to better ways to serve our customers.  I admire these people to no end.

 5. Those crazy food trucks.  For people who know me well are probably surprised by this statement given of all my food allergies, but rarely a Sunday goes by that I don’t make a purchase for a friend or loved one – and then I live vicariously through them – yum!  My partner Mike loves Grilled Cheese Nation and my friend Sharon gets the Grillos Pickles. You’ve got to love an entire truck dedicated to just pickles!!!

6.  Market of the Living Dead – probably the best Halloween costume contest in town!  This takes place on last Sunday of SoWa, October 30th.  The competition is gruesome, hysterical, and fierce among customers and vendors and it cannot be missed! 

7. It was about this time last year, sitting in my tent on a glorious October day, I said to myself, “I think I can do this.  Maybe, just maybe, I can be a full-time ceramic artist.”  And then I was completely overcome, realizing that this 20 year old dream is not just a very distant – it’s going to happen when I’m 89 maybe – dream, but a real live possibility (and even now, she weeps).

I can go on and on and on and on.  Want to see it for yourself in person?   SoWa Open Market is happening every Sunday from 10 – 4 at 460 Harrison Avenue, in Boston’s South End.  The season is almost over so don’t miss it!

Check out my SoWa vendor profile!  I’m so proud of this piece (and so is Mom)!

 See you there!

Lowell Open Studios!

I’m very excited to be participating in my first Lowell Open Studios this weekend -  October 1st and 2nd!  With over 150 artists participating, it’s sure to be a good one!  Stop by and say hello!  I’ll have my studio/showroom ready for visitors at Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue, Studio A208, in Lowell from 11 am - 5 pm on both days.

Black Crow Yoga Event

I was very fortunate to be an invited artist at Black Crow Yoga’s Open Studio: Spotlight on Artist’s in the Community last night. The night was filled with art, music, food and wine. The owner, Dean Milite, and his team were delightful to work with and to simply be around. There was great energy in this lovely serene space which I appreciated as a yogi myself. I met some great folks and it was also a good opportunity to get to hang out with fellow Western Avenue Studio Artist, Stacey Piwinski of Art Turtle Studio. She has an infectious smile and her work is amazing – we are pictured here in front of her hand-woven scarves.

 
The ladies of Pear Tree Hair Design purchased a few ceramic pieces to display in their gorgeous salon next door to Black Crow. One of the pieces was this 16 inch bowl (pictured right) in what a friend calls Chocqua glaze (short for chocolate and aqua). It is deep amber brown layered over a turquoise underglaze with red rose buttons (of course there simply HAS to be red buttons!).
 

Now at Bancroft and Friends!

I was happy to recently drop off some of my “Flights of Fancy” bud vases to Brooke Pickering of Bancroft and Friends Gallery .  Only two blocks from the ocean, this adorable little shop is located in a delightfully quaint and historic shopping and dining area of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Be sure to drop by and check it out!

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