Contemporary Cool Ceramics Week

I invite you all to visit the week long postings by Nina on her blog Ninainvorm , where she will be presenting work by various artists who produce contemporary cool ceramics! Please also take time to look at her amazing work. She produces organic shaped vessels with bold and colorful surface decorations.

Above I have posted a few of her pickings for monday. Can't wait to see what she has in mind for the rest of the week!

Featured Artist

I have been so busy teaching classes and keeping up with holiday sales on Etsy, that I have fallen behind on my blog. I am actually very happy about being one of the featured artists on Heart Hand Made Blog. There is a pretty long interview with moi, as well as photos of my work. You can even learn a list of odd things about me. So if you are interested please visit:

http://www.hearthandmadeblog.com/search/label/featured%20artist

(you might have to scroll down to find me)

UCAL Craft Show

Visit the University City Arts League Craft Fair for some Yasha Butler originals as well as other amazing pottery, jewelry and printed work. Your purchases will support local artists and a great community arts organization!

December 6th to 19th (Opening Party on December 6th from 5 to 8pm)
4226 Spruce St - West Philadelphia

Holiday Heap

Thanks to Charm City Craft Mafia from Baltimore, Maryland for putting on a great craft show. Holiday Heap 2008 was a blast!

Heart Lab

Check out this amazing craft blog called Heart Handmade, by Marichelle. It is a great resource with links to and interviews with many talented artists in different fields. If you are interested in getting a better understanding of the processes I go through to create my own work please visit my step-by-step description in the Heart Lab part of her blog. And keep your eyes open for my interview on Heart Handmade in December!

Red Tree Plates

After dealing with some technical problems, I have at last begun producing my Red Tree Plates. I make these plates by slip-casting them from plaster molds. Soon I hope to add cup and saucer, as well as sushi sets to my line of slip-cast work. Keep posted for images!

Serpil Erol

A great friend of mine, Serpil Erol, from Istanbul, Turkey has been producing her own line of hats. Her beautifully crocheted hats are so colorful, soft and adorable. To see her amazing collection visit her online store at www.serpilerol.etsy.com!

Work in Progress

These photos from my studio are of bowls that I am currently working on. I always post pictures of finished pieces, so I thought it would be fun to post some that show work in progress. I usually work with porcelain, however I am trying to branch out into other clay bodies. I have begun testing my forms in terracotta. I will be trying out different surface options, including terra sigillata, which is a very smooth coating of clay that almost resembles glaze.

Glaze Recipes

A friend of mine clued me in on Alisa Clausen's website. She has a great section that lists glaze recipes with photos of her test tiles. I will soon be testing several of her recipes. Thanks Alisa for such a great resource!

Rare Device

Yasha Butler Ceramics has expanded from the East to the West Coast. You can now find my work at Rare Device in San Francisco!

Rare Device . 1845 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 . tel 415.863.3969

Watershed

I recently returned from an amazing residency at Watershed in Newcastle, Maine. Although the focus was mainly on the medium of clay, our session consisted of a group of ceramic artists, sculptors and photographers. We worked late hours, ate deliciously prepared meals and drank blueberry flavored beer. I also got to cast some plaster molds and produce my usually porcelain Off-Circle bowls in stoneware.

Thanks to the staff at Watershed for making the residency a success, and thanks to Ed for sponsoring my time there.

Check out Noelle's blog for more Watershed excitement from this summer!

The Clay Studio

I am so excited to let you all know that in addition to my jewelry I will also be selling my porcelain vessels at The Clay Studio Shop. I am honored to have my work displayed among so many other talented artists. The Clay Studio is a great institution that has been supportive of many novice artists, me included. So please stop by and enjoy!

The Clay Studio - 139 N. 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 - 215.925.3453

Etsy

I was so excited yesterday to see my Bone Earrings featured on the front page of Etsy ! It really made my day...

Haystack

I spent an amazing two weeks at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle in Maine studying mold making with Benjamin Schulman. Experimenting with rubber and plaster molds I had the opportunity to cast with clay, resin and chocolate. I have come to realize that mold making is an art of its own. The process is much more time intensive than I had envisioned, however the possibilities that molds provide make it all worth it. I see a lot of potential for integrating molds into my work. Who knows this might be the beginning of a whole new journey...

During these two weeks I have also fallen in love with polaroids. Somehow they are able to capture the essence of a moment better than any other picture.

Member's Exhibition

This announcement is coming about a month too late, but I wanted to post it none the less since it is a big accomplishment for me. My piece, Off Circle, was in The Clay Studio Member's Exhibition. The show was juried by Steve Lee, Director of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. I was very excited to have my piece exhibited among so many other talented artists' work.

The Member's exhibition was on display at The Clay Studio from June 6 - June 29, 2008

Mixing Media

My great friend Colleen (who is also an amazing metals artist) and I are teaching a class at University City Arts League. The class combines metal working with clay, thus the name "Mixing Media". We will be making mobiles in this four week class. The posted photos are from our first class.

Art Star Craft Bazaar

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth at Art Star Craft Bazaar. The show started with thunder and rain on Saturday, but by Sunday the sun was out. There was a huge turn out both by the visitors and the vendors. Congrats to Erin and Megan for a great fair.

Small Favors Exhibition

This Exhibition highlights small works, sculptural, functional and decorative objects. All pieces will be exhibited in 4"x4"x4" plexi-glass boxes. Stop by and try to find mine.

May 2 - May 18, 2008
Opening Reception First Friday, May 2, 5-9pm

The Clay Studio - 139 N. 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 - 215.925.3453

Trees

Trees is a new line that I have just begun producing. I am still trying to work through some technical issues, but hopefully soon they will all be solved.

Current Work

My cups will be on display at the Gloria Kennedy Gallery in Brooklyn from March 19 to April 25.

Gloria Kennedy Gallery - 111 Front Street Gallery 222 DUMBO Brooklyn, NY - tel: 718.858.5254 Hours 1-6 Wed-Sat or by appointment

Earrings

I have added a new component to my Bone Series: earrings! The thin porcelain circles make these earrings light in weight. The earwires, which are sterling silver, attach to the clay circles with a simple loop in the back. I have oxidized the earwires to create a dark finish that contrasts with the pure white of the raw porcelain.