Something fresh from the oven

Hot... steamy... delicious... pots.

Yup, this is it. I have found my new muse, at least for now. Bakeware! Pie plates big and small, bread pans, garlic olive oil infusers, bird bakers, pizza stones? Who knows!? I don't even know, and that's why I'm so excited about it.

Here are the two first pie plates I made in late December:


They've each only held sweet potato pie and apple pie made from scratch, but they will see many pounds of butter pass over them before their days are done.



In other news, the bike tumblers and the root beer float mugs had babies! Here is one from that set:



And the tandem tumblers got new wheels (they are bigger in these ones):



The items shown are all spoken for, but I am always making more, so just drop me a line!

Live Free and Ride Bikes: New glazed work

Mugs and Tumblers-$24, Short cups with no handles-$18.

No worries if something is sold, because I am a creature of the studio, and am surely making more. Just talk to me.

Some of the recent bike tumblers:

SOLD (above)

SOLD (above)



Some of the root beer float mugs:
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD

Some of the mugs:





Some of the cups:

Buy Local this Holiday Season

With Etsy, craft and art shows, and plenty of talented folks all over the place, there is more than enough opportunity to buy something locally made or to buy something handmade for your friends and family this Holiday Season. You don't have to worry about traffic or parking at the mall, your loved one will get something purely unique, and you use your money to strengthen your community instead of shipping it off to Asia or South America.

One good place to browse for your locally-made unique gifts of awesomeness is coming up this weekend, December 4th. It's the Husdon Junior Women's Holiday Craft Fair in Hudson, NH. There will be over 100 local artisans selling their work. It is reputed to be a quality and well attended show. I will be right inside the front entrance, around the corner.

I'll have some of the new series of bike tumblers, new mugs, and root beer float mugs, as well as the salt fired classics. Also, I am taking commissions and you can always email me at monicaleap@gmail.com to send a request for a certain piece. Check my website to see what is available. Hope to see you all there!

Name: GFWC Hudson Junior Women's Club Craft Fair
Date: 12/04/2010
Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Day: Sat
Venue: Hudson Memorial School
Address:1 Memorial Drive (off Central St.) Hudson, NH

Family Quasi-vacation

There hasn´t been any new news in the personal studio front for the past month because I just have not been in the studio. What could possibly be a good excuse for not going to the studio? Well, simply because I´ve been in Scandinavia and Europe since the end of October.

Still, it hasn´t been all fun and games! Conversations with the architect and the builder have been ongoing in regards to the community art center (meaning community art classes, a residency program, a gallery and much more) we´re building in Manchester, NH. We´ve had regular meetings to discuss our plans for it.

Look for a website this winter and an art center this summer! You´ll be the first to know more about it.

Fresh bisqued work and new glazed work

And so the drive to make a better mug handle continues. My very first were too small to fit even the average pinky finger, my next weak and timid on the bottom, the next were plagued with cracks when layered with terra sig, and after a brief stint working with Kristen Kieffer's two-piece handles, these are so much better.

They are pulled from a lump of clay attached to the cup (soon to be a mug). I wet my hand, form it into a mold for the clay to move through, and I shape it into a handle. My friend told me once that holding a well made handle is like holding the hand of the person who made it. To a point I believe it. Every potter I know has their own unique handle, from each of their unique two hands. Still, if you don't want to imagine holding someone's hand you're not intimately involved with the entire time you're sipping your coffee, I'd understand that, too. Just remember it's a handmade object that another human being put time, thought, and character into. It's a beautiful thing.



Cups with Kristen Kieffer glazes pirated from our summer Penland workshop together. She is awesome.


Root Beer Float mugs with shop glazes. They are tall enough to account for the delectable dessert spoon you will be enjoying your root beet float with, or for your jumbo straw. They would certainly work for bubble tea or shakes, too! Anything you want a massive serving of.


My brother taught me that the way you remember to spell "dessert" with two "s"s is because it's so good you want two servings of it. So true...

Root Beer Float Mugs 2.0

They're back! By popular demand (and because I like them so much), I am making a second series of Root Beer Float Mugs. They have my trademark bellybutton and waist, with a variation on Kristen Kieffer's two-piece handle. The original series was for my senior show at Syracuse where I had root beer, vanilla ice cream, and desserts galore for visitors to gorge themselves on. The best variation I've ever had on a Root Beer Float is green tea ice cream and ginger ale (thanks for the idea, Alex)!

The longest tandem ever (goes around the whole cup):


And of course, we have bicycle tumblers and playful cups. They were all glazed this afternoon and should be done by next week. Stay tuned for the results of the first glaze firing of my work in the new studio!

Fall Sales and Shows

Just a heads up, you can find my work not only by contacting me, but also at the following venues:

The Artstream gallery in Rochester, NH. I'm being featured as a new artist in their collection. My fat belly teapots will be there, as well as some functional works - cups, bowls, and the like.
Show dates: October 1st to November 30th
Reception date: October 1st from 5-7 pm

The Concord Arts Market in New Hampshire: Eagle Square on Saturdays from 9-3pm. There is a great collection of NH artists - from blown glass to slumped glass, crocheted couture, paintings and plenty of jewelery - plus pottery. Great ideas for housewarming, wedding, or Christmas gifts. It was featured on Concord's "Art in Focus" episode 6.
I will be there: September 25 (tomorrow) and October 9.

I also just started working in the Pipeline Pottery in downtown Nashua. You can find my work there anytime, or come visit during the open studio tour on October 2nd & 3rd in the afternoons. The address is 99 Factory Street Extension.

Coming soon - Etsy, a new website, and an art center. Stay tuned!