WillowAK Pottery

The temp is in the twenties tonight -- and it's time to talk pottery once again.   I have been making work since last posting and am now gearing up for the Dec. 3 Willow Holiday Studio Art Tour.   Mark you calendar now, to save the date!   We studio artists are committed to making it worth your while to visit the participating studios -- for a good time and great gift selections . A look at some new work: Silk screening adds interesting images from Mother Nature. You'll see screened images on many different forms -- plants, animals, and birds. Yarn bowls are back in town! Berry bowls have returned, too. Some yarn bowls are headed to your local yarn shops Others await visitors to the studio. It's not too early to select for holiday giving! The mug rack is full -- with variety in shapes, sizes, and glazes. Glazing yet to be done on large trays. Trays of various shapes and sizes. Glazing yet to be done...

If you missed the earlier posting with Studio Art Tour winners, here they are: Gretchen Stoddard - Willow Creek Studio Fran Lynch - Bonnie's Borealis Glassworks Alea Sidelinger - WillowAK Pottery Congratulations!  * * * For folks who did not get to the recent studio tour, here are some of the ornaments and buttons now available.  Check with your local gift shop or yarn/quilt shop -- or contact me and I can tell you where they are available, in addition to at my studio in Willow. All are made of porcelain ... with a generous pinch of personality added.  On most of the ornaments, I am happy to add a name upon request, if you want it personalized. Button cards typically sell for $12,  moose ornaments $15, fox and fish $12, all others $10. No charge for personalizing at the studio, but there will a shipping cost if you can't stop by.  Unique, handmade, affordable gift items. 

Last Saturday turned out to be a great day in Willow, indeed.   Those who participated in the 5K Fun Run reported nice conditions and good exercise, with plenty of time remaining for the Studio Art Tour and the Plant Sale Fundraiser for the library.  We saw lots of familiar faces as well as new faces on the tour, and folks seemed pleasantly surprised by what was being offered in the way of handmade pieces of glass, wood, fiber, clay, etc.   Won't go into a lot of detail, but by the end of the day many creations found new homes, folks had shopped for gifts --wedding, birthday, housewarming, hostess, and more -- and selected pieces for their own homes and collections. In many ways it was a beneficial event, thanks to those who came out to see and support artistic and fundraising efforts in the community.  Lots of socializing and positive spirit along the way.  Yes, three gift certificates were awarded; congratulations to our winners:  • Gretchen Sto...

Yes, the fiber and wood arts are displayed and ready for Saturday's tour.  If you missed seeing something in an earlier posting, this gives you another chance to preview the beautiful pieces made by Melinda, Bill, and Joan. I may not have the captions just right, but a picture is worth 1,000 words...right? Beautiful boards Colorful table runners Totes, baskets, bags Rolling pins, earring rack, cutting board Wall hangings More totes  and table runners Quilted placemats and woven mats A collage of color!

Joan has displayed a wonderful selection of bags, totes, baskets, runners, etc. to join with the beautiful pieces of Melinda's that I posted earlier. Here are some of Joan's treasures...and in a day or two I'll post a few pictures of the studio room with the fiber and wood arts displayed.  Colorful, artful, high-quality work for sure, at reasonable prices! The lady doing pottery is ten paces behind in getting ready, but she'll get there. One kiln is cooling tonight, and another glaze firing should be ready to unload on Thursday.  Meanwhile there is the usual prep of clearing, cleaning, tagging, and displaying to be done, with a little cookie baking on the side...maybe.  More photos of the porcelain work is yet to come, too, so you know what to expect on Saturday. Oh, the signs are out and about, thanks to Bill.  We look forward to meeting and greeting on Saturday and hope you'll find pieces to add to your collections as well as one-of-a-kind gifts in...

Yes, the Studio Tour is coming up on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend , and it's time to give you an idea of some of the new work you'll find at the WillowAK Studio on Shirley Lake. The Dahlia Sale will be outdoors under a tent, with proceeds dedicated to Willow's Grow Your Library Fund.   Bill and Kathy Mailer have generously donated all the plants and will be running the sale. Talk about community members who just keep giving -- they certainly do that!   Over, and over, and over again. Can't tell you how many dahlia plants there will be, but even though there are LOTS, please don't wait until the end of they day if you are hopeful of purchasing beautiful, red dahlias!  There is no guarantee that they will still be available late afternoon. Red dahlias -- a Library fundraiser project, thanks to the Mailers! Multiple woods and attractive designs in Bill's cutting boards! Bill Dale does beautiful cutting boards.  If you've been here...

The driveway is free of snow,  the IRS form is mailed (thank you, Keith), the clogs are all felted, and the kiln unloaded.  Posting images of the new work is my way of giving you an idea of what is ready to leave home. I've tried to be responsive to requests as I make forms and embellish them. This kiln had lots of mugs and yarn bowls, with a handful of other pieces to keep things fun and interesting.  Before saying any more, let me add that the Spring Willow Art Studio Tour date has been selected: Saturday, May 28. . .  A great day to be in Willow! The Studio Tour, including a dahlia sale, and the 5K run are all taking place on May 28.  The latter two events are fundraisers for the Willow Library.  There is something for EVERYONE in the family on May 28, in Willow!  Drive out if you live elsewhere, get out if you're already living here, and enjoy several events!  Yes, it is the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Now, on to the kiln. Here's...