a twinkled corner of my home

where thou art, that is home . . .
- emily dickinson


merry christmas
k x

christmas . . .

the last market of the year on friday night at GoMA
was great, thanks to all of you who came along and said hi
it was so nice to see my work fly away to new homes

and despite the sprinkle of rain it was a
great night with great sales and great people !
and so many lovely emails from stall holders after
made the hard work worthwhile

so now it's nearly time to down tools . . .
and just quietly i can't wait
it has been such a crazy, busy (though fabulous) year

thank you to all those who read this little blog
buy my work
email me
work in my studio
put up with me
are my friends
family
etc etc

the online shop is now closed until mid january
after posting out hundreds and hundreds of orders since our little
shop opened in late may
we, my fabulous shop girl and i,
need a holiday

i'll be back from time to time but for now
just wanted to say thanks
and

MERRY MERRY
have a safe and lovely christmas

x

GoMA christmas twilight market

friday night i will be having a stall
at the gallery of modern art in brisbane
along with lots of fabulous ceramic artists, jewellers,
cloth and design makers . . .
4 - 8 pm

there will also be twinkly lights and a cash bar . . .
join us on the lawn outside the gallery store
by the river
under the stars
for a spot of christmas shopping

poetry pots & stars . . .

there are some new poetry pots in store . . .
and personalised stars are being sorted and sent this week
( so for anyone who has ordered . . . they are on their way )

s t a r s . . . .

above are piles and piles of personalised stars
ready for the kiln . . .

load after load of
these stars are coming through

after putting them in alphabetical order,
stinging them and packing them
they are, starting this week,
being shipped to their new homes . . .

thanks x 10

all the mags above ( and yesterdays courier-mail )
has featured some of my work in the last month or two,
be it christmas ornaments or cloud brooches,
so this is a big multiple thank you !!!!

the print press is so generous to me in promoting
and/or using my work in style shoots

i was asked to send some of my vintage button stars
down to sydney for a photo shoot with julia gillard
some months back now . . .

all i was told in the brief was
they were taking a photo of her,
there was a hot pink background,
and my stars were to be featured...
i have to say i'm pretty happy with how the shot turned out
( thanks australian womens weekly )

new things instore

it is a bit crazy here at the moment
two markets down two to go...
thank you to all those wonderful new and old customers
that came along on sunday
it was a wonderful day !

thanks also to alllll my fabulous shop girls for the day
and to lisa, the tea and coffee gal, and to the other dear friends
who baked and contributed to the refreshment table . . .

from all your coin donations
we raised $200 for an orphanage in thailand that lisa visits
thank you so so much

i've just put some of my 2010 calendars
and 5 pack of stars in the online shop
( images above )

and will be back soon with other news . . .

s o m e d a y s . . .

...i rise and fall, and time folds
into a long moment;

- roethke

( photo from a drive down the lockington road,
western queensland, earlier this year )

w i n d o w s . . .

above is a snap shot of the window at the biome store
in paddington, brisbane .. .
there is a similar one also in their city store

to promote my locally made goods this year
they used some photos of my studio (including my hands)
and filled their christmas window displays
with some big stars and spotty stars
as well as other makers goods that have been made
ethically, locally or using recycled materials

it is such a privilege and joy to form great
relationships with my retailers, of which i have many . . .
and tracey and the team at biome are certainly
some of the most treasured

they also have a blog HERE

m o m e n t s

these days are a bit of a daze at the moment

i have just returned from
the spring poetry festival in canberra
which was both a joy and a privilege to attend
i met so many inspiring and wonderful people
both on the panels i was on, and the audience
who came along . . .

and certain conversations reminded me
that following this passion and lifelong pursuit is worth it. . .

even if, sometimes, the solitary pages and (often)
melancholy wanderings of my work,
leave me scared or perplexed. .. .

to inspire even one person is worth it
and i think whether we grow beetroot or sugarcane,
wash windows or nurse people who need care,
mother, paint pictures, or sell groceries
we all have a story

and we are all poets in our own way
"does a poem have to even have words?"
a new friend asked . . .

and as i took this photo of the curtains
in my lounge room this afternoon
i thought of this and agreed,

no it doesn't . . ...

christmas SHOW

paper boat press
annual christmas show

sunday november 22

st francis theological college
233 milton road milton
(entrance via baroona road)

10am - 2 pm


for sale will be :
ornaments
quote tags
new tags and magnets
pencils and prints
brooches and pendants
5 pack little stars for your christmas baking and gifts
2010 calendar ( yes it's done, after many requests ! )
vessels (including some new designs )
as well as lots of other bits and pieces . . .

feel free to pop in for a cup of tea
and a spot of christmas shopping

spring poetry festival

next weekend

the 13th and 14th
i will be in canberra as a guest at
the spring poetry festival
if you live down that way and this is of interest
do pop in and say hi
a program can be downloaded HERE

remembering to breathe

i'm finally coming up for air to say hello again . . .
the past weekend at finders keepers
was amazing and exhausting and amazing

it was so lovely to meet so many people who
knew my work, or discovered it for the first time . . .
talk to people about how wonderful the markets were,
and how lively the brisbane design scene is . . .
it was a great way to get a few more things for my christmas
shopping list crossed off, as well as meet other brisbane designers
where introductions had only previously been made
through email or through admiration of their work

a big thank you to the fabulous brooke, sarah, and alischa who
made the weekend such a marvel . . .
and to my darling sister, dear friend sarah, and miss jen who
played fabulous shop girls with me

i haven't stopped for long this week to recover
as the last of my wholesale orders go out,
many a phone call and email between myself and
the publishers as the final tweeks
of a once courageous heart gets done . . .
and somewhere amongst all of that

remembering to breathe . . .

someone very close to my heart used to tell me to do
that . . . i still hear his words ringing in my ear
when it all gets too much . . .

can't wait . . .

so . . . i can't wait . . .
sarah has hinted tonight,
and tomorrow these will be out for public viewing
and sale at finders keepers . . .
our special collaboration
months in the planning

paper weights...sculptures...little things...

organic shaped clay-body by me
crochet flowers and ramblings by miss b

we have talked for years (and years)
about collaborating on this and that
and finally we've done something that is
in keeping with our individual passions
while still coming together in colour shape and tone

all good things are worth waiting for . . .

and this is only the beginning too, different clay bodies and
cotton colours to come . . .
we hope you like them

an extra special shout out to miss b
for her exquisite packaging also, seriously you are my style guru

x

new things...

the finders keepers market is saturday

above are some sneak peeks of new work
i will have for sale at my stall

also at my stall will be
the reveal of a lovely collaboration i've been working on
with my dear friend sarah . . .
all i will say is it is made of
cotton and clay . . .
( and i will share some photos soon )

if you are in brisvegas and plan to come along to finders keepers
do stop by and say hi . . .

the new tags and magnets will hopefully be in my online store soon
and released to my retail outlets in the new year . . .
as well, the new clay and colours will find their way onto
poetry pots and other new vessels . . .

c e l e b r a t e . . .

so, this is how it goes . . .
i promised my friend teresa, my fabulous shop girl,
when we reach a hundred orders online
we shall celebrate with a bottle of verve . . .
well, that happened months ago now

and yesterday, finally,
in a nice break from my 7 days a week
crazy working schedule at the moment
i stopped, my sister joined us . . . and verve we had
( we've set another goal for the next bottle, of course )

thanks so very much to all of you who have supported
paper boat press online
thanks for your orders
and your lovely comments
and thanks of course to teresa who has made
this process run so smooth and easily
and peppered each day with integrity and humour

p.s. i promise there is lots of work getting done
and i also promise this won't become a blog/news page
all about alcohol that is consumed while making said work

c h r i s t m a s . . .

christmas ornaments are now
in store . . .

not all are there yet, and not as well stocked as i'd hoped
( so many wholesale order commitments )
if any show sold out please know i will be replenishing them
as soon as possible through the coming weeks

i will have a small collection at my stall at the finders keepers market
next weekend and even more at my annual christmas show
on november 22

studio flowers (today)

i am part of all that i have met
- tennyson

these days

these days are fun and exhausting
crazy and inspiring
i've got too much on my plate to explain fully

amongst the clay is working with my publishers
on the final parts of my next book
a once courageous heart
though it's not out until march next year
it needs to be ready for printing in the next few weeks
so many a late night is being spent moving text
drawing, and shifting poems on a computer, in my head and
on paper . . .

i have been invited to be a guest at the spring poetry festival
in canberra in november also,
details to follow soon for those of you interested and
down that way . . .

fingers crossed

. . . these new designs
made with a stoneware clay work out !
the one thing about clay is that you can be surprised
( sometimes nicely, sometimes not )
about how something will look, clay can be a mysterious beast . . .

so fingers crossed no matter how they come out
they look ok . . . above are the unfired new long tags and magnets
( yes, finally magnets, i've been hounded for years about making some )
i will have them at the finders keepers markets
and my christmas show also ( sunday november 22 )
and maybe online to follow . . .

also a quick last minute reminder
PERSONALISED CHRISTMAS STAR ORDERS
CLOSE TOMORROW NIGHT
october 15 th

wait and see . . .

i've been working on a very special collaboration
with my dear friend sarah . . .
all will be revealed soon
and hopefully these special little things
will be ready for sale at my stall
at the finders keepers markets in a few weeks . . .

martini's . . .

just as a word of caution:
when having working bee's with friends in your kitchen
cups of tea are better than martini's
only because of less breakage of greenware !

how lucky i am . . .

these days the studio is open for work
nearly every day of the week ( ok, every day )
as christmas ornament deadlines loom for shop orders,
market stock is made and
year round product is still in demand

and today as i looked back into
the studio from my office to see two of my three
in-studio gals working ( there's a couple more behind the scenes too )
i thought how lucky i was to not only have these
great women as workmates,
but no matter how hard and long a days work is at the moment
it is sweeter for them being here . . .
they are my friends and i am so grateful . . .

quick reminder

just a quick reminder that odrers for personalised stars
close on OCTOBER 15 !
( this is so they are made in time for delivery early december )

if you'd like some order them - HERE

a memento and useful thing

above is one of my favourite non-pottery
things i purchased on my recent trip

made in japan, this large oak sticky tape dispenser
is both useful and just the thing to complement my office
( and although it weighed my bag down a bit )
it has already started to have a workout as
the first of my christmas orders to my stockists go out this week . . .

ai weiwei

while in tokyo (a week or so ago now)

i was lucky enough to have my trip coincide
with according to what? a current exhibition of Ai Wiewie's work
at the mori art museum
his work always surprises and challenges me
and as a contemporary artist he intrigues me . . .
something that i appreciate in the funny byways of contemporary art.

above are a few photos i took at the exhibition,
and although i have previously seen the vessels in another show
what Ai is trying to say with them was something i wanted to share. . .
the information card that sat with the vessels is as follows:

This series consists of Neolithic Age jars dipped in
industrial paints, as if they were glazes. The faded,
richly patterned surfaces of the jars are obscured by the bright
modern colours while the jars retain their original
form and function. With their materials and shapes
intact and only their surfaces changed, the
jars force us to consider the relationships
between the reality before our eyes and history and meaning,
as well as between objects and their essence.

clay play . . .

i had a little visitor in my studio the other afternoon
miss a's mum dropped her over for a few
hours clay play as it is kindy holidays here . . .
and i have to say miss a handled the clay like
she had been using it for years !
and made some mighty cute little things along the way . . .

c a l l i g r a p h y

this is the first of a few posts i may do about some special moments
from my trip to japan . . .
learning calligraphy with the women's association of kyoto
was such a highlight
( and i would recommend their classes without hesitation )
this involved a home visit with an interpreter
to the home and studio of a master calligrapher . . .

i had not known previously that calligraphy is not just communication
but the act of ink to paper is also about
breathing and spirit as in other forms of meditation . . .

and that like all great arts ( and life ) our calligrapher told us
you never stop learning

not only did the class inspire me
but after when we were taken downstairs for a cup of tea,
the accompanying fruits we were offered were on little plates
that looked familiar to me. . .
i asked about and knew about the maker
( which thrilled both myself and the teacher )
as they were made by rengetsu
a poet, buddhist nun and potter from 19th century japan
i really couldn't believe it . . .
i touched and held them in my hands, ate off them. . .
this also renewed my belief in the use of pottery,
no matter how antique, valuable or precious . . . in daily life

there was a major show of rengetsu's work at australian national gallery
last year, and the catalogue is one i pour over and over. . . and over
( feeling an, of course humbled, yet strange connection
as i am also a poet who puts my words on my pottery )

it was like an musician meeting their idol . . .

and so appropriate was this happenstance
( and we all laughed and delighted in the fact )
that the calligraphic symbol i chose to draw
as my final piece just moments before was called

one chance, one moment

home again . . .

after an inspiring time in japan
i am home and back into the thick of work and emails etc . . .

i already miss it

from the crazy colourful streets of tokyo
to a calligraphy class in kyoto
to the slow changing colours of autumn

collecting amazing pottery that filled my carry on baggage home . . .

and even catching an afternoon in tokyo
with a dear dear friend as she holidayed with her family
( another lovely memory . . . )

all in all i was
renewed and healed and inspired

i will share more stories and images later
but in the mean time thought i'd say hello and share
a few snap shots of this beautiful trip

grazia . . .

a quick hello

to let you know if you want the latest gossip on angie

or to see new pictures of the sex and the city movie

grazia is the mag for you this week . . .

oh, and there's a story on me in there as well

with sneak peeks inside my studio

grazie grazia

j a p a n . . .

i'm signing just for a few days
as i head on a short holiday to japan !

( my online store will remain open while i`m away )
last time i went it was spring and cherry blossoms
this time it is autumn, and although
i'll probably miss the true colours of autumn
the amazing country it is, is sure to inspire

but one piece of news before i go . . .
the publishers and i have chosen a name for my next book
to be released march year, i hope you like it . . .

a once courageous heart

finders keepers

the applications for finders keepers close on sep 11th
and there's still time to apply . . .

for info on how to apply click HERE

i'll be having a stall so hope to see you there !

thank you . . .

this beautiful vessel appeared in my post box today
sophie milne is a melbourne potter
who i've admired for years,
when i was a shop girl i used to do some of the buying
of ceramics for the gallery store at the
queensland art gallery and sophie's work was one that
i was always excited to order . . .
her colour choices and form remain distinctly hers
and that is what i admire in a maker . . .

her blog is a great read also !
i'm so lucky to have this in my collection,
surrounded by work by fellow potters is inspiring in ways
that books or the web just can't muster . . .

getting organised

and my studio girls are thrilled
( as am i . . . )
why did it take me so long to get this organised and up on the wall ?
probably because there is always something else that needs
to be done . . . such is life

sarah's birthday!

this past weekend
i hosted a morning tea to celebrate
a significant birthday of my darling friend ( and stylish blogger )
sarah b !

a small group of friends
sat around my lounge room
for a rambling and lovely morning tea on saturday

we had bubbly and cups of tea, yummy things to eat,
and a cake decorated with ( at a special request )
sugared violets . . .

and i just had to make a special cake plaque
for this special occasion
in sarah's signature colour - red . . .
( a keepsake for her also )

happy happy birthday sarah b
you are so treasured !

introducing . . .

this years christmas bird . . .

these will be available in store hopefully from the last week or so
of september
( as well as my other christmas ornaments )

in the mean time i am getting
more excited every day
now that i'm feeling slightly better,
and my 12 day trip to japan
is now only a week away !

my fabulous studio girls and i
have been making christmas ornaments for... well... 6 months now,
so we are well and truly on top of things this year . . .
and between all the work and being unwell this winter
my short break away is keeping me inspired and determined to be well

for on my return it will be a crazy workload right up until christmas . . .

and finally a big thank you to all those who
purchased from the sale !
the personalised stars are still listed in store and will be so
up until mid october

have a lovely weekend

pressing . . .

bits of my heart into clay this week . . .
one day at a time
one letter at a time
one word at a time

one

revisiting . . .

as this custom order of one of my pendants sat on my desk
this afternoon, just before the customer picked it up,
i realised how much
in years past, and even in creating this one,
that i love making them.

pendants like this one, in some ways,
was where the ceramic work
i made from scratch with my own hands really started.
for the years when i started to make these i had decorated
the beautifully constructed vessels my friends made
while part of an artist collective called amfora here in brisbane
( through all of the 90's and a few years into this decade . . . )

i used to make the pendants in my (then) very small home
and a very dear (to say the least) friend of mine,
used to fire them in his kiln for me.

it was in those hours of packing the kiln together
with my work, his work, and our friends work,
that i learned, without even realising it,
how to pack a kiln, glaze, the tricks of the trade really . . .

now i feel it time to revisit these black and white
pendants, so some may pop up from time to time in
my online store
and i'll make sure i get some made for my christmas show too. . .

my winter sale continues to go well,
( i will try and restock the tags etc that have sold out )
but thank-you to all those hopefully happy customers
who have purchased work
there's one week left now as the sale ends
monday next week . . .
details HERE

another flower . ... .

above is another flower from my mother's garden

i've posted here and here
with other flowers that my mum has given me
from her rambling garden over the past year

this one brightened my
slowly-getting-back-into-the-studio-day
the other day . . .
nature, and a little gesture of love like this,
can help to heal the body and the mind

( it sits in a beautiful little dish made by my friend trevor
the perfect vessel for this camellia )