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Meditative Mornings: Carving, Zentangles, and Underglaze Magic

It’s that funny time of year in Ottawa where the ground is still a bit too frozen for the golf clubs, but the light in the studio is starting to change. While I’m waiting for the greens to wake up, I’ve been taking advantage of the extra "home days" to really slow down and focus on surface design. Lately, I’ve been pushing myself out of my comfort zone—moving away from my usual smooth finishes and diving into the world of Zentangle-inspired carving , underglaze transfers , and detailed layering . Finding the Flow with Zentangles There is something incredibly meditative about sitting with a leather-hard piece and a carving tool. I’ve started incorporating Zentangle patterns into my forms, letting the repetitive lines dictate the texture. It’s a slow process, but there's a rhythmic quality to it that reminds me of a good day on the course—focus, precision, and just being in the moment. Zentangle pattern: Pokeroot which I made them looking more like cherries :p Layering the ...
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A new year!

2025 flew by like a flash of light — and we’re already close to the end of January 2026. The OGP Christmas Sale was a huge success, and many of us had much less to pack up at the end of the three-day show. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and supported us. That success has really motivated me to get back into making pieces (and it helps that it’s been super cold and snowy here in Ottawa). Like previous years, I love starting the year by exploring new designs. This year, I began with a new mug design. What do you think? I’m still deciding on the glaze and even a name… and yes, the handle needs a little fixing 😉

Last firing before the show

One last firing before the show, and I’m happy to say that every piece turned out beautifully.

Kiln opening day

I’ll probably have at least one more kiln-opening day before the show. Every time I fire a load, I feel a bit unsettled—not only because it requires patience (it takes about 18 hours from when the kiln starts to when it’s cool enough to unload), but also because there’s always uncertainty about how the pieces will turn out. This time, I’m happy to report that everything came out beautifully.

18 days before the Annual OGP Holiday Sale

After missing last year’s OGP Holiday Sale (we were in South Africa!), I made sure to sign up for this year’s event. This time, I’ll have two seasons’ worth of pieces, and I started preparing much earlier. Luckily, I managed to bisque-fire everything before we went on vacation again in November. Now all that’s left is the glaze firing—one of the kiln loads will be starting this evening.

Pottery girl has been quite productive

Like I mentioned last time, since I didn’t have a show in December and didn’t spend much time outside this winter, I was able to spend more time in the studio. As a result, I actually have some finished pieces ready! I opened the kiln earlier this afternoon for my second glaze firing of the year (can you believe my 2nd glaze firing in April, this has never happened before)—here they are (sorry about the lighting…). The bottom shelf, the initial picture didn't work out and I had to take another one 2nd shelf with pieces that I did slip trail.  This is my first time doing this and I quite like the result. 3rd shelf  Top shelf  I’ve also been trying out a new look for my mug handles, but they didn’t make it into this firing. Hopefully it won’t be too long before the next update!

Pottery girl has been a little quiet for the past couple of years, but she is back!

I can't believe the last time I posted here was in 2020. Just like those COVID years when everyone was distant from the world, I was hiding from my Blogspot too. Although I haven't been updating my blog (for various reasons), I’ve still been making pottery, albeit less frequently. Over the past couple of years, I participated in two Christmas shows, though I missed last year’s because I was out of the country. I finally did the first firing of some pieces I made early last year and have already glazed a few of them. Since we're in the midst of the winter months in Canada, I spent a lot of time over the weekend in my studio, making more pieces and experimenting with new things.  More pictures to come... I also created my first time-lapse video of me making a plate the other day. Enjoy, and until next time...