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It is New Year's Eve & the kiln is ready to load and start....

I still have 2 Ming Rose pieces to airbrush so plan to do that tomorrow, New Year's day... Everything will need a second and possibly a 3 firing but all of that should be done during the coming week...  I am relieved to have this much done but the real relief will be when and if I am satisfied with this first firing.  The kiln will be cool and ready to unload this Monday so send positive energy flowing my way for a successful firing!

Heres thanking everyone who has given me love, friendship and moral support this year.  It is so very appreciated.  Enjoy this evening regardless of your plans and stay safe.  I will be in touch next year and may it be a special year for all of us, one that offers HOPE for everyone....

Love, Alice

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Looks like I have my work cut out for me.......The greenware you see is scheduled to be fired and ready for commissions and shows by the 1st of the year. Yikes!!!!!!

Don't forget that I have a sale going on in my studio until the 1st of the year.  Just call, email or text for an appointment for any day except Christmas day!  Many of the "Meditation Bowls" are $99, other work is 30% off and rattles are half off.  (864)414-0478 or aliceballard64@gmail.com.

Many thanks to all of you who have purchased work from me this year!  And thank you to those I am working on projects with during the coming year.  It is a great pleasure getting to know all of you!  Happy Holidays and may we all have an exceptional 2017!!!

Note that over the holidays, I will be posting upcoming shows and workshops during the next year.  They will be posted under events on my site and on Facebook.

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Details of work still available for sale following a very successful GREENVILLE OPEN STUDIOS 2016...

Although I do not keep regular visiting hours, you can always call to make an appointment to drop by to have a look. 

I have set aside a select group of work discounted at  1/3 to 1/2 off to make room for new work currently in process for shows at Art & Light with Kate Furman in February of 2017 as well as work for another invitational show at Blue Spiral 1 that opens in March of 2007. Call or text 864-414-0478 for an appointment or if you have any questions.

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Thank you MAC for putting on another FABULOUS Greenville Open Studios and THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to visit my studio and our home.

Roger and I want to extend a special thank you to Michael Ziemer, Mackenzie Patterson and Karen Polstra for helping greet and help educate all the wonderful visitors.  Also, thanks so much to some of my special students who came to see what their art teacher does when she is not their art teacher.  Last but not least, I thank our precious parti-poodles Jaz and Rosie for delighting everyone with their funny antics and acting as our door bells!

Together, you all made this yet another AWESOME Greenville Open Studios!!! 

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PENLAND CLAY & DRAWING WORKSHOP continued.....

A THANK YOU NOTE TO EVERYONE IN THE CLASS...

 

I am still blown away by the week we shared at Penland!  I was so inspired by all of you that I am still living in the feeling of love, healing and joy that permeated the entire week.  I send my love and my thanks to each and every one of you in the class.  The week with you at Penland was an experience like no other workshop I have taught...

Alice 

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Images from the first 3 days of the week long clay and drawing workshop at PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFTS.

I am still in awe of our week together!  It was extraordinary, almost magical and far beyond my expectations of what we might create "together".  Downstairs clay felt like a "caccoon of fun and creativity"! 

All of you who were in the workshop, along with my two FAB assistants, Glory and Cat, are totally amazing and I applaud you for not only your awesome work but most of all for "taking a risk".... We all stepped outside the box together and look what happened!!!  

I am adding a slide show of the first three days of the workshop and will add more later.  Please send along any special images you have, especially of the "show and tell" on Saturday. I will add them in to the next slide show. 

Enjoy your JOURNEY and remember our conversations, not only the ones we had among ourselves but also the ones we had with our environment, our materials, but especially the clay...

Love and admiration to each of you!

Alice

For an unforgettable experience, take a class at Penland! penland.org

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Thank you Betsy Kaemmerien and SC Midlands Clay Arts Society!!!!

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a 2 day workshop in Columbia, SC called FINDING YOUR FORM THROUGH NATURE for SC Midlands Clay Arts Society.  Betsy along with 17 or 18 other clay and nature enthusiasts joined me and we had a FINE time exploring clay techniques and enjoying the exquisite forms that can be discovered in nature that were piled on every table. Together, we practiced working in partnership with our clay and of course we learned from others, along with a healthy dose of self exploration.  

I loved the wonderful mix of people I met and found myself wishing I had more time to get to know more about each and every person in the workshop.  I also enjoyed the mix of levels of experience. This leads to a room full of risk taking people teaching one another and just having fun together. The creative energy created in this kind of atmosphere is positively awe inspiring! 

Thank you all again for such a warm, wonderful and fun experience that included two amazing potluck lunches!  I loved every minute of my time with you....Keep in touch and enjoy your journey in clay!

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Newly posted MEDITATION BOWLS on my inventory & available for purchase

Mackenzie did an outstanding job photographing, recording and entering these pieces in my inventory.  Let me mention Mackenzie is senior, in the IB program at CCES and has already attended 2 summer programs at SCAD.  Her interest and focus is animation.  Her skills, knowledge, and creativity in the fields of visual arts and creative writing will serve her well in the future.

Go to SHOP and check out my inventory for details on these new MEDITATION BOWLS.

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Introducing New Work and New Assistant!

I am excited to announce that Mackenzie Patterson, former student at CCES Middle School, has agreed to assist me, both at CCES and in my home studio, with a wide variety of tasks that will give me more time to work in my studio. I am thrilled to say Mackenzie has already made a difference.

Mackenzie caught my eye immediately when I first met her in 7th grade.  She had the intelligence, the creativity, the skill and the work ethic to enter what ever creative field she chose... I knew she was going to be one of the "ONES" who had the passion to persevere and to make it...

Today Mackenzie helped me pack and organize for a workshop that I am doing in Columbia next weekend. Then she photographed, measured and posted a new group of Meditation Bowls on my site inventory.

Thank you Mackenzie for a great and productive day! The new work will be posted tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

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Thank you Blue Spiral 1 for creating such an exciting, yet quiet Zen elegance on the main floor of the gallery with the exhibition Outside Inspiration.

Driving through the mountains to Asheville yesterday afternoon for the Blue Spiral 1 opening felt a bit like a homecoming! As it turned out, the evening was filled with surprises, laughter and warmth.  

This seems an appropriate time to extend a special thank you to family and friends who support me as an artist, a teacher and a friend.  The surprise was that so many of you were able to make the opening! I loved visiting with each and every one of you!

I would also like to thank everyone at Blue Spiral 1 for your professionalism and support throughout the years.  Special thanks to Jordan Ahlers who is an artistic genius when it comes to putting exhibitions together.  And John Cram, I thank you for a long and special friendship. We have grown up together in the art world over the years haven't we?  Thank you John for all you have done for me over the years, for the laughter and tears we have shed, and thank you for the role you play in the arts, not just in Asheville, but well beyond the borders of the Southeast...

OUTSIDE INSPIRATION will be on view through November 11th. The art chosen for this exhibition is impressive, captivating and beautifully fits the theme of this show.  I hope you will come and experience the show for yourself.  Let me know what you think... 

bluespiral1.com

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I gave a sigh of relief this morning when we opened the kiln!!!

It was as close as it gets to a perfect firing!  Six Half Pods and two of my five large platters are now ready to pack. I have 3 more I am working on today that will be ready to fire tomorrow.  

A large group of Half Pods, to include a 10 Half Pod Installation, a Long Pod and 5 large platters from my Garden Impression series will be in an invitational group exhibition called OUTSIDE INSPIRATION at Blue Spiral 1 in Asheville, NC.  The opening will be September 1, a week from this Thursday, from 5 to 8.  This work will be available for purchase through Blue Spiral 1.  Please come and enjoy an evening in Asheville and at the same time, help us celebrate the creative spirit at Blue Spiral 1, one of the top galleries not only in the region but in the country!  

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These Half Pods are firing as I post this blog, with one more firing to go...

After the image of the Half Pods in the kiln, you will see one of the large (approx. 23 inches across) platters from my Garden Impression series. I unloaded the large platters yesterday after their first firing. Large flat pieces like these are prone to crack but lucky for me all 5 platters made it through the first firing!   The next image is one of those platters followed by a detail. Next are details of the other platters.  You will see how the copper oxide enhances the subtle texture.  All 5 are ready for the second firing. The platters will require 1-2 more firings as I continue to layer various materials on them.  I will be thankful if they all make it but It is just part of the risk-taking that goes into making these large platters...  

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