–donated finished product
Ramona Paloma Studios has donated their newly framed pieces to a fund-raiser for the Sierra Madre Library.
These pieces may be seen at:
The 41st Wine and Cuisine Tasting and Silent Auction, hosted by the Friends of the Sierra Madre Library. It will be held at the historical Alverno Villa in Sierra Madre on Friday, February 18, 2011, 7:00 – 9:00pm. All proceeds to benefit the Sierra Madre Library.
Please see below for our newly framed tiles.
–woodwork at Ramona Paloma studios?
Yes, RP Studios is venturing into handmade wood frames with a bit of personalization added in.
We have to thank our friend, Jean for this idea. After arriving home with a few newly-acquired tiles of ours–she felt like they may not stand out enough on the walls of her beautiful craftsman home with the rich woodwork everywhere. So she found lovely wood frames for the tiles to give them some….oooommpf!
It hit Tracy and I like…Eureka! Indeed, some of our pieces would lend themselves wonderfully to a warm wooden home to sit in.
We began with drawings, discussions, mock-ups etc. (see below)
That’s the interesting thing about the creative process–sometimes you’re so invested in one particular thought process, that you might miss a simple idea floating around nearby. That’s the beauty of friends–they say, ” I love that thing–can I have it this way…?” …and a new idea is born. Thanks Jean!
By the way…final product to follow tomorrow.
–half a kiln
Happy festivus to us! We recently opened up a kiln of freshly baked goodness–glazed tiles.
Just last week, we loaded up about half capacity in the cone 6 electric kiln. We are in the throes of working out a schedule for 2011 to share kiln loads, rather than fill completely with our own work–a good arrangement because it allows us to fire fewer pieces, a bit more often. Since we often dabble in new things, it gives us some useful feedback about glaze combinations, design, and the like.
I’m trying something new here. Even though the photographer (me, in this case) has had better days–the photos below show before and after of each shelf, side by side. There are definitely some cases where I like the before almost better. The glaze is still in place, where I left it. After hanging out in a hot kiln for a while, the glazes sometimes get their own opinions and float around in a different-than-expected direction. That’s the nutty side of high-fired ceramics–no guarantees–you get what you get….sort of a life lesson, you know?
I noticed a theme of animals for this load–not really intentional, but we have been exploring imagery of dogs and cats recently. Also, the bottom shelf (the top row of photos, here) had some of Tracy’s dark clay, rustic trees–loaded with visual texture.
We are busy in the studio with some new stuff–more soon.
Happy Year of the Rabbit!
–birthday
Happy 1st Birthday to Ramona Paloma!
The actual date may be slippery, but Tracy and I like to say it all began in January 2010 when we latched on to 2 local studios– The Wheelhouse and the Lori Koop Studio–launching our tile-making partnership into outer space! I think this actually means we can celebrate for the entire month of January–right?!
Is that why you’ve been so quiet recently? You’ve been busy…celebrating?
Actually, we worked pretty hard through mid-December to push into a few deadlines, then had various warm and fuzzy Holiday and family events that kept us out of the studio until after the new year. We also took some time to brainstorm new ideas, worked on some R and D, and made plans to take in some new ideas in the form of art shows, excursions, and specialty supply & tool stores…all to keep exercising our gray matter. Coming back from the break, it would be so easy to continue scampering down our regular path, but as Las Presidentes of Ramona Paloma Studios, we both want the gig to stay fresh–we gotta keep those ideas jumping around on the trampoline of our minds.
We are looking forward to our first outing for the new year–a field trip to the Huntington Gardens in San Marino in early February. Yes–a field trip! The garden there is filled with shape, color and texture–what a profusion to absorb into our design process.
And after a year of making, we have learned so much about ourselves. I think it’s good to step back sometimes, and see where you are and where you want to go. The Holiday break was just that. Tracy and I have made some great goals for ourselves for 2011 and we still LOVE what we’re doing! We can’t wait.
A funny thing about the ceramic process though…is that the timeline of ‘idea to finished piece’ can be 4-6 weeks. Things we’re excited about now won’t peek out for a little over a month. So, keep an eye out for kiln openings and new designs in the near future.
We’re looking forward to another year of creative exploration and our collaborative friendship.
Best wishes to you and…Happy New Year!
–Upcoming event
We are pleased to be participating in an upcoming showcase and sale that has long been on our “to-do” list before we began making ceramic tile in earnest.
Please join us and our fellow mud slingers at
The Wheelhouse Pottery Studio
for their 2010 Holiday Ceramic Arts Sale. Saturday, December 4th from 10:00am to 4:00pm in the studio at 1831 Santa Fe Place in Monrovia, California
Good news! One of Tracy’s tiles made the postcard mailer!
(Please see postcard below). See you there.
–busy bees
Soozee here, with a quick update. So, what have the tile twins been up to recently?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Tracy and I are currently busy at work in the Ramona Paloma Studios. We are preparing for two events in early December. First , we will take part in an exhibition and sale at the Wheelhouse Pottery Studio in Monrovia on December 4th. And secondly, we plan to reinvigorate our medley of tile at Belle’s Nest in Sierra Madre to join in the “Nest’s” Holiday Collection of Artisans–going on through the month of December.
Tracy and I really thrive on our working time in the studio. It’s bustling, creative, and keeps our gray matter engaged. Often, we are cracking each other up while working (to prevent the effects of being “glazed over”…). Also helpful are the musical talents of Abba, or the Monkees (both generating some loud sing-a-longs), combined with our melodic leanings towards the Black Keys, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones or classical radio on 91.5. Long hours in the studio inspire a musical mix.
Below are some recent photos of our tile-making. Three parts of the (many step) process are shown [making wet clay tile, a shelf of loaded bisque-ware ready to be fired (first firing), plus several photos taken while glazing].
Stay tuned for more details about the Wheelhouse Pottery Studio show in Monrovia on Dec 4.
–unveiling
The day had come. The weather was fair, the padded boxes were ready, and if the kiln fairies were willing, we would have a wonderful day. It was kiln-unloading day.
Tracy and I often attempt to do impressions..something about working for quiet, concentrated hours, alongside one another. We can’t help but think of Forest Gump with his line about “…never knowing what you’re gonna get when you open a box of chocolates…” as we open the kiln. Of course, you’d have to say it with a slow, southern drawl, and like Forest–sort of in the back of your throat. Some of our other favorite impressions include James Mason, bits from Monty Python, the endlessly fun character of James Kirk and lines from Seinfeld. Tracy is very good with the Scottish brogue and Norwegian accents too.
Okay, enough about silly voices… Please allow me to share the most recent kiln opening with you.
In this load, we’ve got some color samples, some experiments with “cut-outs” and black slip, a crop of “littles”, and what we consider our classics–the larger hand-pressed tile with raised lines. Also, I’m interested in a dark brown clay body right now, called Black Mountain. It is such a rough and porous clay that it gives the glazes a dark, impressionist look sometimes.
Stay tuned for more later.
–Artisan’s Fair
The tile studio has been invited to join a group of Artisans for 2 lovely days of art in the park. You may have the opportunity to get an inside glimpse of some of the glazing process, as we will be treating this event as a studio workday…on a field trip in the park.
Ramona Paloma Studios will present it’s newest work (fresh out of the kiln)
on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 9 and 10, 2010
8:30 am – 3:30 pm
as part of the Annual Artisan’s Fair to be held at
Sierra Madre Community Nursery School, located at 701 E. Sierra Madre Blvd in Sierra Madre.
Rumor has it that the weather will be fair, so we look forward to enjoying this outdoor venue.
See you there!
–November event
The tile studio is participating in a special event that will take place on Monday, November 8, 4-6:30 pm at Belle’s Nest in Sierra Madre, located at 55 North Baldwin Ave. Belle’s Nest is not usually open on Mondays…and really won’t be this time either. Monday evening, the shop will host a most unusual garage sale where various artists are emptying out their storage cupboards of art-and-craft supplies, knick-knacks and art pieces with…let’s call them… …unexpected results.
You can be sure that it will be a treasure hunt of goodies, waiting to find their new home.
Follow the walkway on the north side of the shop and use…the secret knock.
Bring a friend. See you there.
–loading the glaze kiln
This is a good week!
We have discovered that if there are 5 shelves of ready-to-go-tile in the studio, then we know we’re heading to the kiln very soon.
And yesterday was that day.
Tracy and I loaded up the kiln with our wares–into Lori’s lovely, high-fire electric kiln . It’s always a big day here at Ramona Paloma Studios, whenever we are going in, or taking out of the kiln. It’s usually the result of many hours of steady work. The feeling is excitement, with a cup and a half of anticipation and a big heaping spoonful of satisfaction–shaken, not stirred.
We loaded Tuesday morning. Lori will usually fire that same night–which she did. Then, there’s the ramping up to heat, the holding at a certain heat, then the slow cool down….which brings us to Thursday morning when we get to open up the lid to a treasure-chest of surprises. It’s so birthday-ish for us when we open the kiln, so tomorrow will be a happy day. (Can I get away with that word–birthday-ish?)
We love the subtlety of the glaze colors before they are fired. Some of them look so cool that way, we wish we could duplicate those dull, chalky colors in certain designs. But the true magic happens under that high heat. We can hardly wait.
Six shelves and a bit. We saved some room in this load for Lori to place a few things.
Look for more later, as we unveil this firing.
Ramona Paloma On Facebook
