February 18, 2020
Launching “Studio Stories” our official monthly newsletter. We want to share an overview of what’s been going on and want to be sure that you don’t miss the great events and workshops coming up! Please forward to anyone you think might like to check us out!
We’ve officially been open and running programs for a little over a month now.
Everyday I experience at least a few moments where I cannot believe that I get to go to a pottery/art studio each day to share creativity!
Drop-in hours are now available for Paint-Your-Own-Pottery and Reserve-a-Pottery-Wheel. It’s been lovely to see families of all ages spending time together and enjoying the relaxed feeling of painting pottery. Hours are listed on the website under PYOP on the calendar.
And our wheels have been happy to be spinning clay for groups who want to see what it’s like. Reserving a wheel is also a great opportunity to practice your skills.
Check out our shiny new website for a complete list of hours and upcoming classes and events. I want to send a shout out to Dustin Hyden of Hyden Web Design who helped to create the fantastic new website for Lagom Studio. It’s very Lagom (just right!)
http://www.livinglagom.life
You can find us on Instagram too! @livinglagomstudio
Check out Grad student Victoria’s clay prowess. She has been taking clay classes in between all of her other classes for her own well-being and to de-stress.
All registration is now available online! Go to “Calendar” in the menu and scroll through to see what’s coming up! Making time for yourself and your well-being is key to a happy life. Enjoy a couple of hours away from all the demands of your life and lose yourself in creativity. Our next workshop is Dot Art Mandalas on Canvas this Thursday. Register today!
I am just about finished first session of Clayworks Essentials Pottery classes! Can’t believe how quickly that went by! I have so enjoyed working together with these new learners on the craft of pottery. Everyone has been very curious and enthusiastic to learn about something they had never before tried and best of all, have created some wonderful pieces! Most pieces are glazed and waiting for that final firing – can’t wait for the kiln to begin her magical transformation – it’s always so exciting to see what the glazes look like after firing!
Registration for the Spring Clayworks Essentials sessions is available now and classes begin again the week of March 23.
Sign-up today to bring some self-care and mindfulness into your life. It just feels so good to work with your hands and to produce something that is made by YOU!
“Cory-Lynn, I just want you to know that I am really enjoying your Pottery Classes. Really enjoyed trying the wheel… it’s a great exercise in mindfulness – you literally can’t think of anything else while you’re working on it.” (Clayworks Essentials participant Kim)
And really, what a cool opportunity to have a pottery/art studio so close by!
POTTERY KIDS
Since the beginning of January I’ve had the great privilege of working with some pretty amazing small potters on Saturday mornings . We made pinch pots, rolled coils, threw clay to make slabs and then rolled them really thin so we could turn the clay into pots. We actually threw the clay – no kidding! We painted bisque pottery and tried silk-screening tiles. And then we worked on the wheels to throw some more pots. We glazed them and now we wait to see how they will turn out!
You don’t want to miss the next session of Pottery Kids! Registration is now for classes beginning March 28.
We hosted our first Birthday Party which was a great success! A Great BIG Happy Birthday to Lilly! She had 10 friends here to paint pottery and they just loved it! They chose to paint one of four options: dragon, unicorn, fox or octopus. It was really seamless, as Lilly’s Mom and I chatted a few weeks ahead of the party to decide which pieces the children would most like to paint. I emailed her pics of a few options and once they were decided, I ordered them so Lilly would have exactly the pottery she wanted for her special day.
The hardest part is of course, asking the kids to leave their beautifully painted pieces with me to be fired in the kiln. I just told Lilly that she gets to extend her Birthday for another week and have another magical surprise waiting for her once her piece is fired and ready to go home.
In case you don’t know, we also slump glass bottles! You can see some of my work at the Hearth and Kin Eatery in Hillsdale, with more to come. Owners Shawn and Pierre have been very supportive of the arts and of local business and I look forward tworking with them more in the future. Oh, and the food and atmosphere is wonderful. You should go!
My own family – my three kids and hubby – actually wanted to try out mucking about with clay for the first time on Family Day. It’s just always been “Mom’s thing”. Gee, I wonder what Mom’s latest “creative phase” is? I don’t think they realize how interested I am in ALL creative pursuits! Eyes move sideways in my direction when I declare, “I have an idea!!”… usually they are somehow implicated in my creat-e-vil plans! 🙂 So, dare I hope that my enthusiasm has worn off?
Perhaps, because a couple of hours of clay-time was decided upon and marked in the calendar!
It was so much fun. I just love how this neat shift happens with most groups who get on the wheels. At first there is giggling, doubt about ability, a little bit of worry – we go over the basic techniques to get started, and once the initial fear/frustration runs it’s course, voices become quiet, faces wear focused grimaces – only the whirrrr of the wheels spinning is heard – that’s when the moment of full engagement with the clay, our hands and our minds happens. When all you can think about is the clay – you are feeling the clay in your hands and watching it respond to your wheel speed, the position of your hands, your body. Sometimes eyes close. You feel it’s cool, dense texture and your desire to “make” something out of it takes over and you become very determined…
The key is to breathe and go at a “just-right” pace. Nothing about this art can be rushed, and I think therein lies the greatest lesson clay can teach us about life. It flows organically – each phase takes the time it takes.
Come learn more about it and give it a try!
Making creativity possible,
Cory-Lynn Styles
Lagom Studio
3 Albert St W, Hillsdale, ON L0L 1V0
C: 705-279-5914 E: cory-lynn@livinglagom.life