Out Of My Studio: At Fiber Flame

Recently on this blog we read about a visit by fellow Hudson Valley Etsy Team blogger

Lark Practical to the Rhinebeck Arts Festival. She reviewed the booth provided by Fiber Flame and the wonderful time her son had spent painting a lizard. I decided this month to visit the mother ship- the original Fiber Flame studio located on route 212 between Woodstock and Saugerties. I say mother ship because recently Fiber Flame have also opened a studio in Rhinebeck and can be found at many local events, festivals and fairs.

Mother ship can also be used to describe the inspiring futuristic construction of the Fiber Flame building. Upon entering you are immediately welcomed by a beautifully curated gift shop, combining wares made from local crafts people to fair trade goods sourced from all over the world. This area is truly inspiring for any would be maker to get their creative juices flowing.

Gift shop at Fiber Flame

The space is then given over to numerous crafting tables where visitors are able to get making themselves. Shelves are jam packed with projects for children and adults alike to decorate and assemble. The walk in studio offers visitors the ability to come in whenever fits their busy schedules; Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday 10am-5pm and Friday and Saturday 10am -6pm.

Some Halloween 'blanks' ready for decorating

Visitors first choose a 'blank' on which to work. This could be anything from a onesie to a wooden car, a piece of pottery to glaze or a canvas tote to decorate. Each 'blank' has varying prices from $1 upwards. You also pay a studio fee of $10, for this fee all the studio materials are included in your two hour session; from buttons, beads, fabrics, papers, embellishments, a rainbow of glazes and also help from one of the friendly assistants if you need it.

Embellishments

Fiber Flame also offers a wide variety of classes for children and adults including its monthly Dirty Girls Night Out; offering women the chance to have a night out, make a mess,  try something new, meet and chat with fellow like minded people and get creative.  Previous nights have included embroidery, needle felting, indigo dyeing, jewelry making and pottery.

The studio also throws wonderful children's birthday parties and is open to private bookings including film showings on its huge movie screen. Kids Nights Out are held regularly whereby the youngsters can create, eat dinner and watch a movie while their parents enjoy a night out.



Dirty Girls Night- Indigo Dyeing Workshop



Main area- crafting tables

It is truly a remarkable and creative place well worth a visit -to fill some time on a rainy day, learn a new skill or to make Christmas gifts for the whole family.

"Fiber Flame is our effort to honor and feed the ancient human need to adorn ourselves, our loved ones, and our environment with handmade beauty. In a mass-produced world, it feels good, essential even, to make, have, give and receive one-of-a-kind, imperfectly-rendered objects." Shea and Christina


For more information about classes and events:

Fiber Flame

1776 Route 212

Saugerties

845 679 6132

make@fiberflamestudio.com

www.fiberflamestudio.com

or visit the new studio at 18b East Market St Rhinebeck

Sarah Omura - So Handmade

The Life Of A Potter

The holidays are over. The shows are over..........for a while.

Do I just sit and recuperate? Do I start things I have been thinking of .....for a while

Do I make the pieces that were ordered that weren’t ready for the end of the year?

I just took a workshop about cone 6 glazes. John Britt, a funny, generous, potter, glaze maker, teacher, mentor, et.al gave a 3 day workshop at Port Chester. It was quite a wonderful workshop that reinforced what I have been able to assimilate and a reminder of how much more there is for me to do............. He will be in Kingston in May and I will reinforce what I just learned.

We were a fairly large group of people who are working primarily at cone 10 who were interested in exploring reducing our carbon footprint by firing at a lower temperature.

The nuances of this reduction in temperature were something I wanted to learn about. We were divided into groups of 2 or 3. Each of us chose a different base glaze. This was to be mixed with the same colorants in the same proportion and on the same 3 different clay bodies. We were to make sets that would be fired in oxidation and sets fired in reduction. The only variable was base glaze and placement in the kiln. I chronicled parts of the workshop.

By extrapolating the information gleaned from this experiment I know I now have much more to do than just experiment. I need to take what I have learned and firm up ideas I have about surface.

Lynn - New Prospect Pottery

Read more of Lynn's Pottery Journey here and here.

Scene’s From The Life Of A Potter

Ever wondered what the life of a Potter was like? Today we show you a glimpse inside the life of Lynn Isaacson from New Prospect Pottery.

Firing the gas kiln at New Prospect Pottery is usually a group effort. Potters from the tri-state area come to the pottery and use the pottery's glazes which are mixed by me. People come early as it takes a bit of time to individually glaze and prepare pots for the kiln. Each potter must wax the bottom of their pots so as not to have them stick to the kiln shelves. Each pot must then be wiped clean of any glaze that adheres to the wax.

It seems like a daunting task to place everyone's pots in the places in the kiln that create the effects each potter prefers. This kiln holds about 80 pots. Some firings have many more pots that will fit into the kiln. It is necessary then to hold two firings back to back. I start loading the kiln as soon as most of the work is glazed. Each potter can help with the loading process. Once loaded, the kiln is sealed so none of the spaces between the door, brick and spy holes contribute to extra air being introduced into the reduction atmosphere. I begin candling the kiln at 3 AM. This process removes any moisture from the pots, kiln furniture such as shelving and shelf supports.

After about an hour and a half of candling with one burner, I light another. An hour after that all four burners are lit. The firing then begins. At approximately 9:30 or 10:00 I put the kiln into what is called 'body reduction'. This deprives the atmosphere in the kiln of oxygen. The flame seeks oxygen from the glazes and the clay. This gives the ware an unreproduceable effect that is different in each area of each specific pot. It is always a surprise to see what comes out after the 36 hour cooling.

Just another day in the life of a potter.

Lynn - newprospectpottery.etsy.com

New Pottery Class at Garrison Art Center

Our very own Virginia Piazza from Ceruleanblue will be teaching a pottery class at the Garrison Art Center starting Wednesday, September 21st 6:30-9:30. This is a 8-week session which includes 4 hours practice time - for $260.

Virginia has been teaching at GAC for the past 4 years and previously taught at the YWCA in Manhattan.

Garrison Art Center (off route 9D)
23 Garrison's Landing
PO Box 4
Garrison, NY 10524


Please call 845.424.3960 to register