Michael A. Prather - Ceramic Artist

Finished

2012-01-19T21:27:00.003-05:00

Here is the finished piece. I'm pretty pleased with it. The title is "Renewal". Maybe a bit too straight forward but this one was personal so there you have it.

In Progress

2012-01-12T20:27:00.006-05:00

I finally started a new piece. It was a little rough in the beginning. I'm a little rusty for sure. I finished it today and will let it dry for several days. The first picture is just the rough stage of getting the basic form and angles where I want them. The second picture is after I went over it once to get some basic details and the last photo is with all the details. It's a little different than I imaged it but then again, it usually is.

Slacker

2012-01-06T20:43:00.002-05:00

Wow! What a slacker I've been. Yesterday my girlfriend told me she looked at my blog and noticed it's been a while since anything was done here. I was a bit embarrassed. It's true though. I hate to admit it, but I haven't made anything in a good 6 or 7 months. But today I started a new piece. I just jumped back into things and we'll see how it goes. The piece is based on the last year of my life and of my girlfriends. It's kind of a piece to represent the process of rebuilding and transitioning from one chapter into another. Maybe this will lead me into a new direction. Stay tuned ...

updated, finally

2011-08-17T21:32:00.002-04:00

You may have noticed that I no longer have the "Mini Gallery" on my site (or maybe you didn't notice). They are all gone. I actually have 2 or 3 left but I'm holding onto them. I did add a line on my resume, but not a whole lot more. This summer has been one of working on my house like a mad man, being with my girls and soul searching with my art. I think I have come to terms with the idea of doing sculpture that is not limited to ceramics only. I have been looking at all types of art and looking for inspiration and a starting point. It really opens so many doors, almost too many. I love the idea of assemblages and building with tools, my hands and being aggressive with the process. My plan is to let school start up again and get back into that rhythm then set aside time each week to start a whole new chapter in my art. That will replace the "mini" gallery then maybe grow into other things yet to be seen. So please, stay tuned.

What am I doing?

2011-06-23T08:27:00.003-04:00

So you might be wondering what am I am doing with the whole art thing. I've been wondering that too. Getting divorced, watching my mom go through cancer and seeing my dad have a heart attack & a triple by-pass, has allowed me to re-evaluate a lot of things. One of them being my art and the reasons why I do what I do. When there are so many things that need to get done in life, making art always ends up being last on the list of priorities. So how does it get put closer to the top of the list? For me, I need a purpose or a reason to blow off loads of responsibilities so I can focus on my work. I need to know that I am not mowing the grass, or cleaning the house, or exercising, or balancing my check book because I am doing something more important (making clay figures). I've been doing a lot of soul searching to find out what the real reason is for making art and how that links to what I make specifically and why I make it. It has caused me to re-think art all together. Art has been my entire life and now I am changing everything I ever thought about it. That's pretty huge. It's not something that I am resolving overnight either.
So in the mean time, I hope you stop back at my site from time to time and you still enjoy looking at my work. One of these days you'll come back and find some big changes. Although I couldn't tell you just yet what those changes will be :)

Starting Over

2011-03-09T20:15:00.003-05:00

Since my last few posts, I've been planning out classes, what kind, when to offer them, what to charge, overhead, etc.... After a lot of planning and decision making here is what I've come up with. If I work really, really hard and this idea of teaching classes out of the studio works, then in about 6-8 years I will have the whole place remodeled, heated, septic and so on. Then I can start to make some profit. By then I will be 50 yrs old and I will have spent every second of my life working. My girls will be 15 and 13 yrs old. By the time it begins to make money I will be 55 and the girls will almost be out of school and I will have done nothing but work and I will have missed out on so much of them growing up and life in general. I don't want to be 55-60 and look back and say all I did was work. Life is too short. So as hard as it is to say, I'm not going to be offering classes any time soon. I don't want or need the headaches that owning and running a business like that will bring. If anyone would ever want private lessons (one on one) I would be happy to work out something with you. Or if you would like to rent some nice studio space, I would do that as well. But as far as group classes on a regular schedule.... it's not going to happen. Not now anyway. I apologize if anyone was looking forward to this.

Three left

2011-01-29T07:54:00.000-05:00

The tribal looking rattle is taken. Only three left.

Once lost, but now found!

2011-01-26T20:15:00.016-05:00

These were a part of my original portfolio submission to get into grad school. They are rattles about the size of a baseball. I had a bunch and thought they were all gone, but then I found a few stashed away this weekend in

the studio. I will part with these four only.

The series originally sold for $100 each. I will sell these to whomever wants them on a first come first serve basis for $45 a piece! If you are interested, just let me know.

Opinions needed!

2011-01-15T16:45:00.004-05:00

I've decided to dive in head first, go for it and finally commit to having clay classes this summer. Things are not developed as far as I would like with the setting, but it's good and will work for now. If there is enough support this 1st summer, then the following year I can commit more cash and re-invest to make this dream grow.

So to get the ball rolling, I need some opinions on what kind of clay classes you might be interested in taking, what day during the week, day or evenings, and how frequently you would like the class to be offered.

Feel free to make any comments or suggestions here or by emailing me at mike@mikeprather.com. I'll put you on my email list and keep you updated on discounts, memberships, special offers and so on.

Here we go!

What's new?

2010-12-02T19:03:00.002-05:00

Well, life can sure throw a curve ball when it's wants to. My mom is finally done with her chemo and is now in remission. My dad however, went into the ER two weeks ago with chest pain. He had an EKG and found out he was having a heart attack.. The gave him a catheter in his heart and they did a triple bypass. If you haven't figured it out either, I am going through a divorce as well. Although it has been pretty civil, it has also consumed my life for the last few months. Needless to say the first thing to be put aside has been the studio. I did manage to finish all the trim and the interior of the main part. All I need to door is paint the doors, trim them out and get some light and outlet covers. The position i am in now is to continue on with this dream or to scratch it all together and move into a smaller, more affordable house. It's not a decision I am making right now. I can wait a bit on it. So there it is. That's what's new.

Clay Sculptor

2010-10-04T19:07:00.002-04:00

Philippe Faraut is the artist here. I love this guy's ability to do so much with the human face. His knowledge of bone structure, muscle structure, gender, and race is unbelievable. If your looking to learn how to work with the human form, especially the upper portion, I highly recommend his books or video.

What Happened?

2010-09-30T19:34:00.005-04:00

It probably seems like I fell off the face of the planet. Well not really. I don't want to publish too many personal affairs so I'll just say that my life is changing significantly. I haven't stopped working on the studio and on my own work. I just haven't had the time to get here and update stuff. I did make a few small adjustments to the site. I am hoping to have some new work with a new flavor posted soon too. It is time for a change in my work.

So here is the latest with the studio. I have a little trim to do around the windows and the remodeling in the main room will be done. Then I can make some cool shelves and storage racks. This will be the fun stuff and should go rather quickly. I most definitely will be having classes this summer and maybe late spring. It won't be as elaborate as I had originally hoped, but I am OK with starting off a little small. I plan to have a schedule up in early spring on my site and will forward this information to anyone on my mailing list. If your at all interested, let me know and I will make sure your on the list. Classes will be mostly, if not all clay. I plan to have wheel throwing and hand building classes of various types. Space will also be available to use as an open studio situation as well. I am open for suggestions and would really like to hear what kind of classes you would like to take. So if you have any suggestions, let me know.

change of plans

2010-07-03T11:47:00.003-04:00

Always something to changing my plans. The studio isn't going as planned and neither is everything I wanted to do this summer. Sometimes I wonder why I even make plans. I won't be going to Pittsburgh this week. That has changed. I won't be having classes this summer. I didn't plan on cutting up a tree for 2 1/2 weeks. I didn't plan on my mom getting this sick. I thought I was done training for races, but now I might be reconsidering that. Funny how things turn out. I've come to realize that as I get older life doesn't toss things at you but rather, life throws fast balls and curve balls directly at you. I've learned to take it all in stride and allow things to take me on a course and I can only serve as sort of a guide. In the end, life is still good and the world still goes around.

What now?

2010-06-28T08:47:00.003-04:00

I have had a little time to think about the no bathroom situation and I really have no answer on what to do. I can't see charging people to come to take classes & workshops in a really nice studio setting with a price to match and then say "yeah, the crapper is the red port-a-john in the back yard". I would be too embarrassed and if it were me, I would feel jipped. I probably wouldn't come back. I did check out grants and loans and there is nothing easily available for me. I don't think I want to commit to a loan of $10,000 plus. As much as I have confidence in my idea, I am a realist too and can't risk taking out a loan and having the whole thing crash and owe a bank that much plus interest. The other long shot would be to look for some investors, but there is the commitment and obligation thing again. About the only thing that I can do, is really crank out some work, try to show and sell it and maybe rent out some space for anyone who might not mind coming into the house to use the bathroom. If anyone actually reads this, I am open for suggestions.

Update on my mom: I did get to see my folks yesterday and my mom was having a hard time getting around. She had the official hospital band on her wrist already too. Just gave me a reality check. Surgery is still schedule and my dad is pretty nervous. He wondered if this was necessary.

I have been able to switch my mental state a little now that the pressure is off having to open up shop. I have been kicking back a little and taking things in stride a little more. It feels good to do that.

Here is a video by Ani DiFranco I've always liked. I know she is all about the "power to the woman", but I still like here anyway. I remember starting my grad program at Edinboro and hearing her for the first time and being impressed with all that she can do and has done. Hearing her reminds me of that time.

Major Set Back!

2010-06-24T17:16:00.004-04:00

The plumber came today to look at the leak in the basement wall and to give an estimate on a bathroom in the studio. The leak turned out to be a pin hole in a pipe spraying the wall. Cheap and easy. The studio is a different story however. The pipe in the cement floor that goes to the septic for the toilet doesn't actually go the existing septic. It just goes into the ground. I would need to install a seperate septic system which could run between $7,000 and $10,000 to have installed then I could install the bathroom for another dollar amount. Crap.
So it doesn't look like classes will happen this summer. I can't have class without a place to do your business and I don't want to send people in the house. I know there are other possibilities, but I don't want to run a hack studio. There are plenty of those around already. So I'll take my time and get the long list of things to do ready for next year.
I have always believed that things happen for a reason. Even if I don't know what the reason is just yet. This was meant to be. I know that there are reasons to be stalled/set back. I have faith that better things are on the horizon.
Please keep checking back from time to time to see how things progress. I hope to have the good looking, detailed, fun stuff done over the summer and plans for classes and workshops up over winter.

Here's another update on a personal note. My mother is going to Pittsburgh on June 5th to have an operation. There are removing all kinds of stuff including a mass that is attached to her pelvis. They will do a biopsy after to determine if it is cancerous or not. I plan to go up Monday and stay the night and be with my dad. Who knows what will come of this. I may be back and fourth a lot to Pittsburgh next week.

What's up

2010-06-22T20:29:00.002-04:00

I have spent the last six days cutting and splitting up wood from the tree that came down. I should be done in 3 or four more days. It's a lot of wood! I have managed to move some things around in the barn and I hope to have a plumber over by the end of the week or early next to give me a price on installing a toilet and sinks. Once the tree is done, I hope to start cranking out the rest of the studio. There is a long list of what I want but a short one of what is needed to be functioning. If all goes well, then I should still be able to do a "quiet opening" in August.

I did just get a phone call from my brother letting me know my mom is going in for surgery on Tuesday for a hysterectomy and to remove a "unknown mass" too. Hmmm. Always something.

web sites

2010-06-17T19:13:00.005-04:00

I have been asked a few times about my web site and if I made it myself or not. I wish I could say yes, but I can't. It is a template purchased through http://www.bludomain.com. Unlike most templates these templates allow you to customize and edit any time and instantly via your own "control panel". If you have never had a web site before let me just say that being in control of your own updates is a huge plus. When you have to rely on someone else to do this it becomes a huge pain in the butt. Sending images and text to someone else and waiting for them to post them and finding mistakes and fixing those and so on is too slow and a pain. Bludomain allows you to select from a number of templates with various looks and options. They often have a sale on a particular site or two so look at their blog as well for this info. After you purchase your template, you take your time to use what you want, change the colors, upload your info etc... When your ready to go live with your site, just email them and your done. You will be given your "control panel" web address and you can make changes any time you want and the best part is, your updates are instant.

They tend to cater to photographers but as you now see, they can be used for a lot of other things too. My site has a lot of other options that came with it that I do not currently use. When I am ready though, I can make my changes, use those parts and Bam! It's done.

new look

2010-06-16T21:15:00.003-04:00

Just thought I would mix things up and go for new look. I could use something new in my life right now. I am working my ass off to get this place in shape. I do like to work myself real hard sometimes. Like a test or something to see how far I can push it.

Today was such a nice day outside. The temp was perfect with a nice cool breeze. There are somedays where the weather is like this and it just puts me in a great mood. It brings up all kinds of memories. I like the sound of the leaves blowing in the wind. So soothing.

I found this video of a man throwing a giant pot on the wheel in seconds. Freaking amazing. I'll never be this good, but maybe someday I could have him come to the studio to show us all how he does it.

So hard right now

2010-06-08T21:48:00.002-04:00

So here is a little personal reality. I usually try to keep it business here, but I've been thinking about letting you in on a little more personal stuff about me and my thoughts. Not too much though. Not yet anyway. I do like to keep some secrets.
I feel pretty swamped right now. So many things on my plate. I never ever seem to have enough time to focus on myself and my art/studio. There always seems to be more responsibilities to take care of first. I tend to put the house, chores, girls, job, lawn, etc... first as I think that's the way it should be. Responsibilities first, extracurricular second. It can be quite one sided around here with that train of thought though which puts a bit more burden on me. There are times I want to not be responsible and let everything go to hell, but it's not in me. So I have to let things go at their pace as I push from behind to make things move. I just wish things would move along faster. I am too impatient and I want what I want.
My daughter caught a dragon fly with her bare hand yesterday. I thought she killed it. She opened her hand and it just sat there in her hand, not moving. We stared at it for at least a minute and then it flew away. It was very cool. I want to catch a dragonfly too.

Timber!

2010-05-22T18:33:00.013-04:00

Last week we had some windy storms pass through. At lunch time one afternoon, the girls were eating lunch with my mother-in-law when they heard CRASH! They looked out the window to see half of a huge maple tree that spilt off and came crashing down. But it only came partly down as the broken part was still delicately hanging on by a few shredded pieces of wood about 15 feet in the air. The rest of the tree was partly rotted and leaning towards our house. We called a few tree service companies to get estimates. The total cost to just bring the tree down and leave it for me to clean up was $1200.00. YIKES! We surely didn't have this expense in mind. I made a little movie showing some of the highlights of this small event. If you want to see a quick slide show, click on the link below (i could figure out how to have the actual video post within my blog, sorry)
http://animoto.com/play/xzVBzUDPwgarWYOkngsAig

Update

2010-05-06T14:27:00.007-04:00

Thought I would post a "panoramic" view of the studio. (If you click on the image, you can see a better quality image)Paint is finally done. Next move is putting the wood around the bottom half. It's just leaning there in the photo.

This weekend I have some work in a show with 28West SecondGallery & Studio in St. Greensburg, PA. (http://www.28westsecond.com/) There are two other artists named Kyle Fischer and Stephen Haynes. I have only seen their work on line, but it looks pretty cool. (http://www.kyleethanfischer.com/ http://www.fatherofodin.net/) I'm excited to go down on Saturday for the opening and check out the scene.

cart before the horse

2010-04-10T18:42:00.002-04:00

Today I jack hammered concrete for about 5 hours and my hands are so blistered and sore that I can barely type. You see, in the back yard there used to be this nasty old chicken coup that I burnt down last year. Underneath it all were slabs of concrete. A total of about40 feet long and 10 feet wide in an L shape. Now I had to get rid of the part that extends out into the yard (the bottom of the L) that has protruding, rusty, sharp, pipes sticking out of it. I going to get rid of that and fill it in with top soil but keep the other section of concrete. The other section will serve as a base to build a big storage shed on. The storage shed will house the typical stuff like lawnmower, wheel barrel, yard tools, leaf vac, etc... This stuff will be stored in there when I move it out of the future bathroom spot it is currently stored in. I can't move that until I move the stack of wood that's in front of it. That wood is for the bottom half of the walls in the studio. I can't put the wood in the studio until the dry wall is done and painted and that will be next Thursday. It's all a part of the plan to keep the horse in front of the cart.
By the way. I have a few pieces in a show right now. It is a art teacher and former student art show at Mercyhurst College. I also have some work in a show coming up next week at Gannon College. It's our bi-annual millcreek art teacher show. I also will be having a show in May at a gallery down near Pittsburgh. And I just had a piece publish in the latest Clay Times Magazine. Did I mention I have two kids, a wife, a job, and I am trying to make new work in there somewhere?

Moving forward

2010-04-08T16:27:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday, I finally got my Amish friend to come and begin plastering the drywall. At first I was very nervous about the quality of her work. But after today, it looks very good. She will be coming back Next week and should be done on Thursday. I went and picked out some paint samples and hope to be painting very soon.
The next major project is to get the water lines run and a bathroom put in and I should be in business.

What the hell

2010-03-20T17:23:00.002-04:00

OK. Once again, it's been a while. Here are the excuses. Personal stuff, money, time, uncertainty, etc... I am still goinging forward though. Just not at the pace I had hoped. My plan at the moment is to get the place in shape as best I can and do a one month long "soft opening" this summer. It won't be nearly as nice as I want it to be, but it will have to do. I plan to borrow a few pieces of equipment to get me through. After the month, I will see how it went and make adjustments over the winter. I will also have heat, insulation, running water and a bathroom at that point. Then I will make a solid run at an all out, full schedule for 2011.
Stay tuned....

Finished

2010-01-24T08:25:00.002-05:00

The drywall is finally hung! I have an Amish person coming this week to piece out the plaster part of it. I want it to look good and this is something I am willing to pay for to have it done right. In the mean time, I am working on getting some insulation in the ceiling and starting to cut up some old barn wood for a wainscoting type look. It finally feels like the reality of it all is just around to corner. Still a lot to do though.

Back Home

2010-01-01T08:44:00.002-05:00

I just got back home from Disney in Orlando Florida. Our family spent a week there playing around. It seems like the cliche place to go, but I have to admit that it truly is an amazing place. I could help but admire the sheer amount of work going on there at so many levels. The design, concepts, artistry and quality of everything is impressive. It would be so fun to work on one project there from start to finish. I was constantly looking at the materials being used and the sources in which they came from. Materials are brought in from all over the world such as the ceramic tiles from china for the roof tops, or plant life from other country and so on. I wish I had their sources and money to produce such cool stuff.
Now I am back home in the cold snow and look to continue my small world project on Saturday.

Ceiling finally finished

2009-12-13T14:10:00.003-05:00

Three weekends later, and the ceiling is finally finished. I guess that's how long it takes when you do it by yourself. If you look close, you can see by the door on the right, the "drop ceiling" section. This was due to the ceiling being off by 3/4" towards the center. To lower that section was my only solution and set me back at least one weekend. Next weekend I plan to start the walls.

Ceiling work

2009-12-01T17:04:00.006-05:00

I started to do my first drywall job on the ceiling this weekend. So far everything has been going pretty well. One section by the front door is 3/4" lower that the rest of the place. That was unexpected. So it looks like I will do a little creative, drop section right there. It's going to be a lot of extra work just to deal with this problem, but I am picky like that. I hope to have the rest of the ceiling done over the next weekend or two. Time is always a bugger.

Drywall is here!

2009-11-22T17:03:00.002-05:00

Finally. I went to Lowes and purchased 56 sheets of 5/8" dryall. My father-in-law hauled it home on his trailer and my wife's cousin helped me unload it. My studio is cleaned out and I am ready to start hanging. Now I need a weekend alone, without distraction to get it started.

Electricity!

2009-11-12T16:00:00.004-05:00

Finally I have enough electricity to run the kilns. Check out this mega box! Now I can start on doing drywall and making it look nice.

No more galleries

2009-10-31T11:20:00.002-04:00

Well, for now I am calling it quits on the gallery scene. I have pursued it for many years now and it just isn't worth my time, effort, and money. Long distance galleries are too big of a pain because I cannot monitor them and they need monitoring. I have had too many pieces, lost, broke, stolen, not paid for, or not on the gallery floor at these places and obviously I cannot visit them often enough to fix those situations. The galleries near where I live are too "home town" like to sell work within my price range. If they could, that would be the way to go. I have found that doing shows works best for me at this point. They are a lot of work, but I make sales and it pays off in the end. Right now my focus is getting the studio ready for this summer and my first round of classes. I see that as my primary income and selling my work as secondary.

Anxious times

2009-10-17T08:51:00.004-04:00

Well after too long, our electrician is supposed to call me on Monday and set a time up to come out and do our electric. It hasn't been his fault. It has just been a matter of finances. Once this is put in place. Then I can begin to drywall, insulate and turn on the heat and continue to work during the winter times. We had our first snow yesterday! Too early for that.

Getting Burned

2009-10-06T15:54:00.003-04:00

I've only been burned one time by a gallery until now. A while back I dealt with a gallery in California. It never did a whole lot for me to have work there, but I like it on my resume. One time I looked up the web site just for kicks, only to find out that it no longer existed. After a while, I found out that the gallery closed. Luckily I found the former owner of the gallery and after some time, I did get a few of my pieces back. I am sure I'll never see the bigger ones that I sent.
Now I have a gallery that I have been with for many years that is not paying me for several pieces. (22 pieces to be exact) A year and a half ago, the owner agreed to buy a set of minis sculptures that retails for $1500.00. Payment was offered within a month of the purchase. A year and a half later-no payment. Not only that, but when I called the owner, and she beat around the bush about it, I was told that some pieces were broken and already given away as gifts. I asked to have another set of mini sculptures at her other gallery sent back to me. When they arrived, I was missing two pieces. I emailed her and the response was that they were either broken or stolen, but she didn't really seem to know and she would send payment for those too. Funny though a few weeks later, a guy from Philadelphia emailed me saying he liked the 2 mini pieces at that gallery in New Mexico. I sent off one last email requesting payment at the end of September. Of course I haven't been paid yet.
You may have noticed I have failed to mention the specific name of the gallery, although if you do your homework, I am sure you could figure it out.
I am always amazed at the how gallery owners come off as if they are better or more important than the artists they "represent". I have read about it in books and articles and now I have experienced it. Unless you can pull big ass sales or a lot of customers in so the gallery can make sales, your pretty much on the shit list. In fact, I think when it comes down to it, your on the shit list either way. Your basically a means to an end to the owner. The art business is like most businesses- "it's not personal, it's business". However Art is absolutely personal and it's hard for artists not to take it that way.
Here is a great link for anyone who wants to read up on how to avoid scams and rip offs. I love this guys site. Look closely, there are lots of good things here. http://www.artbusiness.com/artists.html

Peter Pugger Rocks!

2009-10-02T16:45:00.003-04:00

At the school where I teach, mixing clay has been laborious and messy at best. We had a small Soldner clay mixer to mix and recycle our clay and that was it. I have four, high school clay classes and we go through a lot of clay. Plus high school kids are not exactly stingy when it comes to producing waste. I had clay buckets everywhere with soaking wet clay in them. I would skim off the water, dump it in the mixer, and add dry mix. It took up lots of space, the clay dust was horrible and it didn't produce the best clay in the worked either. But it's all I had to work with.
So last year, I ordered a Peter Pugger and it arrived yesterday. I went in early this morning to put it together and give it a test run. I did my homework before purchasing this and I had high expectations. I ran my first batch of clay through, de-aired it and the Peter Pugger met ever expectation I had. This thing kicks ass! I was addicted and kept mixing batches of clay all day. When I moved into this teaching position last year, there was four, fifty gallon garbage cans full of rock hard clay. I fully plan to put the pugger to the test next week by mixing up all the hard clay. Well maybe not all of it.
If you ever debated if it would be worth the money to get one, my opinion would be a definite yes.
This is the model I got with the stand. http://www.peterpugger.com/pugmill-extruder/pm-20-pugmill.html

Toss those crutches!

2009-09-03T17:36:00.002-04:00

Well not a hundred percent yet. I did get good news from the doctor though. I can start to "one crutch it" now and go to physical therapy to ween myself off of them completely.
If you have never been on crutches before for a leg injury, there is something that goes on you might not otherwise think about. Not only was I unable to stand on one of my legs for 2 months, but I was also unable to use my hands to carry anything too. This was actually the worst part. I can hobble all day. But try not carrying things around for a week every time you walk somewhere. It sucks. I did it for 2 months. I could never imagine that for life.
I can image lots of good sculpture ideas from this experience.
My show comes down this weekend. There is a gallery next to this one and person who is in charge, emailed me asking to have a few pieces in his place. That's is very cool. I have sold a few things lately in various places too. I have at least 2 more shows lined up before Christmas and I am feeling good about my art. It comes in waves, so sooner or later this wave will hit the beach.

Getting ready

2009-08-19T16:19:00.002-04:00

School is back in session in 2 weeks. I have been going in often to get ready. I had computer classes all day today. I have some inservice next week to attend. I actually don't mind the routine.
We finally have scraped up enough cash to get the studio properly wired up for kiln use. Of course nothing is easy and this is no exception. The house feeds the barn with the electric. The house needs new electric service. So actually the house is getting new service and some updates in order for the barn to be updated as well. I really feel this is the start to getting things finally going. Once this is done, I can drywall, insulate and be on the way to making it look good and be functional. Winter is approaching soon and I hope to be warm once it hits.

So how was the opening?

2009-08-12T13:11:00.002-04:00

I showed up a little early to check on things. Found a few things to fix, but nothing to fret about. I was really bummed that I forgot to bring my business cards. I also forgot to bring a camera. I must of been in la la land. I was happy the way things looked. I think we arranged the pieces as best we could. Clean white walls and good lighting always makes things look so much nicer. The crowd was a little small but the ones who were there had lots of good things to say. I met some very nice people as well. I'll try and snap some pictures in the near future and get the here.
Had a doctor's visit Monday. I'm still stuck on crutches for 3 more weeks. Argghh.

Show is up

2009-08-05T18:59:00.002-04:00

Yesterday A friend of mine came and gave me a huge hand loading and unloading my work and taking it up a flight of steps to the Heescheen Gallery. Although I hadn't planned on hanging around to help arrange the show I ended up doing so anyway. All and all, I think it looks pretty good. I wish I wasn't on the crutches. I think I could have had better work and even been able to put a little more into the show.
I never care to much to just go see art on a wall unless it really kicks ass. I am a little shallow and like to be entertained a bit too. Give me some music, or interactive stuff, something to read, anything but just work hanging there staring back at me. I kind of think this show is staring back at me a little too much. I'll get some shots at tomorrow nights opening reception and post later.

Screwed

2009-07-30T10:51:00.005-04:00

Well here is my current situation in black and white. What a drag. Not able to do a whole lot. I have a good friend coming to load all of my work up and unload it to a gallery for a show next week since I am unable to do it myself. My dad is coming over today to mow the lawn. My house looks like shit since I am the only one who cleans it. Except for my mother-in-law who comes twice a week and cleans too.

I have been able to spend some time on the computer though and have two meetings lined up with galleries in Pittsburgh, I figured I needed to do business a little closer to home since the long distance galleries have given me a little trouble in the past.

broken hip

2009-07-14T19:34:00.002-04:00

Saturday I was out on a 100 mile bike ride. At about mile 70, it started to rain. At mile 80, it began to thunder and lightning. As I headed home, it really began to rain hard. I was coasting into a small town about 6 miles away from home when it happened. The next description happened in real time, about 1/2 second. Mega rain splashed in my face and all over my glasses, I started to slow down and then more rain and wind blew water up, under my glasses. I hit the brakes, I am blinded and I feel the front end catch a big rut in the black top. Before I could even think, I was being body slammed into the road. It dazed me more than it hurt me. A car drifted by as I lay there. He did pull over as I walked myself to the side of the road. He asked if I was OK, and I said "yeah, I'll be alright". I let the haze clear my head and waited for the rain and lightning to let up, but it wasn't going too any time soon. I began to walk my bike and felt a soreness in my hip and decided to ride to the nearest gas station to call for a ride home rather than risk getting hit by lightning. I got to the station called for a ride and waited. When my wife showed up, my leg was really sore at that point. We went home, I changed my clothes and the girls ate lunch. I told Heather we should probably go get me checked out. Everything was calm and cool at the emergency room until the x-rays came back. Suddenly I was the life of the party. I had broken my hip and was scheduled for surgery in two hours to get 3 screws put into my hip.
So now here I sit not being able to do much of anything. Which really sucks. I went from being too busy down to being bored and fidgety already. I need to hire some people to do some work for me.

What a steal

2009-07-06T21:19:00.003-04:00

I have re-designed my center table three times now and I know what I am going to do. A poured concrete top with old barn posts for the legs and barn slab for some trim. Now if only I could afford some old barn wood. That shit is expensive! (enter craigslist.com) I found the deal of the century. I got a trailer load of old barn slab and posts for a deal and a half. I am working on getting a big enough trailer to haul the 6 huge beams home too. I am so excited!Here is my gold mine.....

Decisions, decisions

2009-07-03T07:26:00.002-04:00

I went to the library yesterday to get some books on interesting barn designs. I also ordered a book on pouring concrete counter tops. I saw this site http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/how-to/pouring-your-own-concrete-countertops-tutorial-by-splatgirl-073544 and decided for sure that these are the type of table tops I am going to make. There are so many cool ideas out there, that I am just not sure where to go with the overall look and what I can afford with my budget.

Shows coming up

2009-07-02T08:46:00.003-04:00

I finally have a show coming up. It will be at the Heeschen Gallery in Meadville from August 7th -September 5th. I will be displaying work with another artist but at this point details a vague at best.
I will also be participating in another show over the winter time at the University of Saint Francis in Indiana. This will be a figurative ceramics show and looks to be a high quality show.
I've spent the last two days building a heaving duty work table for the center of the studio. I have been doing a little research on pouring concrete table tops. I'd like to make it look nice and be functional too. I am finding it hard to make a functional clay studio have the clean look that I imagined. I am thinking things over and over a hundred times before I make a move. I'll take some shots today and post them later.
Details on the way.

set backs

2009-06-20T20:10:00.003-04:00

I met with a friend today about the plumbing and heating situation in the studio. He told me what needed to be done. It just wasn't what I wanted to hear. Basically the studio needs it's own electrical service. Right now it is wired from the house in a bad way. It also needs it's own gas line. Same situation as the electric. Both are not too expensive, but more than I have at the moment. It also sets me back with finishing off the work area.
I did manage to score some blow in insulation from craigs list for a screaming deal though. I just missed out on a bunch of drywall. I have been keeping my eyes peeled for any deals. It looks like I'll need to scrimp and be very thrify for a while.

Next step is to take another look at the finances and re-formulate a plan.

too long

2009-06-01T18:11:00.002-04:00

Man do I need to update more often. So here is what has been happening. I have been training for my Ironman race. Well trying too anyway. I have had injury after injury. So I am a little behind to say the least. On a lot of things.
As far as the house and studio goes. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. I cannot believe the amount of garbage just laying around here. Over the weekend, someone came with their pickup truck and we filled it with all the metal I have found lying around. Chicken wire, sheet metal, pipes, you name it. I have been trying to get rid of a big pile of cinder blocks and broken cement too. Maybe that will go this week. I finally have the lawn picked up enough so I can mow it now. All of this is free for me to do of course. I did manage to get a deal on some blow in insulation from craigslist. Now I need somedrywall to do the ceiling, then I can blow it in. The space will be at least functional at that point. Far from ideal though. In two weeks I have a heating and plumbing guy to come give me some options and prices on heating and plumbing the whole place. Once that gets done, I can wire up for kilns, drywall and paint and then I will be in business. I need to start selling some stuff to pay for this.
Patience!

New Studio Pics

2009-04-13T10:17:00.004-04:00

I finally got some pictures of the new studio here. I did some wiring on the first floor for lights and outlets. I took down and moved a small wall by the main entrance too. The next step is to do some plumbing, then drywall and insulation in the ceiling. In general, I want to go for a light Japanese style on the inside. Something very calming and therapeutic. If all goes well, I hope to be open for "business" next spring.

FIRE!

2009-03-17T19:43:00.003-04:00

We have been at the new place for almost 3 weeks now. I was using my way cool leaf vac cart this past weekend to suck and shred all the leaves left from last fall. There is a ton of them. I was dumping them onto a stick pile out in our field and decided to and burn them. IN the past, that never worked, but I thought the stick might help get them going. It sure as hell did. The grass in the field caught on fire and started to spread fast. I tried to put it out with a rake at first, but that was too slow. I ran and got a shovel but that was useless. By now the diameter of the flaming circle had grow quite a bit. The wind picked up and started to push the fire faster towards the neighboors complex which is seperated from the field by a nice big row of pine trees. It go to the point where I realized there was no hope. I was out of breath and had to admit defeat or watch the neighboorhood go up in flames. I had to get help. I ran back to the house and called 911. 3 fire trucks and 20 firemen arrived in 10 minutes. Just in timne to put things out. traffic was stopped in the road, neighbors came to see what was going on as I introduced myself to them. talk about embarassing. In the end, no one was hurt and half of our field is now black. And I know my neighbors now.

Finally arrived

2009-03-05T19:36:00.002-05:00

We are finally moved into our new place. I just got our computers up and running yesterday. I was out in the new studio tonight rearranging things. There is so much space and so many possibilities. I will be taking some pictures soon to post here. Stay tuned.

sad news

2009-01-23T17:13:00.003-05:00

I used to teach elementary school for eight years until this current year. The last four years while I was teaching K-5 I got to know a boy named Nick. Since kindergarten, Nick battled neuroblastoma. In case you don't know, this is a form of cancer that mainly affects kids. When I transfered to my new school this year, Nick was going into 5th grade. Last night around 11:00, Nick lost his battle with cancer.
I can't imagine.

On the move

2009-01-19T21:17:00.003-05:00

Well one more inpsection to go, some paper work and we are on the move. The scheduled closing date is Feb 16th. Yahoo. I hate to count my chickens......but if all goes well, then the new studio will be mine ha ha ha ha! (evil laugh)

Sold!

2009-01-02T12:14:00.002-05:00

Just a few hours after my last post, our realtor called us to say we have a buyer. We'll start going through paper work tomorrow and the mayhem will begin. The tentative date for moving is Feb 16th. Now that the reality of it sets in, it's funny how my priorities have changed about the studio. I know it will be a reality soon, so now I can't wait to get it rolling. Maybe I'll be ready for a few trial classes by the end of summer??

New work

2009-01-02T09:17:00.002-05:00

Finally, I updated the web site with some new work. It is always tough to find the time to do that. Taking pictures and working on the images to get them posted on line takes many hours. It's not worth the hassle if I only have 3 or four thins done. So it's this game of making enough work and breaking up the rhythm to stop and shoot pictures, measure everything, price them out, edit images, post on line, etc.....
Anyway. We are inches away from possibly selling our house. I hate to count our chickens before they are hatched, but I do have hopes on this deal. If it all works out, we would be moving into our new home around March. Even if it doesn't work out, I planned on getting the studio whipped into shape next winter and being ready to offer a teaching studio situation by 2010. My fingers are crossed.

Winning zipp 404's

2008-12-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

I am entering a contest at http://ironmantriathlontips.com/ and trying to win a really cool back wheel for my bicycle. I have entered my 1st Ironman race but can't really afford all the cool goodies so if I out this link up, I should be entered to win. Check out the Ironman tips there if your interested.

a new show

2008-12-06T15:42:00.002-05:00

Things have slowed a little around here. The house is still not sold, obviously. We have had some pretty steady showings though. I did just find out today that I will have a show coming up for the month of August at the local gallery. It's not a huge facility but they do a good job promoting and with their openings. I have always had luck selling work there too.
I do believe I have sold the full set of mini pieces at the Columbus gallery. I never want to count my minis until the check is in hand though.
Next semester I teach 5 ceramic classes, so I am looking forward to possibly making some work at work too.
So for now, things are just at cruising speed.

IRONMAN

2008-10-26T20:54:00.002-04:00

So I did a really nutty thing just now. I signed up for the the Louisville, Kentucky, Ironman race. The race is on 8/30/09. It consists of a 2.4 mi. swim • 112 mi. bike • 26.2 mi. run. I am a little flipped about it. It was a goal of mine 2 years ago when I started my first triathlon. I wanted to do a full Ironman when I turn 40 years old. I'll be 40 in 04/07/09. I did a half Ironman in September just this past summer. For two months after that race, I did nothing. I thought of a lot of excuses not to do the full distance (and belive me, there are plenty of good excuses). But I guess that's why I need to do this. I need to follow through on the thing I set out to do two years ago. I need to prove to myself that I can follow through, even if there are plenty of excuse not to. My artwork and my studio may not get my full attention for a few months while I train. It will be tough, but I know when it is all said and done and I cross the finish line, I will be able to get back into my studio with a fresh outlook and I know I will be able to pull off nearly anything as long as I follow through.

In a holding pattern

2008-10-15T18:08:00.002-04:00

So our house is up for sale and we have shown it 5 times in the last 12 days. Before this whole moving thing, I was training for a 70.3 mile triathlon a few hours a day, six days a week, maintaining my work, two kids, and a house. Now I am in a holding pattern. I haven't worked out in a while. I haven't made any work in a while. I hate to start anything new when we could be on the move at any given notice. I have been wanting to look for a new gallery to represent me too but figured I should wait until I am sure I can make enough work to keep up with another one. Hard to do that when everything is packed up.
So for now, I am waiting, and holding.

Moving Sale!

2008-09-26T18:52:00.003-04:00

Our bid was finally accepted and the house passed inspections. We just put a for sale sign in the front yard of our house and now all we need to do is wait. When our house sells, we move in.
So I decided to have a moving sale. Rather then try to move a bunch of sculptures in the midst of everything else we have accumulated in 9 year, I thought this would be better.

From now until we move, anything I have here at home will be marked down 40%. This does not include anything that is in a gallery already and doesn't include and shipping and handling prices. If you see anything that interests you, let me know and we can talk details.

Finally!

2008-09-18T16:29:00.002-04:00

Finally our last offer on the new house was accepted. Good thing, because it was our last offer. Now we get it inspected and if all goes well, we put ours up for sale. As soon as it sells, we close on both places and have a moving frenzy of a time. The offer on the house was pending on the fact that we need to sell our house within 90 days before we can close on the new house.
I have so many ideas for the new studio that I am busting at the seams! One thing I will do for sure is take some pictures when we move in and post them. I will also post pictures along the way as it comes to life.
If the new house passes inspection and as soon as there is a sign in our front yard, I think I will have an "art moving sale". I think I will sell any art piece of mine, that is here at the house, for 40% off. I do have quite a bit and I really dread moving it all. Plus, I will be wanting some cash for new toys in the new studio as well. So keep your eyes peeled for a post reading SALE!

In Limbo

2008-09-17T19:42:00.003-04:00

So nothing has happened since my last post. Well, except that I have been cleaning my house like crazy and packing stuff up. I haven't heard any news about the house yet. Offers have been traded back and fourth. We are at our last offer and awaiting a reply so I can't really pack everything up and I don't want to do too much in case we don't get this house and end up stuck for a while. So I am in limbo. I'm not wanting to start new projects in case of a move but it is starting to get under my skin just waiting. Hopefully I will have some news, any news by this weekend.

The strangest dream

2008-09-06T15:45:00.002-04:00

As I write this now, it is not as fresh and intense as it was when I woke up in the middle of the night last night. It was one of those dreams that stick with you long after you wake up. Like it really did happen and it will affect the rest of your life and it takes you a while to shake that feeling.
It went like this. I was coming out of the hospital with my mom. I was limping horribly so I assume something was wrong with my feet. We slowly hobbled over to a area that was like an outdoor cafe. As we sat there chatting (not really but the dream made it feel like we were) I happened to catch something going on just past the my view of my mother. About 75 yards beyond where we were sitting, a person was lying head first into a rather deep and neatly trimmed, grassy, ditch. The ditch had fast, running water about a foot and a half or two deep, but it was just enough to cover most of the person's head. A person was lying head first in the ditch. As they lay there, their body quivered and jolted but her, yes now I can see it is a woman, her arms lay by her side while her head just remained covered in the water. This was obviously someone with a physical disability and they fell into the ditch and did not have enough motor skill or strength to get herself out of this position. The body shook and twitched as I assume her mouth worked like a scoop, filling her mouth and lungs up with the ditch's water. It shook for a moment and her body went limp. This was all realized in a second or two in the dream. I said "Christ"! and shoved the table aside and bolted right to her. Never mind what ever was wrong with my feet. I had to save this woman I knew. Yes I knew her suddenly! I have saved this person before in a life threatening situation and I had to save her again. I pulled her up from the ditch, laid her on her side to allow the water to drain back out of her. It seemed like gallons of water flowing from her stiff, blue lips. As it kept pouring out I yelled for someone to call 911. I kept talking to her and telling her that it was going to be all right. I was here again and she would be fine again. Life seemed to slowly come back to her body. It seemed like 10 minutes but I am sure it was only 30 or 40 seconds. Slowly like a sun rising, she was back. I saved her (Again. Where did I know her from?). We embraced and we were suddenly riding on some unknown mode of transportation going to some unknown place. We were kissing like she was a new love. Like we were on a long awaited first date. She was beautiful and new. Then I woke up. Wow, that was intense I thought. In seconds I remembered where I knew this person from. I knew her from a previous dream I had some time ago, but I'm not sure when. A dream where I saved her from another life threatening situation, but I can't recall from what or how or even what the dream was about. I just know that is where she is from and that I saved her. Strange thing is (as if that isn't already strange) I don't really know this person in any other way at all. She doesn't exist. This is just someone I dreamt up.

Playing chess

2008-09-03T16:32:00.002-04:00

So, we made our offer on the house and the owners came back with a counter offer. Not a very reasonable one either. So we are at a stand still. It is like a chess game. We want the house, but don't want to pay anything more then it is worth. They want to sell a house, but don't want to settle for less then what they are asking. So at this point, we wait. Wait to see if they cave or if we cave. Wait to see if they get any other offers or zero offers. Our hopes is that after a few weeks, they get nothing and our offer will not look so bad after all.

Day 1

2008-08-30T21:56:00.001-04:00

Finally! I've updated my site. As you may have noticed, there are a few new things and a few old things. I do have more to add as well. But it is a start.

Since this is the first blog for me, I'll get right to the point. I plan to use the blog to post upcoming shows, events, new work, and anything that might (or might not) pertain to me and the work that I create.

My wife (http://www.heatherprather.com/) and I are in the middle of trying to purchase a new house. The house is 207 years old. Yes 207. I needs a little TLC but has the potential of being really cool when it is done. And best of all, it has a brand new, 2 story barn with water, electric, and heat! This means I will finally have a real studio. If all goes well, then this will become the official place for "Prather Studios". I have lots of big plans. I don't want to jinx it so I'll hold off on filling you in on all the plans until it is a sure thing. Our offer was made last night and we will have an answer no later then Weds. Of course so many things could still happen even if they accept. But I have a good feeling. So this will be continued

Right now I have two, 20 cubic ft electric kilns, a small test kiln, and a small raku kiln. I just found out about an auction where I might be able to score another big electric kiln for next to nothing. The school I work for has an auction every once and a while to get rid of excess and old stuff. I might be able to stock up on tables and chair for the new pad! My fingers are crossed.

This has all happened in the last week and it has put me in a spot. Last week I also decided I was going to do an Ironman triathlon next year. I would have to sign up for this race on this Monday. The deal is that I have been working towards this for the last two years and if I follow through, then I will have zero time for anything else but training for the next 365 days. No time for the new house or studio. This race is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and a full marathon at 26.2 miles. This is not something I could train half assed for and expect to finish or enjoy doing. So the quandary is do I do the race and blow off everything else for a year or not do the race, hope to get he new pad, and sink everything I have ever wanted to do my whole life into the studio? If we got a reply to our offer by noon Monday it sure would help in the decision making process. Oh, and to add to the mix, I started a new job last week too. I have taught art in a public school for 12 years. The last 8 have been in an elementary school. Now I am at the High school. For those of you who don't teach, moving from elementary to high school is like night and day. Too many things to list about that, but trust me, I might as well moved to Busselton, Australia to breed dingos, it's that different.

So I have a plate full as you can tell. I look forward to posting here and I hope you check in from time to time to follow my reality TV-like life.