Girl Power

Well, not really girl power of course - woman power. You've seen the photos of our beautiful work; now you get to see a little of the nitty gritty side of things. Our electric kilns are heated by coiled elements (like in a toaster but much bigger and tougher) to over 2000 degrees F. That's power. Over time the elements weaken and have to be replaced, so that's what we're doing here on two of our kilns.

The first photo shows the switch box opened; this is where the current enters and is fed to six elements.

In the second photo Diane R. and Joanna are putting the new elements into two of the sections of the kiln that have been set up on a work table for easier access.

The last photo shows Glenda finishing up the wiring on the other kiln. Here you can see the sections of this kiln have been stacked together again, before replacement of the switch box cover visible in the background. Looks like we were having fun. We were.

- Diane W. (who also helped)

Final Moments of Open Studio

Earthwork's members invite you to stop by this weekend for the final weekend of our Holiday Open Studio.  We are open Saturday & Sunday from 11-6pm and on Monday & Tuesday from 12-5pm.  Stop by for coffee, tea and beautiful local handmade ceramics!

-Earthworks Artists

Cover Girl

Earthworks' resident tile maker, Diane Winters, discovered her tiles included on the cover of the December issue of Old House Interiors magazine. This custom fireplace project for a home in Los Altos is a reproduction of a 1909 Greene and Greene fireplace. Here's a link to the magazine Old House Interiors, http://oldhouseinteriors.com/.

More typical of Diane's work are her individual molded tiles below. You can see more on our website, http://earthworksberkeley.com/ or in person at our studios.

Don't need an entire fireplace? - a single tile makes a dandy holiday gift.

Thanks for Shopping Local!

Thank you to all our wonderful fans that made this weekend's Berkeley Artisan's Holiday Open Studio at Earthworks our busiest weekend in years! We are grateful that so many of you decided to support local artists with your gift giving this year. If you did not have time to make it down this weekend, there is still plenty of time. We are open every weekend (Sat. & Sun.) through December 2st from 11-6pm and on Monday & Tuesday December 22nd and 23rd from 12-5pm. We are also open during the week a lot by chance and by appointment, feel free to call or stop by and ring the bell if you are in the area.

Some of the most popular items this weekend were:

Jiri's beautiful and affordable shino bowls $30

Glenda's stunning small dishes $22

Joanna Mendicino's playful and elegant vases $35

For a listing of all 100 artists that are participating in Berkeley Artisan's Holiday Open Studio and for a map of their studios, visit the website, http://www.berkeleyartisans.com/listing_page.html.

-Erin

Holiday Artisan Fair at the De Young

Looking for something to do this weekend? How about going to the De Young Museum and doing a little shopping! I (Joanna Mendicino) will be be participating in the second annual De Young Museum Holiday Artisan Fair. This is a great event where your purchase goes towards supporting a local artist as well as showing support for the museum.

November 21 - 9:30 am to 8:00 pm
November 22 - 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Piazzoni Murals room, De Young Museum. Free fair admission.

click the link below for more information:

http://www.famsf.org/dynamic/images/image_1_2736.swf

kiln opening

hello! Joanna here - Yesterday at Earthworks Diane, Erin and Dina were unloading the gas kiln which they had fired up this week. I was able to snap a few pics.....

Lots of lovely pots came out - Maybe a few of our lucky readers out there will snag some of these beautiful pieces during our Holiday sale :)

Rails, Spokes & Potter's Wheels

My new favorite way to get to the studio.  Amtrak, the most peaceful 15 minutes of my day.  Watching the SF skyline and industrial oakland pass by...

Meaning to visit Earthworks, try it by train.  We are only one flat mile from the Berkeley train stop.  I think there is even a food/drink car somewhere in here...

Link to amtrak

-Erin

Dina's Beautiful Teapot featured in AmericanStyle

Earthworks had a great surprise this week. Resident artist Dina Gewing's fabulous azure blue teapot & matching cups were featured in AmericanStyle magazine, accompanying an interview with Susan Brooks discussing this year's Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studio. Here is a link to the magazine AmericanStyle, http://www.americanstyle.com/.

For more details about Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studio's visit the website, http://www.berkeleyartisans.com/. The Open Studio event is every weekend from Thanksgiving through December 21st and includes over 100 artisans!
See more of Dina's work at our website, http://www.earthworksberkeley.com/.

Earthworks member makes Best of the Bay

Time for some shameless self promotion!  Earthworks member Erin McGuiness was mentioned in this year's East Bay Express' Best of the Bay in the article Region That Gives Crafters Their Due.  Follow link to read full article.

To see more of Erin's work, please visit her website, www.erinmcguiness.com or come by the studio - we are open every Saturday from 10-5pm.  Live in the city, no problem, her work is also available at the San Francisco Design Center at the De Sousa Hughes' showroom, www.desousahughes.com.

New Member, Diane Rice. earthworks in the Diablo.

Hello!

We have a few exciting things that have happened so far in 2008. First, we have a new member, ceramicist Diane Rice. Her pottery is just beautiful, please come by our gallery to check out her work!

In other news... There was a great spread in the Diablo Magazine about West Berkeley potteries - member Erin McGuiness' studio space and beautiful pieces were photographed for this article (picture on right)! Check out the article here: http://www.diablomag.com/Diablo-Magazine/April-2008/Potters-Enclave/