Collaborating with a Potter

If you know my work (www.cindymichaud.com) you know that I really get cranking when a collaboration is in the works.  Nothing beats that feeling of joining forces and watching the creative sparks fly back and forth in an exchange of ideas. I always learn so much.

My studio neighbor, Maggie Black is a potter.  We often enjoy taking a break from our work and trading stories or ideas.  She is very talented and creative and I am always lucky to find some time to pick her brain.  So I thought of her immediately when my son put an idea into my head.  He was on a hunt to replace a dinner plate we used as he was growing up.  It was the "SPECIAL" plate and one got to eat from it in honor of some achievement (passed a test, scored a run, met a goal...).  I had forgotten all about the tradition until he reminded me and neither of us could locate our original.  So with Christmas around the corner...

Maggie agreed to make me some plates and fire them to a bisque stage.  For any potters this clay is "Little Loafers" stoneware not porcelain.  She throws beautiful, even plates, something I could never accomplish.  I used "underglazes" which are clay-specific paints that I can mix with a bit of water and put onto the clay.  It felt very different than painting on canvas as the clay was still porous enough that it really grabbed onto the paint and absorbed it.  To paint a flowing line took a lot of practice.

Since my son mentioned he liked the simplicity of our old plate I refrained from going overboard in my decoration. I painted two of these (two sons with families) and then Maggie helped me wax the foot of the back (after signing and dating) and dip them into a clear glaze to seal the colors and give a nice shiney finish to the piece.

Then they went back into the kiln and I waited like a kid with an unopened present.
Wow...Kiln opens and I was so pleased. Thankfully so were my sons.

Final plate with my head shadow!

And because Maggie is one of those generous artistic souls she even had another blank plate for me to paint as a gift for a friend:

I can't wait to show up with appetizers on this work of art...and leave it as my hostess gift.

I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with fellow artists, wood workers, potters, poets and photographers.  The results never fail to exceed my expectations but the best part is the process and the joy that comes from working together.  Hopefully such lies ahead in 2020.

Cindy Michaud

www. cindymichaudart.com

questions: art@cindymichaud.com