artofgreenwood.com Blog

OK, so I forgot my user name/password combination for this blog… what a nightmare. They don’t make it easy to get it either…. I have been trying to get into the site for days. So, tonight, I finally succeeded! Hooray!

I have been really busy gearing up for Three Rivers Festival in Covington, LA, just North of New Orleans. It’s this upcoming weekend. I have so much new work, some really edgy pieces, too. It’s been a blast spending long days (& some nights, too) in my studio working like I was posessed (which, sometimes I think I may be!). I had some bad kiln goings-on the past two weeks, also. I had three big pieces explode last week, & this week, I had a wonderful torso I was making for a client that did something weird that left it with a big hole in the right side of the chest. It was a nice piece, too. That hurts, cause working big is HARD. I am trying to work bigger & bigger, & the end result can be really wonderful…. but it can also wear me out sometimes! I’ll upload a photo of some of the new pieces for this show, I snapped it as I was unloading the kiln. My studio is so full of work & tools, etc, that I had nowhere to put the new work in the studio, so I was putting them all over a loveseat in the livingroom. (My precious -gorgeous- husband is SO tolerant!) These creatures are eating us out of house & home! My garden is full of them (mostly the cracked or broken ones, though). Every now & then I make a piece I can’t part with….. those are the ones that are taking over! Before I worked in ceramics, I made jewelry. I have a jewelers bench, a rolling mill, torches, oxy/acetelyne tanks, tons of tools (I collected old handtools for years)…. & for the past 18 years, I have worked as a freelance art director in the film industry, so I have lots of prop & set dressing related items….. my studio, which was SO big when we bought the house, is now crowded!

I’ll let you all know how the show went. I’ll try to check in more often!

‘Til then, keep buying art! wishing you BLUE SKIES! : )

So, I need to get a little more acquainted with the blog thing. It is still so new to me, & I am not sure exactly what the “rules” are, & so forth. But, here goes…. more stream of consciousness stuff:

Lately, I can’t seem to get enough studio time. Never mind that I am in the studio by 7 a.m., & some days I work til midnight or even 1…. I look at the clock & invariably think “I just need a few more hours….” It’s incredible really.

My next show will be the New Orleans Arts Market at Palmer Park, Saturday, Aug 30th 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check it out here:

Yesterday was the monthly arts market at Palmer Park in New Orleans. It’s put on by the New Orleans Arts Council, & they do an amazing job. The best part about yesterday’s market was that there was a commemoration ceremony for the return of the St. Charles streetcar. It was a huge deal, too. The festivities included a brass marching band that lead the crowd (& I do mean CROWD) from the streetcar & thru the market. It was so much fun….. you just had to get into it, & everyone certainly did. They paraded right in front of my booth. What a blast! The bands at yesterday’s market were great, & even though it was incredibly hot, there were some pretty amazing dancers, like swing dancing. It looked like the dance shows on t.v. these days! I don’t know who they were, but they could really cut a rug. Oh, & we saw a jazz funeral that passed right by the arches on Carrolton Avenue, right by my booth. I’m not sure, but I think that was unrelated to the market & the streetcar festivities. There was a line of limos a block long behind the horse drawn hearse.

The best thing about that market is the art lovers. I have regular customers who come by every month, & we get lots of new people each time we do the show. New Orleanians really support artists. We appreciate it so much. They just “get it”. You do not find that everywhere. I’ve done shows all over (the South, mostly) & New Orleans is my favorite location. Everyone has a story, everyone is just happy to be there. It’s electric. New Orleans Jazz Fest was a BLAST!

I have shows scheduled in Houston & Tuscaloosa, & am waitlisted for a show in Sedona. I do hope I get into that one! I’m also in Forum 35’s upcoming juried group show at Brunner Gallery in Baton Rouge. I like fun!

Hi. Thanks for checking out my blog. Even though my website is several years old, this blog thing is new to me. There are a few things I think you may want to know about my work. First, every piece is handbuilt by me, Denise Greenwood. I do not throw on the wheel (though I may someday), & I never use molds (though I may some day). I employ what is called the handbuilding technique, mostly slab construction. My work is earthenware, with glazes, underglazes, & stains. What else?….. just that it brings me such joy to be doing what I love for a living! Life is amazing.

making art for a living,child artists,child art,I just adore art! I adore looking at it, I adore buying it, I adore owning it, I adore contemplating it, I adore selling it, mostly I adore making it!

Last week I taught art to a class of 30 underprivelidged children for the local symphony league. I really adore KID ART! Their innocence comes thru. They have not yet been spoiled by other’s opinions of how things should be. At least they haven’t bought into that completely yet. Go into any kindergarden classroom across the nation, across the world, & ask the simple question “How many of you are artists?” I’d be willing to bet every hand in the room will go up & they will be excited to tell you about their art. Now, do the same thing in any 8th grade class, & there may be two or three kids, who look around nervously &, almost embarrassed, raise their hands, while every other kid turns to look at them. We need to look at what is going on in the intervening years. Teachers have an obligation to nurture creativity. What could be more beautiful? More freeing? A better way to deal with life’s stresses, with anxiety, with fears? There’s no telling what these children in the class had to go home to. But for that one & one half hour every morning of last week, those babies were free. They had their hands in clay! They were artists! They could get lost in the activity of playing with clay!…..It really does my heart good to see that! Wish I had taken pictures of their artwork because it was amazing!

So, about my art. I like to say, when my hands are in clay, all is right with the world. It’s the truth. I love what I become in the studio…..free, lost in creating, serene, content, even joyful. There are times when I get so excited about making art, about a new idea, or just about the act of creating, it’s like I could light up the night. There’s this physical change that comes over me, I can feel it all over. I feel it when I am looking at other people’s art too, the styles that really appeal to me. I like fun stuff, edgy stuff, I love textures, I like art that makes me smile, or makes me think, art that I can feel swimming in my blood. I can make a connection.

I wondered at first if making art for a living would diminish these feelings in me. It hasn’t. There are days when I am ready to work, but not quite feeling like I am ready to tackle a new idea, or just to be really creative. These are the fish days. I can always make fish. Those babies sell as fast as I can make them, so it’s a good place to land when I can’t get motivated to do more. They’re still fun, still creative, & are supplying a need for my business. It’s a great way for me to jumpstart my creativity on those days. Just get my hands in clay, & it begins anew.

I never force my creativity in the studio. Seems counterintuitive. Some days I have to get out. Go run an errand, or meet a friend for coffee. That’s a good thing to do. But there are days when wild horses could not keep me from my studio. This is most days, honestly. I could put in ten hours a day, & still want more.

My work is constantly evolving, & I am excited about where it may take me next. I just flow with it, let it take me along at it’s whim, & it never ceases to surprise or delight me. I adore art!

Upcoming Events:

St. Tammany Art Assoc. group show “Ashes to Ashes”
March 8 to April 5
Covington, LA

American Craft Council
March 14 to March 16
Atlanta, GA

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
(in the Contemporary Art section)
May 1 to May 4
New Orleans, LA

N.O. Arts Market at Palmer Park
Last Saturday of Every Month