Big Dog Pots Pottery - Big Dog Pots Pottery - Blog

Behind the Scenes Glazing...

7/12/2019

Glazing can be a wonderful experience. It can also be a total disaster!!! Over the years, I have certainly experienced both. Even the disasters are great because I learn from them. The accumulation of knowledge in pottery making seems to never end.

Tips that I suggest to my students:
1. KEEP A NOTEBOOK !!!!
With over 50 glazes to choose from in the Studio, after a while they all look the same :(. Take notes.

Make a brief sketch of your piece, make note of what clay body you use, then note which glaze you added first and which one(s) you added after.

Glaze is all about a chemical reaction that takes place inside the kiln during the course of the firing.

2. Develop your own style.
Old sayings are definitely true. If at first you don't succeed, try it AGAIN! Keep trying until you are happy with your results.

3. Look out for the little details.
If you are using your fingers to dip, make sure to take the time to cover any fingerprint marks.

If you want to achieve a clean application, I recommend either dipping, brushing, or ladling. If you use your fingers, this will result in a muddled and uneven finish. But that is "artist choice."

Here is a video on the behind the scenes process for glazing a rather large vase in the Studio.

Hope you enjoy it!

Fun in the Kiln Room

6/29/2019

Big Dog Pots blog returns! After the long hiatus, and numerous requests for us to resume our blog, we are excited to be back with our latest kiln opening with a unique behind the scenes glimpse at the firing process. we hope you enjoy it! Comment below for other behind the scenes video you'd like to see, is there a process you're curious about? Let us know, have a great day!

Kiln Unloading!

Giving Back and Saying THANK YOU.....

8/7/2017

What an exciting summer it has been at the Studio!!! We are finally settling in to our new space. It is so open, airy and colorful, we are really pleased with how it is coming along. As you may know, when I first started "Big Dog Pots" I was creating pieces from my property, attending area fine art shows and donating my proceeds to 2 local animal rescue groups. I was not able to volunteer at that time due to an illness in the family, so my donations were my way of supporting my community.

As a way to say thank you to all those who have supported Big Dog Pots since we opened in 2014 we are offering a FREE PARTY for up to 30 of your friends, family, co-workers, or whom ever else you might choose. This will be a party where you can all come in and paint pottery mugs ON US!!!!!

In order to be considered in the ultimate drawing for the FREE PARTY the winner must meet these qualifications:

- Must volunteer or contribute to a local not for profit.
- Must be nominated by someone other than themselves or a family member.
- Must live in either Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, or Rappahannock counties.
- Nominator MUST LIKE Big Dog Pots Pottery Facebook Page
- Nominator MUST give a brief reason why their nominee is incredibly AWESOME and deserves this FREE PARTY.
- Nominator MUST LIKE and SHARE the corresponding post on our Facebook Page.
-All persons attending the party must be willing to be photographed for publication.

That's it!

We wanted to say THANK YOU and we hope to have a LOT of nominees. Who are you going to nominate??? NOMINATE your special candidate below!!!!

Fused Glass Friday Nights

3/14/2017

Join us Friday nights in April for four individual TRY IT classes. We will be creating Spring themed pieces including a framed Cherry Blossom tile, geometric square bowl, birds in a nest window hanger, and a fun white on black vintage piece.

You can sign up for one Friday night class or all the classes. Whatever works best for your schedule. These classes are a wonderful opportunity to try out Fused Glass making. Fused Glass classes are appropriate for artists ages 8 and up! Don't worry about working with glass, we have safety goggles and specially made gloves to protect our students.

What is Fused Glass?
Fused Glass is similar to Stained Glass in that you will be creating finished pieces out of pieces of glass. That is where the similarity ends. With Fused Glass, glass pieces are created by layering glass and then fusing the layers into one solid piece in a kiln. Once the piece is fused into a solid form it can then be slumped into a mold or shape.

It is a wonderfully creative and relaxing art form and no glass experience is necessary.

We hope you will join us Friday nights in April.

Contact the Studio with any questions, or if you would like to create a Fused Glass party or event (540) 364-2834.

So What IS All That Construction About ????

1/17/2017

So WHAT is ALL this construction about anyway????

We get asked that all the time, and it is a good thing for sure.

Big Dog Pots opened its doors in March of 2014. Since then the art making center has been well received in the community and has become a destination for travelers from the greater Northern Virginia region and beyond.

In response to demand, we are adding 3,000 square feet to the Studio. In addition to Walk-in Pottery Painting we will be adding Fused Glass to our roster of Walk-In art making choices.

When the construction is complete we will have SEATING for 50. Think parties, events, bridal showers, off-site team building, and more. Our Pottery Painting will be greatly expanded, and we will be adding many new EVENTS for children, adults and families.

We are thrilled with our construction to date and in the coming weeks you will see a NEW ROOF going on and our doors and windows being installed.

Stay tuned for more news on our new offerings (some are still top secret), and on the progress of the construction.

To make sure you are included in our new offerings and all the Studio News, sign up for our newsletter.

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Thank You, Better Homes & Gardens

8/6/2016

We were contacted a few months back by a staff writer at Better Homes and Gardens Magazine about a lovely little set of dog bowls we have listed on our ETSY shop.

The writer fell in love with the set and decided to feature them in her latest article entitled ....

"10 Adorable Etsy Products That Your Dog Needs ASAP."

The article is up online in the July/August edition.

We are THRILLED and humbled to have been chosen. Thank you, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, you have made us a happy group of pups here!

Fused Glass in the Virginia Piedmont

6/3/2016

My journey into glass work started almost 30 years ago. I was always "crafty" and always admired stained glass. I became so curious that I sought out a teacher. By happenstance, I came to know a wonderful and talented teacher who taught me the traditional Tiffany method of creating stained glass. Tiffany's incredible creations were created by wrapping each individual piece of glass was wrapped in copper foil, Then after the piece is cut and wrapped it is soldered in place, The process is lengthy and exacting and if all goes well, at the end the finished piece will last for years and provide a source of pride and beauty in your life.

Stained glass is a hobby that both my husband and I enjoy. With my husband's exacting glass cutting skills and my design, layout and color talents we have created many pieces for friends, family, and customers.

When I began working with clay I purchased a kiln that could fire both ceramics and glass so that I could also explore fused glass. Fused glass is similar in process to stained glass, but instead of soldering the piece, it is fired in a kiln where the layers of glass fuse to become one.

Whether you are interested in stained glass or fused glass, learning to cut glass will be part of your hobby. Once you are comfortable cutting glass the rest becomes "easy."

At Big Dog Pots we offer introductory classes to fused glass for students of all ages. Class projects are created with the skill level of students in mind and change seasonally.

Call the Studio to get more information on fused glass at Big Dog Pots or to schedule a party, event or private session (540) 364-2834.

Wine & Design Events

4/25/2016

May is turning into an exciting month here at Big Dog Pots. We are offering two opportunities to come into the Studio and create. Our first event will be bringing back our very popular FUSED GLASS class. This time around we will be creating TIE DYE fused glass!!! What a FUN what to work with glass. This event will take place on Saturday, May 14th from 6:30 - 9:30 pm.

Coloring Book, Pottery, Paint Your Own Pottery, Girls Night Out, Wine and Design, Things To Do, Big Dog Pots Pottery, Marshall, VirginiaOur second event will be on Saturday, May 21st, when we will be offering COLORING BOOK POTTERY. We will have a number or pieces to choose from ranging from mugs, to serving platters and everything in between. Your purchase price will be applied toward the price of the piece you pick to paint. If you would like us to reserve a particular piece, or create a piece for you, just give us a call so that we can make that happen.

Pre-purchase your seat to these events here, space is limited.

We are excited about both of these offerings and look forward to seeing YOU in May.

Canvas Painting

3/12/2016

Canvas Painting comes to Big Dog Pots Pottery!! We are so thrilled with our new offering.

Canvas Painting is a sure hit with artists of ALLages. We have worked with artists as little as 2 years of age & up, and the results have been WONDERFUL!!!

You may recall my saying before that I do not think of myself as an "artist." In fact, the big joke in our family is when I say "here, let me draw you a picture of what I am talking about!" Up until late last year, I had never painted a single painting in my entire life. But I wanted to bring Canvas Painting to the Studio and so I gave myself a challenge and painted one of the more complex pieces I could find.

What I found is that it was EASY and most importantly it was FUN! These pieces are not "Fine Art", but are truly "Fun Art." I was so incredibly PROUD of my accomplishment that I knew that if I could do it, ANYONE could do it. And so, off we went into the Canvas Painting world.

Fast forward to today and we find ourselves offering a fun tween/teen after school Canvas Painting class on Fridays from 4:30 - 5:30 pm.

We also now offer Canvas Painting Parties for children and adults. We are able to COME TO YOU with our Canvas Painting Parties. And finally, we are able to custom design Canvases to fit your theme, group, or event.

Contact the Studio to talk with us about Canvass Painting and to join in on the FUN!!! (540) 364-2834

January and the GREAT BEYOND...

1/11/2016

Here at Big Dog Pots Pottery we are beginning January with a big step forward. Life at the Studio is beginning to get back into a smooth rhythm after the frenetic pace of the Christmas Holidays. We are thankful for all of our local patrons, and for our online patrons for keeping Big Dog Pots in your thoughts for your unique gift giving needs.

As we round out our second year in our Main Street location and look beyond we have made some changes and some additions to our offerings. Many of you may recall that the driving force for creating this Studio was to create more space, have ability to offer classes, work with groups, and offer the local community the unique opportunity to have access to a working art Studio. We feel as though we have accomplished all of these goals and now we find that as the business has developed it has taken on a life and direction of its own.

Right from the start, patrons wanted to have access to Paint Your Own Pottery and in response to demand we devoted a portion of the Studio for this wonderful and creative process. We have expanded our Paint Your Own Pottery offerings and are now also offering Parties and Events.

Our Paint Your Own Pottery parties and events have been quite popular and we suggest that you contact the Studio to schedule your event or party as available dates do tend to book in advance.

New for 2016 we will be offering monthly WINE & DESIGN events. Our hope here is to offer and evening of fun, creativity, and relaxation in a variety of the mediums that we work with in the Studio. Here is a sneak peak into what is coming over the next few months.

January - WINE & DESIGN- working with fused glass to create a snowflake/snowman themed plate. (SOLD OUT)

February - WINE & DESIGN - exploring Paint Your Own Pottery with all pieces heart shaped.

VALENTINE'S DAY SPECIAL - we will be offering Try It Sessions on the Potter's Wheel on Saturday and Sunday February 13 & 14.

March - WINE & DESIGN - time to shake your tail feathers as we explore the art of painting on canvas with a bright and cheerful tulip themed piece.

We are excited about 2016 and we are looking forward to all that is to come. Stop in the Studio to see our new pieces, or to talk with us about one of our upcoming events!