krystal speck

Just a quick post: I’m pretty exhausted. Enjoying the last few hours of a very productive Sunday. The studio move is complete! I spent the weekend settling into my new space. It’s got good energy…according to my friend Jon it has good feng shui. I’ll post some pictures of the new set up soon, but in the meantime here are some shots of my table at last weekend’s City of Craft sale, (above photo courtesy of Amy Kenny).

Kalpna’s fluffy rainclouds were perfect! I love seeing all the artists’ booths from above. For more views of the show, visit the City of Craft flickr photo set here.

Night blogging here. As per usual! This past Saturday was City of Craft Spring {Take a peek} and I want to say a giant thank you to Becky Johnson, Kalpna Patel, and the whole team of crafters & volunteers that helped put on the show. What a classy group of ladies & gents…my goodness. I’m just gonna get all touchy feely here for a sec, and say that I am really lucky to be a part of such a kick ass craft community in this city (and Hamilton by extension…shout out to Lisa & Jane!). We had such a great turnout and I was thrilled to see so many people take interest in my work & upcoming ceramics classes. Thank you to those that came by and visited my booth! Now I’m really looking forward to City of Craft in December.

Ah…I’m moving my studio this weekend. Just a few blocks away, but still a bit daunting. Wish me luck! I’ll have to hit the ground running in my new space, as kindred (my show in June w/ Heather Dahl) is fast approaching. The spoons (above) are just one idea I’m developing for the show, which will revolve around a theme of blue & white.

And, in other news — I’m happy to note that I’ll be participating in this year’s Muskoka Arts & Crafts Show in July. Having grown up in Muskoka, I think it’s about time I did a craft show there!  For some reason I never have. I’m really looking forward to bringing my work up North & seeing what people think. I swear, every day after the show wraps up I’m going to march straight down to the lake a jump in. And probably each morning, too.

Hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend with good food and great company. We certainly did! Here’s a little serenity pic for you. Taken on a hike through my favourite park, tucked away on undisturbed crown land. We followed this stream until it met the lake, then basked in the sun on the rocky shore. Couldn’t have asked for a better spring getaway. Hoping for more soon.

Still to come: City of Craft Spring is on April 21st!! Don’t forget! And if you know anyone who could spare 2-3 hrs that day, CofC is seeking volunteers.

And the great studio move. Ugh. If only I could snap my fingers and be done!

I’ve been taking some time to do some light research into blue & white patterning in ceramics, housewares and other objects d’art (check out the bike above!) in preparation for my show in June with Heather at bookhou. It’s called kindred, and we’re both working away on new ceramics in keeping with a blue & white theme, she in Vancouver and me in Toronto. It’s been so nice to work collaboratively on a show. Heather will also be doing an artist’s talk at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics while she’s here (I’ll post dates soon). This special show has been a year in the making & I couldn’t be more pleased to have the opportunity to show my work along with Heather’s. I can’t wait to show you some of my test pieces. I’ve been leaning towards a slightly teal blue variation of ‘blue and white.’ Some of the plates above by Spode & Delft have brown, black and green tones and I find the change to be so pleasing. More to come.

Happy monday…hang in there, the holiday weekend is almost upon us!

Hello friends & crafty compatriots. Did you know it’s summer in Toronto? Or rather, a very warm first day of spring. Yes, balmy, sunny weather and flip flops have taken over my city. And drunken, yelling teenagers to be honest. It’s a swift change of seasons, but I’m not complaining. What a nice departure from grey sleet & snow. No thank you. So, in the midst of planning my studio move and making work for orders I realized that I have not yet blogged about the upcoming Spring City of Craft show. That’s right! You know like the super City of Craft Christmas show each December? This is a brand new spring edition, with great vendors, & vintage items / rummage, too! Hope to see you all there.

Take a peek below:

It seems we’re being evicted from our studio. Sad face. Especially sad since the studio which I share with five other artists is beyond beautiful. It felt like a real creative space…bright and spacious. And somehow I have built it up in my mind that moving a ceramics studio is at least several times worse than regular household moving so the stress has set in early. Luckily, my ‘mates seem to feel more optimistic, and we’ll begin boxing up our clay, glaze materials, shelves, old art projects and kilns sometime in April and find new digs for May 1. We’re not alone. Half of the creative people on our floor are being turfed to make way for a big video game design company. Damn you corporate nerds.

While all that looms, I’m planning for spring & summer shows. I had hoped to have another studio open house in April, but this would be in the midst of moving, so I may dedicate that time to replenishing my etsy shop. It’s been on my to do list for months. I feel intense etsy shame. Who knew there was such a thing? Stocking brick & mortar stores and doing retail shows always takes precedence, but I miss having the international exposure that can come via online storefronts like etsy or big cartel. It was exciting to see people in England, New Zealand & Japan peeking at my wares and emailing. I really admire Heather for always keeping such a lovely, well-stocked shop with great photographs. And the inspiring Sara Paloma…her shop will make your jaw drop.

Anyway, please excuse me if I don’t update the blog quite as often over the coming month or so. I can’t wait to be properly set up in a new, fresh space! Gotta get that kiln firing.

Capacity was a huge success! Thank you to our visitors and a special thanks to the other designers in the show. It was such a pleasure to work with you all. We had our public opening last Saturday night and the gallery was packed! This weekend I took in several design shows. I finally went to IDS. I have never been, believe it or not. Then we visited Radiant Dark, Not Forkchops and Come Up to My Room. Here are a few shots from our show, three views of my teapots (coffeepots may be a better descriptor), porcelain houses by Fiona & Kristen Lim-Tung, and two views of the space as a whole (including work by Maiwenn Castellan, WomanKing, Katherine Morley, Heidi Earnshaw & Heather McGaw).

I’m very excited about this amazing show — opening Thursday!  Capacity 2012 will highlight seventeen of Toronto’s female designers, and is one of several great events you can take in during Design Week. I spent the afternoon today watching the work being set up and can say that this show is not to be missed! For Capacity, I have designed a teapot prototype that explores the relationship between form, function and surface decoration. Six different versions will be on display. Please see below for more details. See you there!

About The Show

CAPACITY | JANUARY 25-29, 2012 | 1066 DUNDAS ST. WEST, TORONTO, M6J 1W8 | MAP HERE

Hours:  9am-6pm Daily

Admission: Free
Press/VIP Reception: Wednesday January 25, 2012, 4-8pm
Public Reception: Saturday January 29, 2012, 4-8pm

The History of Capacity:

Now in its second year, “CAPACITY” is an annual exhibit of new work by female, Canadian designers, curated by Katherine Morley, Erin McCutcheon and Ange-line Tetrault. It will be presented in January 2012, at the Bev Hisey Studio (1066 Dundas St. W., at Shaw). The exhibition will feature a wide range of media (ceramic, textile, furniture, product design, illustration and more) that will examine and express the word “capacity” as it relates to the role of women in the field of design.

“CAPACITY” was conceived of in 2010, while Katherine Morley and Erin McCutcheon were discussing an upcoming local design event, and looking at the names of the designers who’d been invited to participate. Not only were there no women designers on the roster, the organizers were not even aware of their omission, when it was brought to their attention. Not long afterward, they launched an informal poll asking people to name any women designers they could. To their shock and dismay, many couldn’t list any at all, and only a few managed to repeat one or two names. At that moment, Morley and McCutcheon knew it was imperative to do something to raise the profile of Canadian women designers, and that they were the ones to do it.

The inaugural “CAPACITY” exhibit garnered much critical praise and press coverage, and attracted a large number of attendees both within and outside of the design community. The curatorial team was extremely honoured to be invited to re-exhibit “CAPACITY” at the Design Exchange in August 2011; as well, McCutcheon was invited to exhibit her individual “CAPACITY” project at the RH Gallery in New York, alongside other contemporary ceramic artists, including Jeff Koons.

The success of “CAPACITY” 2011 reinforced the importance of giving a voice to Canadian women in design, and the Curators have vowed to make it an annual event. In its second year, Morley and McCutcheon are excited to announce the addition of Ange-line Tetrault as Assistant Curator.

http://capacitytoronto.com/

Happy new year friends! I’m blogging from sunny Arizona, where I’ve been hiding for the past ten days, enjoying a break from the wet snow & sleet we saw over Christmas in Toronto. Hope you all rang in the new year in style! What did you get up to?

We wanted to do something special to kick off our year, so J & I hopped in our rental car and drove six hours from Phoenix, AZ, to Solana Beach, California, for three days of beach bliss. There is nothing like being beside the ocean, buried in the sand, listening to the crashing waves. We thought we’d visit the city of San Diego but we couldn’t tear ourselves away from the beach unless it was to find food, drink (margaritas!) or to sleep.

To top it off, we found the cutest little guest house a stones throw away from the beach & a fabulous brunch spot. It was by far the best extended new year’s celebration I have ever had. For a night that is notorious for over-planning, over-spending and let down hopes, New Year’s Eve 2011 came in on a high note! Other trip highlights so far: bottles of wine for $4, Torrey Pines State Reserve (see pic above), nude beach…yip!, and self serve frozen yogurt shops. I was supposed to make resolutions this week, but the intention seems to have dissolved into all the vacation-y goodness. Maybe later.

Stay tuned — I’ll be posting info about CAPACITY 2012, a fabulous group show that’s happening later this month in Toronto. I’m so excited to be part of this year’s crew.

And welcome to 2012!

After eleven long days at the One of a Kind show, I’m happily settling back into my usual making/working schedule. Thanks to all of you who came out to support handmade at the OOAK this year! It was great to chat with so many return customers and old friends. Really, it’s so good to reconnect with people who appreciate what you do…especially after months alone making pots in the studio til the wee hours of the morn. But there’s no rest for the wicked!

I have two exciting events to tell you about:

1. Elevator Art Lab

SHOP@ELEVATOR NOVEMBER 17th – DECEMBER 23rd 2011

Looking for beautifully handcrafted gifts this holiday? Visit the Elevator Art Lab Shop! Here you’ll find a curated selection of artisanal objects from many local talents. I’m pleased to be particpating  as well! This Saturday Dec. 10th from 11am-10pm we’ll be having a special shopping event. Please come down and say hello. I’ll be there in the evening to celebrate this great shop (and pick up gifts, too!).

Elevator Art Lab // 97 Niagara St. Toronto

2. Movies & Makers

For one last chance to pick up a piece or two of my pottery before Christmas, you can find me on Saturday December 17th at the Movies & Makers craft show at the historic Fox Theatre in The Beaches. Looking forward to vending in the East end again! Come visit:

Saturday, December 17, 2011  //  11:00am until 5:30pm

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Okay, that’s a wrap for now. Hope you’re all having a great December so far. I’m looking forward to the holidays, hopefully some snow soon (?) in Toronto and going on vacation at the end of December to Arizona. Happy holidays!