A Day in The Studio, Shelley Rosenstein, June 28, 2026
Every day in the studio has a rhythm, a routine, a set of tasks to accomplish. When I enter, I water my plants; many large pots of geraniums from my garden that I had wintered and nurtured in the sunny windows of my basement. They are happier now in my studio with a series of windows that face a southern exposure! Flowers and plants, and how other artists record them, are a large part of my inspiration.
I make a To-Do list: wedge clay for making new forms, trimming and smoothing work in process, find an address to ship finished work to a client, packing with love and care so that the client will receive the piece safely. These are all important tasks for a successful studio artist.
Now I am creating a base for a new sculpture. It calls for a half-round clay form with a flat bottom and since it is a closed form, it must have an air hole for air to escape in the kiln (so it won’t blow up!). After experimenting with a coiled half-round dome, I decided to use a slab. The repeated rows of a coil will distract from the sculptural object.
The slab form for the base is made, trimmed and carefully placed into a damp box to dry slowly so it will not crack. Next, I must paint underglaze onto the many porcelain flowers I made for the sculptural form— when the underglaze painting is completed, these flowers can be bisque fired (removing all the moisture in the dry clay).\
Now I check my email: WOW! A letter from a client that made my day. I met Isabel on a vacation in Mexico; when I told her I created ceramic tableware, she asked to look at my website, and decided that when she returned home to Toronto she would order some pieces from my website.
Isabelle wanted something a little different that what was available in my website gallery, so over the phone, we discussed some design options, colors, and Isabelle commissioned a couple of custom made matching pieces, to her specifications. I’d like to share some of her letter with you:
“Even though we are thousands of miles apart, you made the process simple and seamless. You infused the process with excitement and enthusiasm at the idea of making custom pieces for me, while at the same time you were very professional in the preparation, packing and shipping of the pieces the time frame indicated. The quality of your work is very high and I would not hesitate to work with you again!”
There is a photo of one of Isabelle’s commissioned pieces on the HOME page of my website, a lovely floral patterned bowl of many colors!
